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.