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Academia or Industry? How do I choose?
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- čas přidán 15. 08. 2024
- ❓❓ Ready to shift from Academia to Industry but aren't sure where to start?
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--- Academia or Industry? How do I choose? ---
One of the toughest questions we scientists and engineers face as we near the end of our PhD is: Do I stay in academia or go get a job in the private sector? Academia or industry? Well, the decision doesn’t have to be so hard. Here are three questions to consider:
Question 1: Are you interested in the applications for your research? Do you find that you frequently think about how your research will be used?
If so, this is probably an indication that you would enjoy industry, because that’s what it’s all about - identifying and creating applications for the awesome research that is done in academia.
Question 2: Do you like variety in your work environment or do you prefer consistency?
Would you be excited by working on a new project every year or two, or maybe every 6 months!, or would you prefer to keep working on one or two research areas over many years, developing a deeper knowledge and expertise over time?
If you prefer change, you are a good candidate for an industry career
Industry is typically much more dynamic, with things changing on a regular basis to keep up with changing markets, competition, or simply to grow the company. I’ve found this to be very exciting in my own career.
I get bored easily and like a new challenge Also, I love to learn new things, and this gives me a chance to learn something totally new regularly.
Academic research generally doesn’t change so frequently.
Question 3: Is work-life balance important to you? If so, you probably want to consider a career in industry, because generally speaking, people in industry have more time for life outside of work.
I have a theory on this: Industry is more about specific results, whereas academic research tends to be very open ended - you can always understand a problem better, have more publications, do more modeling, collect more data…
In industry, there tend to be specific results you are trying to achieve, that usually result in shipping something to a customer. When you get those results, or if your plan shows that you are on schedule to get them on time - you can go home!
I remember how while working on my PhD, it always seemed that there was more I could do. And because results were so far off, it felt like my progress was measured by my effort, not by specific milestones I was achieving. The longer I worked, the more effort people saw me putting in, and the better I felt I was doing.
Ever since I went into industry, I’ve had specific milestones to achieve. I knew what was expected this week, this month, or this year. And as long as I felt I was making good progress towards these milestones, I felt fine going home. What mattered was that I got the work done, now how long I was there or how much effort I put in. And if I found a way to get it done faster, that was a bonus that helped me!
It’s not that you don’t hear of entrepreneurs working very long hours to get their companies off the ground - you do! But generally speaking, people in industry have more time for life outside of work.
Trying to decide on academia vs industry can seem very challenging, but it doesn’t have to be as bad as it seems. Most of the uncertainty stems from not knowing much about industry, and so you are trying to choose between something that is familiar and something you know nothing about. That’s not easy.
If you are still feeling uncertain, make an effort to learn more about industry. Do some informational (expert) interviews with people in industry. Ask them what they like/don’t like about their careers. This will help quite a bit.
Thank you for this video. All three of my answers suggest I should go for a career in industry. I am a PhD right now, and I find myself becoming more and more miserable every day because I constantly bring work home with me, and I feel like my work is meaningless. I'd rather be a small fish in a big pond, helping others reach a common goal, than a big fish in the pond, crumbling under work-related stress every day.
Thank you for sharing your story, and I'm so glad that this video helped you. I wish you the best finding the best pond for you!
I have 1 year left until I finish my Master and I'm definitely considering not to do a PhD. I have a scholarship from my country (Mexico) and I have to go back to my country unless I keep studying here. Despite I would love to stay in Europe, I know a career in industry would be more rewarding for me. Thought about that in Academia work follows you even after you go back home and during the entire weekends, you just don't enjoy life. Plus the Academia is full of big egos and it's way more competitive instead of focused on team work.
If working all day is what you consider not enjoying life, then acedemia is not for you
All my three answers tell me to move to industry and deep inside I know it too. Thank you for sharing your thoughts on the subject.
Nosheen hussain - I’m glad you found this helpful. Bon courage for planning your next steps.
I'm just starting my final year of my undergraduate in Information Technology and I've already been working in the industry as a developer for 1 year. I think I want to work in Academia. My happiest moments have always been when I grasp a new concept or when things just click in my brain. I don't know anything about doing research and publishing at this point but I think this is the right path for. I'm glad I got a job so early on, because it allowed me to make this decision. I'm going to continue working so I can save up money for graduate school. Thank you for this video!
You're very welcome, and thank you for your input. That's great that you were able to gain experience in both areas early enough to help your decision. It's so much better when we have some idea what awaits us in the path we chose. Bon courage for a rewarding career!
Thank you for this video! I love pure and abstract science and hate trying to find applications compared to it so I think academia is for me. I am just afraid of having enough money to survive and help my parents.
You’re welcome. I’m glad it helped you figure out where you will fit best!
It's certainly a complex issue to cover. I recently made a video where I talked about additional factors (salary, location, life choices, etc). It's all one messy complex decision.
And yet, sometimes circumstances can make it very simple. When any of these factors reaches certain limit, the decision becomes tremendously easy.
Private sector work culture is also much less feudal, the researcher in the private sector is much less dependent on their supervisor
Good point. Many students and postdocs are indeed very dependent on their PI.
In my opion a professor is much more valuable for society if she or he has industry experiencies and not only academic ones.The question is, how to acquire both without losing focus or wasting time.
I agree that industry experience is very valuable in a professor. It’s unfortunate that it is usually not practical for them to obtain that experience.
Thank you very much!! It helped a lot.
1. application new question
2. variety and shorter-term tasks
3. work-life balance
Great! I’m so glad you found it helpful.
In my field, people in academia have more work-life balance. In industry you are required to be in the office for the 8 hours a day even if you are not working on anything. The only edge industry has on academia is money. I think if your pursuit is money, go to industry.
Thanks for the input, because it is very rare that I hear this. What is your field?
I did benefit.
1) useful or not, is not something that worries me, so whatever
2) this one was crucial. I love variety, and I love being able to create more value for myself, trying to get higher authority levels. No variety in work? Studying just one topic your entire life?.... Boring
3) work life balance. If consideration 2 hadn't already convinced me that industry is my path, than this one did.
Thank you, sir!!!
Now.... I'm still probably going to major in History, after I'm done with my current degree in HR, but it would simply be for the sake of knowing about History, nothing else.
Your video really helped me figure that out!!
ronald castro vega - You are very welcome. I’m so glad this helped you with your decision. Best of luck as you move forward designing your awesome career!
Hi, many thanks for your video! I am currently a first year postdoc, and have this dilemma about going to industry or academia. Yes, the reason for doing postdoc is NOT that I would definitely like to go to academia. I consider this postdoc as another opportunity for learning new things. Besides, I am currently in MIT which is my dream school since childhood, so I just took it with no hesitate. However, I feel like I lean to find a research scientist job in industry, because I want to do application-oriented research. On the other hand, I am also worrying about if I go to industry, then I might become the one who just do routine work everyday with not so much innovation in it. So my question is how do yo think about faculty positions and research scientists? Are research scientists in industry different from common positions such as engineers? I think I will go to industry if a research scientist in industry requires the same level creative thinking as faculties, but focus on more practical research (e.g. apply for patent instead of writing papers which might be worthless for application)
Hi Eric. Yes, there are many positions in industry that will provide challenging work for a PhD, and a research scientist is certainly one of them. The biggest reason that people get the sense that industry has mostly jobs that don’t require creative thinking is that they set their sights too low and look mostly at online job posts. The fact is, most higher level jobs do not get posted (often called the ‘hidden job market’). Good managers prefer to find higher level employees through their network, because so many things matter beyond just skills and experience. They want to find someone they can count on, so they talk to their network.
Thank you.. it is really hard descision ! I am a mechanical Engineer and I am definetly going for a career in industry!
Sebastian Cano - I’m so glad you found this helpful! Bon courage for designing your career.
Very interesting video! I'm a bit unsure about the variety question, my impression is that it's pretty much the opposite. Industry seems to have a more clear-cut roles and problems, and you end up being "the guy for X" and that's what you do for years. Sure, every so often the company adapts and your day-to-day changes, but I have the impression in academia you can take the liberty of doing much more varied work, since you care more about abstract questions than the necessary nitty-grity "production-ready" details. Is that maybe a domain-specific thing?
Thank you for your input, Andrés. I think the difference may be related to the discipline, but also perhaps the size and culture of the company. Some companies do think more in terms of specialization, and it is good to have specific things you are good at. That may be what they hire you for, but then they let you try new things based in your flexibility.
By answering those 3 great questions it looks like remaining in academia is better for me. However it is often harder to get a secure job there... one might be forced to switch to industry at some point apparently!!
I'm glad the questions helped you decide! It is unfortunate that academic positions are in such short supply. It does make it a tough choice for people who would love and do well on that career path.
I really appreciate this video. I would appreciate hearing your opinion on working at a national lab, and where it falls in between working in the industry vs. academia.
Great question. I have never worked at a national lab, but my impression from people I know who work at NIST is that it is closer to an academic research job. Great career choice, if you get the opportunity, although I get the impression that one is still largely insulated from building a network in the private sector.
My friend since high and my room mate for 2 years in college got his Masters in civil engineering. He was able to become a professor at Auburn university and spent his carrier there. He did work a short time in industry but it scarred him so he went back to school. I spent my whole carrier in the oil refining industry. One day he asked me if I understood all the refining processes. I said of course I do. It was kind of an insult to me. His learning stopped but mine never did.
Thank you for sharing this Video. Very helpful indeed. It really opened my eyes to more options.
You’re very welcome! I’m glad you found it helpful.
Money too
Great video, I can see you are speaking from experience. And today I realized that industry is my thing, I shall leave academia.
So glad you found it helpful. I wish you the best in your career!
Very helpful video!! Thank you so much!
Wei-en Wang - You’re welcome! I’m so glad you found it helpful.
Thank you very much!! It helped a lot
Wow, clear explanation. Thank you Sir
!
You’re welcome. I’m so glad you found it helpful.
Brilliant advice! Thank you.
You're so welcome!
Academia across the world requires at least 3-5 years experience in industry before being accepted for a teaching position. If I'm a student it would be tough for me to accept a professor with zero industrial experience. That would be like the blind leading the blind.
What you dont know is that a lot of Professors do consulting. This even allow them to have diverse experiences which are useful for teaching unlike someone who worked in a company for 3 years doing the same thing.
Good advice but I do think academia offers more intellectual freedom and a similar work-life balance to industry. However, tenured academic positions have most of the benefits, and Ph.D. grads who get stuck at assistant professor/lecturer levels, are often underpaid and overworked. I completed a master's thesis in biomedical engineering and work in the biomedical industry now. Industry work is much more straightforward, but at least at my current employer, less innovative and open to new ideas. If I had more time and $, I would prefer to be a tenured academic than in industry. Maybe in a few years, I’ll go back and get a Ph.D. and go into the academia track
thank you, I am leaning toward the industry now. But I still have a long way to go, since the industry where I come from does not really have a place for research. Any tips on how to kickstart company research?
I'm glad you found it helpful. You might consider product development rather than pure research, as that is common in all product-related industries. Often it does not seem so interesting to scientists until they see that it is about finidn creative solutions to problems. Many scientists (including myself) have found it to be a very exciting career path.
@@TurningScienceVideo Wonderful idea. Yes, where I come from it's also difficult to develop products in the existing industries. Mainly because big companies here are fixated towards end-product use only (distribution, assemblies, and whatnot), while all the RnD are done elsewhere. I'm beginning to think that starting my own company which develops products/providing RnD service myself is the best way to go. Thank you for your reply. Very insightful.
Starting your own company may be a great options. See my video on being a scientist entrepreneur: Can a scientist be an entrepreneur? czcams.com/video/-0HW9O0Fu2s/video.html
Just make sure you are building a product that solves a real problem that people will pay to solve, and not just developing a technology that you think people will love.
@@TurningScienceVideo I'll definitely watch that one.. thanks
That cleared the air for me at least.
I’m glad you found it helpful. I wish you the best for planning your career.
Hi thank you for the informative vlog. Could you please make a video on specific PhD areas such as Marketing? E.g, which jobs PhD in Marketing may fit best in industry?
I’m glad you enjoyed it, and thank you for the idea for a future video!
I’m kinda confused mainly because I didn’t even start bsc in chemistry yet 😅 and am planning to do an msc when I’m done maybe a phd but didn’t plan that far ahead yet 😅 but based on what I saw from the video I think it’s better for me to go to industry mainly because I prefer verity over consistency and I definitely care about work life balance but I don’t know whether I prefer turning science into things people need or just learning for the sake of it i mean one of the things I liked a lot and wouldn’t have minded choosing it is astronomy which isn’t exactly something that is applicable immediately but really interested in it but at the same time I’m really interested In stuff like diseases biotechnology pharmaceuticals nanotechnology industrial chemicals materials science the environment etc but I never see myself working in academia mainly cause of the teaching and I heard from some videos that usually professors spend more time writing papers and teaching and I’m definitely more interested in being in a lab but at the same time doing research to make new knowledge sounds exciting! but I don’t think I’m the type that will concentrate on one thing for very long 😅 cause even at chemistry After reading alot I honestly find all branches (organic inorganic etc) very interesting but I do hope that I will narrow it down when I start college soon but it seems I’m better for industry!
is research in academia and industry similar? For example, I have heard that industry scientists apparently do not got as in depth with the science. How does research procedure differ in the two? For example in academia, it starts with 1) finding the unmet need 2) doing a literature review of the topic 3) setting up the experiment 4) collecting results 5) analysing results and writing the paper. Does industry research work that way or differently? I have heard that industry research doesn't involve doing the literature review and the paper writing part. Is that true?
It is generally true that research will be different in academia and industry. The methods aren't necessarily different, but the goals certainly are. Industry doesn't do science, because the detailed results are generally retained as intellectual property. Also, the research is usually aimed at developing or improving a product line. Academic research is generally aimed at learning something new and spreading it for the world to see and understand.
@@TurningScienceVideo Thank you for your reply. You mentioned that industry doesn't do science? What does that mean? In industry I am assuming it is a lot more applied. However, does the scientist review the literature to understand the mechanistic aspects of the project and then carry out experiments to develop the product? For example, I will speak from a medical research perspective. Lets say I am trying to develop a drug for diabetes. I will review the literature on novel molecules to make the drug and then set up the experiment and execute it.
@@mahapatraswapnadeep4075 - I should have said industry typically doesn't create new science. They will certainly review the base of scientific knowledge and use that for whatever research they are doing, but rarely will they publish the details of their findings for peer review or to be verified by other researchers, both steps which are critical to the scientific method.
Hello, very nice presentation. I would like to get your book but i haven't received the link
Thank you! I'm glad that you liked it.
Did you find the link in the description below the video?
Great content and subscribed! Would love hear what you think of our grad school channel. Thanks a lot!
I did check out your channel. Looks like very useful info for many people in Grad School! Keep up the good work!
Sir, I am from India doing PhD (final year) in theoretical soft condensed matter physics. I have no experimental experience. How can I get industry job in Europe? How should I start?
I suggest people start with a clear target - What specifically do you want to do, and where do you want to do it. What technologies excite you, or what applications would you be excited to work on? Then start doing informational interviews with people working in these areas. This is the best way to learn where the opportunities are and where you can contribute.
Sir,my course is industry oriented but I want to become a scientist. Is it possible?
petroleum engineering currently searching for a new challenging position upon my 🎓graduation. In case if you haven't had a chance to secure a job in energy industry then how is about joining any other industry that doesn't has anything to do with your background ?,maybe you may consider some of your soft skills although the salary/wages are quite low as the industry sees that you don't have a strong background based on their demand.
Is there any other way to stay in touch with you beside here?
Sir thankyou sir
Going abroad for postdoc and switching onto industry can also be a better possibility sir ...is it ..
Yes, that is a fine idea. In fact, this is one of the few reasons I think a postdoc may be a good idea if you want an industry career. It can be a great way to get into the country so you can build a network and get an industry job.
Once again thank you for your video. Really tough decision.
I sent you an invitation on LinkedIn, hope to share with you.
Thanks! So glad you found it valuable. Happy to connect.
Wrong, this tells me you have not been in industry long enough. In industry you have no work life balance. Academia is so much more balanced.
25 years in industry, and I’ve seen plenty of work-life balance.
I feel like this is a little too simplistic and biased towards industry. You're missing a critical component--what are your values? Is making other people wealthy a motivator for you? Or is contributing to the knowledge-base of mankind more aligned with your values?
Thanks for your input. But do you really think the private sector is only about making other people wealthy?
@@TurningScienceVideo it depends on the industry, the specific company, and the role, but for a vast majority of people in the private sector I would say, yes 100%.
While I agree that getting rich is the fundamental incentive that drives capitalism, every company I’ve worked at was focused on making a difference in some way that aligned with their values.
What about government labs?
I don’t have any direct experience in the public sector, so I don’t comment much on it. However, I have several friends who work at national labs, and they describe it as being somewhere in between academia and the private sector.
@@davidmgiltner1161 this reply is much appreciated!! Do you have an understanding of how hard it is to get a permanent job on faculty vs staff at a national lab?
I don’t have any data on the number of jobs out there in each area, which is a major element of the difficulty in securing a job. Both will look for an ability to build a research program. I do have friends who have moved from a career in the private sector to a job at a national lab.
@@TurningScienceVideo thank you so much for your help! Yeah my goal is to work at a national lab
@@TurningScienceVideo thank you so much for your help!
That theoretical research has no practical value and practical applications. I have not found this to be even remotely true. An acquired taste is never really the same as a natural one. If you do what you truly love and you follow your passion, and work sincerely and in right earnest you will do it well, rather than the other way around.
so go to grad school and start a phd in theoretical physics/pure maths.
@@carti8778 Science has never let me down.
@@sundareshvenugopal6575 that's why i said : go to a grad school and pursue a phd. Are u already doing one or just turned to a scientist by reading answers on quora?