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Here we are...summer is upon us (at least for those of us in the northern hemisphere). For me, this seasonal change is marked by the crowd of incoming summer students milling around the various labs on campus. Some are here to angle for research positions in the fall; others to bolster their college/medical school/grad school application; still others are figuring out if they like wet lab work; and finally, there are those with absolutely no interest in lab work or science, but their parent/relative/guardian want them out of the house for at least 10-20 hours a week. What they all have in common is that they are all willing to work for free, which is good for most labs. They can use the extra hands for the more routine work around the lab and fulfill their "training" obligation that is usually tied to funding.
Now, I must confess I've never worked for free in any lab mainly because I couldn't afford to. But it makes me wonder what the difference is between a paid job vs. a seasonal internship/volunteer job in terms of providing a meaningful lab experience. Of course, the most reasonable answer is "it depends". I indeed think it depends on what the student wants to get out of the opportunity. However, there are a few substantive differences that one may expect to gain from the two situations.
I think the biggest difference is the amount of intellectual engagement. For the seasonal workers, the members of the lab will generally try to teach you stuff, rather than getting things done. It's the practical thing to do because it's simply impossible to train someone for a few weeks and expect them to generate useable data and confirm them in a single season. Instead, they will spend the time to explain the theories that drive the experiments and to clue you in on what's happening within their field. So, it is meant to be an introduction to wet lab research and to hopefully whet your appetite for a more extensive commitment. As for the downside, I don't think such an experience really prepares anyone for the grueling grind that is research. In fact, a lot of the difficulties are glossed over to avoid crushing the beaming optimism these youngsters possessed, and I'm also not sure if we're doing them any favors by protecting their innocence.
On the other hand, the wage-earners have been in the trenches. They've usually worked in a wet lab for at least an academic year, and had plenty of time to screw up. They've worked under pressure and probably had to juggle obligations outside of the lab. They are expected to produce useable data and may be involved in several projects, and may even be contributing to manuscript writing and experimental design. In short, they are usually valued members of the lab and their only handicap may be the lack of advanced degrees. There may also be less intellectual engagement because it's just a job for some and they're too busy to think much about scientific abstractions. All in all, their day-to-day experiences resembles the senior researchers'. The main difference is that the wage-earners are not encouraged to pursue their own ideas independently, and so are basically following orders.
These are just general sketches. The student can still tailor each experience to fit his or her goals. If you're serious about lab research, a long internship or volunteering stint (at least a year) can get you the same experience as the lab worker. If you're the paid lab rat, volunteering to take on more responsibilities and participating in the intellectual discourse within the lab can earn you credit to work more independently and leeway to pursue your own interests.
It truly depends on each individual to decide which path to take. If you can afford to work for free, then that's great because you will have more choices since few labs would turn down free labor. If you must be paid, then there may be fewer choices but that doesn't mean you won't get a good experience out of it. At the very least, you'll be able to leverage your skills to get into another lab or into another industry in the future.
I've been on the wage-earning side of things, and I've also trained summer students. The two paths are not meant to be the same, and I don't regret the one I've followed. I don't think one group is smarter or more capable than the other. I just think life happens and people make their choices based on what works best for them. So go ahead and make yours, there are no wrong answers here.
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