<p>So I came upon a great opportunity (inadvertently) with an engineer who collaborated with a faculty member from Harvard-MIT Health Sciences and Technology Institute, who will most likely offer me a position there after my Master of Engineering at Cornell. </p>
<p>The only problem is, that I want to eventually pursue my PhD, do you think it would be better off to work with this faculty member or get a position within an Industrial company to get some work experience?</p>
<p>My main goal is PhD admissions, and since my undergraduate track record wasn't that impressive, I needed to take some time and build up my application.</p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>Work with that faculty member. Who’s to say you’ll even find a job in the industry? Take what you can get now - especially since it’s in academia which is where you want to be anyway.</p>
<p>I haven’t started to apply/look at companies yet so I’m not sure if it will be worthwhile. I also have some debt after my masters since it was a professional program (no funding).</p>
<p>After my PhD, I look to have a non-academic career perhaps R&D in a biotech company, which is why I am considering a position in a company to gain some experience before pursuing a PhD. </p>
<p>The only problem is, that while long-term I want to work in industry, short-term I want to get admitted into a great PhD program. Will working in academia significantly affect my PhD applications as opposed to working in a company?</p>
<p>Go ahead and look around and apply for jobs. If nothing pans at the end and the opportunity actually comes through, take that. Job search is really no fun in this economy. Also you may make academic connections that will get you attention at some PhD programs.</p>