u/Murky-Ad1887

Hey everyone!

I had an interview with a team, and they confirmed I am their final choice and asked me to join. I agreed and my future boss submitted that information along to her supervisor.

Now we're waiting for the administrative/bureaucratic/HR procedure, before getting a contract to sign on June 4th.

What's the chance some problem crops up in this procedure before getting the final contract? Is it possible HR/committee rejects them from getting a technical student in general, or me in specific?

How certain can I be I actually have a firm offer? A month is a long time to wait if you have other standing offers.

Thanks in advance!

Hi everyone!

I'm choosing between two positions and would love some outside perspective. At this point, I don't think I would qualify for FAANG, so both of these feel like a meaningful step up for starting out my career, especially coming out of Eastern Europe.

Option A - CERN Technical Studentship (Geneva area) Role in the Quantitative Methods Team (Pension Fund), focused on ML, data processing, and Python development for investment strategies. Salary is 3,500 CHF net (~3,800€/month), 12-month contract with possible +2 month extension, and full relocation support. Most likely based in Saint-Genis-Pouilly. Post-studentship offers apparently do happen if you perform well and network. Should be a path toward ML specialization, research, or quantitative finance.

Option B - Bending Spoons SWE (Milan) 12-month contract, 66k€ gross (roughly 3,600–4,200€ net/month depending on the impatriati tax regime). 25k€ severance if not renewed (which they frame as the typical outcome anyway). First 16 weeks of accommodation covered. Team/product placement TBD. Should be a path towards versatility, fast pace, and strong product thinking.

Both would likely push my master's degree back a year, but it seems worth it either way.

Questions for the community:

1. Career trajectory — which opens more doors long-term, makes you hireable or is prestigious? Idk if CERN is overlooked for being academia/niche; Is the BS brand as strong a CV signal as they claim (they appear to market themselves near-Google-level), or it just leaves you burned out and a generalist without technical depth?
2. Bending Spoons workload — I keep hearing "intense culture" but never actual numbers. How many hours/week on average? Is burnout common, and how fast? Is the extra salary actually enjoyable if you have no free time?
3. Lifestyle — How is day-to-day life in Saint-Genis vs Milan? Are CERN people mostly stuck in the village, or do they spend meaningful time in Geneva? How's the social scene at each place — especially for someone arriving solo?
4. Financial comfort — accounting for cost of living in each city, which actually leaves more in your pocket at the end of the month? And longer-term savings potential?

Would genuinely appreciate input from anyone who's done either, or knows people who have. Thanks in advance!