Two offers; however one of them isn’t in SWE. What do I do? /u/BombForAllah69 CSCQ protests reddit

Basically title. I graduated in May 2024 and the job market has been brutal to say the least. I’ve been doing LeetCode, personal projects, and part time work as a SWE at a small business.

However, they’re running out of money and I’m looking at getting kicked to the curb.

Fortunately, I’m sitting on two offers; one from BeaconFire as a junior SWE, and the other from a mechanical engineering firm (as a mechanical engineering). This is because I have two degrees, an ME bachelors and a CS masters.

I’m having a hard time choosing between the two offers however.

BeaconFire Pros: – get to move away from home (separate story) – network may be valuable since I’m being “rented out” to other companies and can go up that way – still remain in tech

BeaconFire Cons: – from online research, it’s super sketchy since they’re going to “modify” my resume and teach me to lie in order to get me into their clients companies – work isn’t going to be guaranteed(?) if I’m not marketable. (Can someone who’s done BeaconFire or a similar company weigh in here?) – have to deal with misc. expenses if I move away from home. Pay is about ~30 an hour and might not be able to cover everything even if I live super frugally. – first time living away away from home, so have to rebuild social network. – living at home is has extra mental strain

Mech E. Pros: – company offering the job has great job security. Many people working there have been working there for years and have never switched jobs – I get to stay local and save expenses

Mech E. Cons: – earning potential isn’t as high – have to stay at home; don’t earn enough money to move out. – could be harder to reenter the SWE industry if there’s just a “random” mechE job

With the market being as terrible as it is, can someone with more life experience weigh in here? Do I go for job security, or should I prioritize earning potential at my stage in life?

With all the news regarding H1B, outsourcing, and AI, should I just take the MechE offer and try to apply for SWE positions in the meantime?

I got to eat too…, right?

Basically title. I graduated in May 2024 and the job market has been brutal to say the least. I’ve been doing LeetCode, personal projects, and part time work as a SWE at a small business.

However, they’re running out of money and I’m looking at getting kicked to the curb.

Fortunately, I’m sitting on two offers; one from BeaconFire as a junior SWE, and the other from a mechanical engineering firm (as a mechanical engineering). This is because I have two degrees, an ME bachelors and a CS masters.

I’m having a hard time choosing between the two offers however.

BeaconFire Pros: – get to move away from home (separate story) – network may be valuable since I’m being “rented out” to other companies and can go up that way – still remain in tech

BeaconFire Cons: – from online research, it’s super sketchy since they’re going to “modify” my resume and teach me to lie in order to get me into their clients companies – work isn’t going to be guaranteed(?) if I’m not marketable. (Can someone who’s done BeaconFire or a similar company weigh in here?) – have to deal with misc. expenses if I move away from home. Pay is about ~30 an hour and might not be able to cover everything even if I live super frugally. – first time living away away from home, so have to rebuild social network. – living at home is has extra mental strain

Mech E. Pros: – company offering the job has great job security. Many people working there have been working there for years and have never switched jobs – I get to stay local and save expenses

Mech E. Cons: – earning potential isn’t as high – have to stay at home; don’t earn enough money to move out. – could be harder to reenter the SWE industry if there’s just a “random” mechE job

With the market being as terrible as it is, can someone with more life experience weigh in here? Do I go for job security, or should I prioritize earning potential at my stage in life?

With all the news regarding H1B, outsourcing, and AI, should I just take the MechE offer and try to apply for SWE positions in the meantime?

I got to eat too…, right?