Seeking Advice: IT Help Desk or Systems Test Engineer /u/Nobiscis CSCQ protests reddit

Hi all, I’ll try to be concise. I’m looking for career advice:

Background:

• BS in Computer Science, graduated December 2024 (bad GPA)
• Currently a software developer intern (1 year)
• Not particularly passionate about any specific field, but good with technology
• Value making money and work-life balance

Job Offers:

1. Clinical Applications Technician (Healthcare)
   • Salary: $53K per year
   • PTO: 6.5 weeks
   • Role: IT help desk
   • Pros:
     • Good work-life balance
     • Potential to grow into senior analyst roles
     • Possibility to transition into internal software dev/engineering positions (supposedly)
     • Friendly colleagues
   • Cons:
     • Uncertain long-term salary growth
     • Slower path to six-figure salary
2. Entry-Level Systems Test Engineer
   • Salary: $65K per year
   • PTO: “Unlimited”
   • Role: Manual testing initially, working with selenium eventually
   • Pros:
     • Better long-term career development for six-figure salary internally/externally
   • Cons:
     • More stressful with performance pressure
     • Depressing work environment (cube farm, remote work, very few people in office)
     • Limited in-person learning resources

Considerations:

• Not particularly passionate about any specific job
• Value work-life balance but unsure if it should be the main focus
• Horribly indecisive and seeking advice on which offer to choose
• Wouldn’t mind coasting through my career

Hi all, I’ll try to be concise. I’m looking for career advice:

Background:

• BS in Computer Science, graduated December 2024 (bad GPA)
• Currently a software developer intern (1 year)
• Not particularly passionate about any specific field, but good with technology
• Value making money and work-life balance

Job Offers:

1. Clinical Applications Technician (Healthcare)
   • Salary: $53K per year
   • PTO: 6.5 weeks
   • Role: IT help desk
   • Pros:
     • Good work-life balance
     • Potential to grow into senior analyst roles
     • Possibility to transition into internal software dev/engineering positions (supposedly)
     • Friendly colleagues
   • Cons:
     • Uncertain long-term salary growth
     • Slower path to six-figure salary
2. Entry-Level Systems Test Engineer
   • Salary: $65K per year
   • PTO: “Unlimited”
   • Role: Manual testing initially, working with selenium eventually
   • Pros:
     • Better long-term career development for six-figure salary internally/externally
   • Cons:
     • More stressful with performance pressure
     • Depressing work environment (cube farm, remote work, very few people in office)
     • Limited in-person learning resources

Considerations:

• Not particularly passionate about any specific job
• Value work-life balance but unsure if it should be the main focus
• Horribly indecisive and seeking advice on which offer to choose
• Wouldn’t mind coasting through my career