Academia & Industry are more similar than is realized at times. There are differences (i.e. pay) that can cause someone to choose one over the other, but the two overlap in some places.

Politics: Working with other individuals and being able to keep a certain level of professionalism affects both Academia & Industry. As a professor in academia, you have to work with grad students and colleagues in order to move projects along at a steady pace. In the industry, you generally work in a team. Everyone in the team supports each other to move the project along and meet the set deadlines for the project. In both of these instances you may not enjoy all of the personalities of the people you work with, however, you will need to at minimum keep a cordial professional relationship in order for the project not to suffer.

All about the money: In the industry, everything comes down to the profit margin for the company that you work for. If doing something a certain way works but is too costly, you’ll have to find a way to cut down costs while having minimal negative consequences on the overall product. This same concept transfers into academia through grants. The money received through a grant is finite. You may have had a plan for what to do with the grant money acquired, however, costs for different items fluctuate that you will have to budget around. Because of this, you may have to go with slightly cheaper materials in order to make the project you are involved in work.

These are just a couple of examples of the unison between Academia & Industry. To pick between the two, one would have to ultimately evaluate the kind of lifestyle they wish to live. Academia promotes a large amount of multitasking and refreshing. If you are the type that likes to bounce your focus between different projects in order to keep things fresh but are also adept at prioritizing your time, I would recommend academia. You’ll be able to work on multiple projects at a time, and will have grad students to continue the work for you as you shift your focus to a separate project.