For love, or money?

Loyal readers will know that in April, I was offered the opportunity to work with a notable local advertising agency on a paid business research project. I tentatively accepted pending a formal monetary offer and signed contract. The topic of my research would focus on the client/agency relationship, identifying ways to increase client firms’ commitment to their ad and marketing firms during the early phases of their working relationship, allowing firms to maintain those relationships long-term. I selected this topic based on my previous interest in continuing in the account management vein.
I met with my academic supervisor last Monday and was pleased to learn that he served as the account planner on huge brands like Mars. He worked in the ad world for many years before settling in to an academic career at Cass. And, as I recently settled on what type of positon I’ll go for upon program completion, I was thrilled to learn that he once served in the role that I aspire to. Knowing this, he suggested an alternate topic for my research: Low involvement cognitive processing and a study of semiotics.

To add food to the fodder, I finally received confirmation of the paid project stipend last Thursday and feel that the modest amount to be paid pales in comparison to an opportunity to devote 3 months of full brain power to a topic of my choice–positioning me for the career path that I’m most excited about: account planning (not account management). While the project with the ad firm would pay a small stipend, this new, unpaid, self-determined topic would allow me freedom to study a topic that I find intriguing–a topic which would place me in a more attractive position when interviewing for account planning positions.

So the question becomes. Love or Money…I think I’ll stick with my pattern and go for love. If I’m happy and heading in a direction that I’m passionate about, the money will come, right? And common logic would say that the flexibility afforded by my unpaid research topic would allow me to more easily subdivide my time between job hunting and research. Then, the only question that remains is when to begin “real” work this fall…that makes my head hurt.