I liked how independent my work was.
My job was developing educational software, but we didn't actually know what software we needed. So, I was free to experiment with all sorts of tech.
Eventually our equipment wasn't powerful enough to run my software, so I went down to the school e waste bin and scavenged old parts. I bet I wouldn't be able to do that anywhere else!
What I wish was different
I wish we had more funding.
Advice
Ask your profs what they're doing over summer. You might get a decent gig.