PhD Internship in smaller lab [D]
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A PhD student from a top UK university is concerned about the impact of their internship at a smaller lab on post-PhD opportunities in robotics/ML. They question if a relevant internship, even if not with a major company like Nvidia or Google, is a significant advantage for industry applications, or if only internships at well-known big tech companies truly matter. The student also considers whether to pursue another 6-month internship or focus on completing their PhD and securing a job.
How much of a disadvantage is it if your only internship is not at one of the big frontier labs when it comes to post-phd opportunities in robotics/ML? My PhD is at a top university (UK) and my internship is interesting and relevant but the team itself is smaller and it's no Nvidia/Google/etc. Most places here prefer interns for 6 months so I'm not sure if I can do another internship down the line or if there's even much point compared to just wrapping up the PhD and then getting a job.
Is having a relevant internship already a big plus when it comes to applying to industry, or does it need to be a really well known big tech company?