(Tree) Stumped

I've hit a crossroad in my project and I'm unsure which path to take. The new Unreal Developer Kit has just been released for free, the same one developers used to pay a very large amount of money for. It has all the new features including global illumination, light emmisive materials, new content browser etc. Learning this new 'engine' would really benefit my job opportunities but the UDK doesn't open GoW content or maps.

So down one road I have the new engine meaning my level can look pretty amazing with all the new features. I can still open the UT3 content but there is only a handful of meshes etc that would fit with my theme. Also down this path is learning to use the new UDK just in time for applying to jobs which could boost me to my first interview.

The other path leads me to sticking with GoW. I have to put up with a very buggy engine, crashing all the time and no access to the new effects and assets. But I do have access to all the GoW content including characters, meshes, voices, etc.

My game would probably suit a 3rd person view like the gears of war engine, were the player is unable to jump or 'bunny hop' around the level. I also planned on making my game very interactive, and actually building a whole level. This included features that would be in the game like searching cupboards, interacting with npc's, firefights, story, cinematic sequences etc, all that would be gone in place of a much better looking level.

But going into the industry as a level designer, maybe that's what would suit me better? Surely the interaction, story etc would all be left to other people and I would be making the level pretty?

I'm swaying towards the new UDK engine and I really need to make up my mind by the end of the week so I can plan out my level again. This would be going against my original proposal document but no ideas in games design stay the same from start to finish.