This hits home the most in Industrial Engineering. That field was not invented by academics, that was done by industry, and academia realized there was demand

This hits home the most in Industrial Engineering. That field was not invented by academics, that was done by industry, and academia realized there was demand to teach it. Getting a PhD in Industrial Engineering seemed like a contradiction. The studies my professors were pushing seemed useless and untestable. I tried to make suggestions towards my interests, using big data on life at home, or specific ergonomic issues were useful to every human alive. When I left both my meetings with the professors, I realized I would be at their whim for the next 4-6 years.