Doctor Who <| sep |> Ok , so I ' m an almost ex IT Recruiter and here is my professional view should you choose to take it into account . 1 . Intel looks better on my resume because they ' re more well known and proven . While the later part is true I have to disagree with the first . As a recruiter I ' m always doing a bit of background check , even for interns . More than that because I ' m inclined towards the technical area I also discuss with them via phone some technical aspects about the knowledge they possess just simple stuff so I can sort out who gets to come at the face 2 face HR interview . So if you know your stuff you shouldn ' t worry . The only potential problem you ' re hinting at here is if the recruiter prefers Intel as a background for the candidates but I think this is hardly the case because competences trump the company . This is a situation that you can control if you fill your CV with relevant data about the knowledge you gathered so the recruiter sees matches between what you did and what you should do at the company he works for . 2 . I ' m more passionate about ML but they ' re a greater risk . . As long as there are professionals there whom you can learn from , and I ' m sure this is the case , there isn ' t any risk involved . Career wise the target is to always learn new things and improve yourself while also helping others thrive and I ' m sure you can accomplish this at either company . 3 . Passion . Well , I ' ve encountered many candidates , some more passionate than others and I followed their progress within the company . While you can be a good professional and not be truly passionate there is an extremely clear difference if you also have passion . The thing is that passionate people always perform better , grow faster and help foster a better working environment . If you can choose the role that you ' re passionate about do it without second thoughts . You will be doing a service to yourself and others in the short and long run . Others have made more compelling points than me but I thought maybe you also need the professional ' s view . More often than not people forget that we spend more time at the job than maybe we should with family and friends . If you have the chance , spend you life ' s worth in time wherever you passion lies .