IEC Working Holiday vs a study-then-PGWP path — which sets me up better for PR?

They're genuinely different tools: IEC Working Holiday is a short, open work permit (no LMIA, no employer tie) with a country-specific age cap and duration, it's great for testing the waters and can also build Canadian work experience toward CEC, but it doesn't include a study credential or the CRS points that come with Canadian education. If your real goal is maximizing CRS long-term, study + PGWP tends to stack more points; if you just want work experience fast with less commitment, IEC is faster to get into. Compare both at /guides/work/iec and /guides/study/pathway-map.