If someone wanted to work in academia I would say academia is very research oriented and allows for great opportunities to discover new things and maybe even travel the world to share your knowledge. At the same time for academia, job security could be dependent on whether or not you are able to get funding for your research, but in the same vein, this means you are also in charge of your own work. In addition, you are expected to write a lot in this field while juggling with internal politics and multiple projects at the same time. Its a lot of backbreaking work, but it pays off towards the end since people working in academia have tenure, benefits, and not as strict schedules as their counterparts in industry.

If someone wanted to work industry I would say it is a fast paced business orientated kind of field; however the pay is mostly high and could be rewarding since employment is based one’s own merit, so doing a good job is necessary. The scheduling in industry is tight, but unlike a person in academia, an industry person will not have to as much research and will be expected to do more “hands-on” work. In addition, an industry person will have fewer projects than a person in academia, so the load will not few as heavy. The traveling in industry is also a bit different in that it is limited to conference rooms and going outside for lunch. Overall, if someone likes to research and do things at his or her own pace then academia is probably the appropriate field for him or her; otherwise, industry may be the right fit.