I have a friend that is currently transitioning from academic research to industry research. She said she is happier in her new role because she feels like she gets more feedback on her performance. Her job evaluates her performance frequently and it allows her to do better and grow in her new role. My friend also pointed out that in academic research she wasn’t really able to deviate from the plan from her PI. In her industry role, she is able to suggest processes improvements and even suggest product design improvements.