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Discussion Topic: Academia vs. Industry

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 Josh
(@orleron)
Posts: 95
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This week is an overall introduction to the field of medical device development. We take some time to pay attention to the differences between Academia and Industry (Commercial) because students in this course may come from one of these two areas and need to understand the other facet in relation to theirs.

If you had to compare careers in academia vs. industry on their merits, what arguments would you present to someone in favor of working in academia? What arguments for industry?

Spiral Medical Development
www.spiralmeddev.com

 
Posted : 29/10/2016 6:06 am
maniakberk reacted
(@amandaally1029)
Posts: 40
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The argument I'd present for working in Academia would be time flexibility. In Academia, you have the leisure to work on projects at a time that is easiest for you, rather than a fixed 8am to 5pm schedule everyday like in industry. I have experience working in Academia and I'd say that this was the greatest advantage I had. I'd walk into the lab sometimes around 12pm, and start working on a project, and leave as soon as I was finished. Some days are shorter than others, while some days were longer. But overall, as long the work was complete, you had the advantage to start at whatever time suited you best.

The argument I'd present for working in Industry is that you get paid more. Although industry is more fast-paced, and has a fixed time schedule; you are getting back just as much as you are putting in. In Academia, you can work day and night, but only until you produce good data will it be noticed. In industry, you are working hard as well but, your efforts are getting rewarded daily.

 
Posted : 07/09/2017 7:51 am
(@mark-abdelshahed)
Posts: 80
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Both of them have some pros and cons that leave it up to the people to decide which one they prefer more. Academia is more flexible than industry, you can manage your time accordingly and you don't have to stick to a certain schedule, plus it is more exploring kind of job where you can travel for research and you can discover interesting things. Another good thing about academia is that you don't get bored of having to do the same thing everyday, it is a lifestyle full of exploration, and it has a good retirement plan. However, the pay is low compared to industry, comparing the hours, you also don't get a lot of fundings depending on the grants. Also you have to deal with a lot of writing, politics and project all over the place. On the other hand, Industry is more about money, you get paid higher and you have to save the company money to be recognized. Your life is going to be full of deadlines and stress to finish the work that needs to get done. It is more like your life is going to be a bit boring, more of a routine, even during work trip it is going to be busy.
In my opinion, I would choose industry to climb the ladder, because you make more money in the industry, get to higher positions and on the side I can do some research to make myself updated with the modern discoveries but not as a lifestyle.

 
Posted : 08/09/2017 2:34 pm
ameen reacted
(@amandaally1029)
Posts: 40
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I agree, I prefer the industry over academia. Although I do not have experience in industry, I do have experience in academia and I have found myself working very hard when it comes to research. There were days where I spent about 10 hours in lab trying to produce data, and sometimes its not always successful and you find yourself at square one. I feel like if I put that much effort into a job in the industry I'd get a lot done, and paid more for it. I'd also learn a lot more in a shorter amount of time while moving up in the industry.

 
Posted : 08/09/2017 3:29 pm
ameen reacted
(@asimbana)
Posts: 61
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Academia and Industry careers have their pros and cons which become more prominent based on what type of individual you are. In my case, I have undergone some Academia work experience (NJIT Research related). That being said, the main perk that Academia work has is time flexibility, such as being able to work on a specific project at your own pace but the cons would be the low pay rate and small reward as an outcome. Projects can last months and the everyday tasks success all depends if you obtained good data. On the other hand, Industry careers are fast paced, deadline oriented and high pay rate. In my experienced this is something I enjoyed, the good feeling of getting tasks done with a team to make a specific product come to reality is a rewarding feeling. The other pro would be that you can learn new skills and interact with other individuals in the industry to gather knowledge to further improve yourself as an engineer/scientists/etc. The con would be that Industry, you as the employee have greater responsibility and your reward is based on the output work you can provide on the given timeline, this is where the turnover rate can affect you.

 
Posted : 09/09/2017 5:55 am
(@bb254)
Posts: 113
Estimable Member
 

Coming from an individual who has work experience in academia and industry there are pros and cons for both career paths. In terms of moving your career forward based on your work, industry is more promising. When you work in industry all of you work helps to promote you up to a higher position while in academia you have fewer opportunities to get promoted based off your work. In academia, your work does not directly affect the public as it would if you worked in industry. A way to make an impact in research is through publications but it usually only provides insight to more researchers to further develop a scope. While in industry, your work makes a direct impact financially and politically to the world around you. However, within academia you have more independence to do what you want but in industry you lose that freedom. Overall, you must enjoy the career path that you choose.
Reference:
http://www.pgbovine.net/academia-industry-junior-employee.htm

 
Posted : 09/09/2017 7:54 am
(@rd389)
Posts: 46
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I conferred bachelors in biotechnology and mathematics and I got a job as Bioanalytical scientist. It is been 4 years since i have been working in industry and I love it. I love working in industry but definitely NOT as a bioanalytical scientist. Working in industry also sometimes give time flexibility depending on the company but mainly higher pay especially if you are like me with student loans, car loans and never ending bills. Being lead scientist after four years, I have learned whether it is academia or industry, you have to work hard. I am putting 10-11 hours a day with full time school so I dont think there is much difference in acadedmia or industry, either way you work hard and if you are lucky get reward!

 
Posted : 09/09/2017 8:08 am
 ec52
(@ec52)
Posts: 72
Trusted Member
 

There are pros and cons in academia and industry careers and it will be a decision of preference in lifestyle that the person would like to live. Some people start in academia and retire in the industry, while I have also seen people opt to leave the industry to work in academia. Some aspects to consider:

First, academia is research oriented while in the industry profit is the main driver. Companies often look for existing technology to reduce investment in research and development (driving costs down and profit up). This may become more of a routine over time leveraging existing technology and not as challenging for someone that prefers to do research discovering new technologies.

Second, the higher pay argument in industry career is a pro, although I believe it needs to be factored with other aspects such as the fast-paced deadline oriented highly competitive environment when comparing to academia. I personally enjoy working in the industry because of the type of environment, although some people may prefer to work in slower work pace environment. In addition, companies are always striving to become more "lean" which means employees are expected to do more with same resources. Combining a fast-pace competitive work environment with demands of lean company can become stressful.

Finally, tenure in academia may be seen as a pro, especially as company reorganization/ restructure and mergers are common and often result in lay-offs. The counterbalance is that there is high demand for qualified individuals in the medical device industry.

 
Posted : 09/09/2017 9:26 am
(@dbonanno1)
Posts: 36
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My answer would be it depends, and my answer stems from what you want to do with your career as an engineer. I believe that some engineering jobs require more technical (academic) knowledge, and for those types of jobs it is easier to learn the ins/outs of working in the industrial environment on the job. Other engineering jobs that are not very technical based it would be way more beneficial to have some industry knowledge / experience before graduating and looking for a job. What this pretty much means is you need to try and figure out what types of jobs you are interested in as soon as possible, this way you can tailor your degree to the field you plan to work in. I believe this course could be a good insight to help individuals who don’t have any industry experience to try and figure that out, and help them plan what types of courses they should take during the duration of their masters degree. With that being said, I think there should be more offerings of industry related type classes (like this one), students can have more options when trying to choose the most appropriate classes that they should take that are related to the job/field they want to work in. I do believe that during an engineering undergraduate degree the focus should be mainly academic oriented, all engineers should be able to understand technical problems, problem solve, and speak the language / communicate with other engineers. After you have gained the basic engineering knowledge from your undergrad your master degree can be utilized to develop more knowledge and skills for the specific field you would like to work in (like I mentioned above).

I meant to post this reply to the other thread, my response above is related to the breakdown of classes for academic and industry related knowledge. I apologize for the inconvenience.

 
Posted : 09/09/2017 9:29 am
(@reshamn)
Posts: 67
Trusted Member
 

Fortunately I was able to work both in academia and industry. Personally, I prefer the industry simply for the reason that you sooner or later you will be rewarded for your effort. There is room for lot of growth in the industry both experience wise and financially. Although one is restricted to a 9-5 lifestyle but the company that I worked for provided me with lot of avenues to enhance my personal skills either in my own time or sometimes the company's as well. This may not be the case with every company but you can still research and open up a new project within the company if you are really passionate about it and if the company feels a business need for it.

In academia, one needs a lot of patience. The reward is very slow. That's also if you were able to achieve something after many years of research. There is always the constant threat that even after devoting many years to a project it can be discarded either due to no funds or the project cannot deliver any results. I agree with the posts above that you have the independence but that independence requires much more dedication compared to working in a fixed position in the industry.

 
Posted : 09/09/2017 10:14 am
(@bv87)
Posts: 29
Eminent Member
 

Since working in both academia and industry, I have experienced both pros and cons. Working in academia allows you to take in-charge of your project and choose your own direction. You can freely choose your own objectives and goals regarding the projects. Meanwhile in the industry, the deadlines and project objectives are dictated by your supervisor. Working in the industry gives you more hands on approach with immediate satisfaction.

 
Posted : 09/09/2017 12:11 pm
(@akashranpura)
Posts: 39
Eminent Member
 

When looking into the debate of Academia vs. Industry it is important to first reflect upon how one would fit into either working atmosphere. Working in academia provides the opportunity to be around intellectual equals. In many senses this is a positive because this will create an enlightening working environment. Being surrounded by intelligent people, pushes you to stay up to par. This also allows you to interact and collaborate with people who will bring novel and inventive ideas. The downside to working in academia is the constant pressure to receive grants. Working under a principal investigator in my microbiology lab, I had the first hand view of this struggle. He would be constantly applying to several grants throughout the year to ensure he gets funding.

Working in industry provides one with the opportunity for a lot more growth. The entry level job may not be as satisfying and may be a lot of busy work, but by capitalizing on opportunities there is possibility for tremendous growth. One of the drawbacks of working in industry is the chain of command. Unless you are at the top of the food chain, there is always someone looking over your shoulder trying to push you in a certain direction. There is lack of autonomy and this can up to a certain extent be hard to deal with.

 
Posted : 09/09/2017 1:12 pm
(@puneet)
Posts: 80
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I have some experience working in academia as well as industry and I think a person would have to evaluate the benefits and drawbacks of both for themselves. Personally I found that I prefer working in industry. The one negative I'm seeing about industry positions is the typical 9-5 schedule - for me I have had a relatively flexible schedule since I started working and don't feel that restricted by it. I think a career in industry may provide greater opportunities going forward than academia.

In the case of academia while you may have a more flexible schedule of when you want to work, you may have to spend a lot of time in the lab, which isn't for everyone. If someone enjoys spending hours in the lab then a career in academia may be more appealing to them than industry. I also think careers in academia may come with less pressure as there may not be as much time-sensitivity when it comes to deadlines that come up often in industry.

 
Posted : 09/09/2017 1:21 pm
(@hc255)
Posts: 74
Trusted Member
 

A career in academia allows oneself to have control of their own schedule - sometimes. It may depend on what experiments that person runs during the day which can extend the typical 9-5 to 9-9. Likewise with industry, a position within process development may possess experiments which take much more monitor time and may require more time on deck. Arguments that I would present to someone working in academia are the following: flexibility of time, control of area of research and projects/focus, collaboration among anyone basically. Someone working in academia can collaborate with as many scientists from a plethora of areas as they desire. Their projects can vary in areas of discipline and have no similarities or overlap. Someone in academia also may need to tend to a course or two to satisfy their role as a professor if they so choose.

A career in industry can allow for higher pay, change within departments, companies and areas of focus, similar to academia. One main difference is the control of content created. A device or patent is owned by the company whereas a professor who creates an invention owns those rights. Working in industry allows the person to travel to conferences likewise with a professor/researcher role. There is a much more stricter schedule placed on a person working within a company.

 
Posted : 09/09/2017 2:19 pm
(@gingeranderson)
Posts: 78
Trusted Member
 

I would argue that working in academia would give someone the opportunity to work on something that is meaningful to them. In academia, one can do research, take sabbatical, teach or write a textbook (and have the credentials to get it sold). It makes it so you have time to work on things that are meaningful and interesting to you and have greater control over your schedule.

I would argue that working in industry gives you the opportunity to compete. Working in industry, there are opportunities to advance but only for those who are willing to really go after it. This means staying at work long hours and might include a lot of stress because so many people are depending on you and depending on how big the company is, one small project can cost the company millions. Your job and your way of life is on the line. If you mess up, you might not be able to afford rent next month. If you succeed, you might get that promotion. If you are someone who wants to make more money and thrive in that environment, then industry would be appealing.

 
Posted : 10/09/2017 6:48 am
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