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Before I left academia, I felt that I would be a terrible failure. The people I was surrounded by looked at leaving the academy as a sad admission of defeat. In

Before I left academia, I felt that I would be a terrible failure. The people I was surrounded by looked at leaving the academy as a sad admission of defeat. In retrospect, I think this was largely a reflection of their own insecurity and lack of perspective because most had never been outside of the academic bubble. Life on the outside is different. Having been gone over a decade, there are some things I miss and that are definitely hard to find in other environments. On the other hand, I feel immeasurably better about myself not having to beg to toil away on projects of questionable significance that happen to have funding and be stuck in the precarity of borderline poverty in the service of supposedly higher ideals.

max_ 3y ago
What things do you miss in academia that you didn't find in industry?
Aeolun 3y ago
It’s quite telling that you never see people in industry long for their time in academia.
- tnecniv 3y ago
  Eh I think there’s a good chance they’re less vocal about it. My father is a lawyer and he chose between going into a legal career and doing a PhD in philosophy. If you asked him, he’d tell you he wished he didn’t latter now that he’s nearing the end of his legal career. I think that 1) there’s a smaller percentage of people that made the choice between academics and industry and chose industry 2) they’re not vocal about it for one reason or the other. Most of the people I went to undergrad with whom I thought could succeed in academia had zero interest in doing research at any level. Academia is definitely not for everyone, but when I weighed my options I am happy I did my PhD regardless of how I feel at the moment. It’s a peculiar thing for peculiar people and the attraction does not correlate with intelligence.
  - Aeolun 3y ago
    That may be true, but here it concerns people that have never gone into academia at all? I think having done it is important, otherwise you just have the regret, but people with experience in academia already, never seem to long for those days after moving to industry. At least I haven’t heard of any.
- kelipso 3y ago
  I certainly do. Plenty of people do.

max_ 3y ago

What things do you miss in academia that you didn't find in industry?

Aeolun 3y ago

It’s quite telling that you never see people in industry long for their time in academia.

tnecniv 3y ago
Eh I think there’s a good chance they’re less vocal about it. My father is a lawyer and he chose between going into a legal career and doing a PhD in philosophy. If you asked him, he’d tell you he wished he didn’t latter now that he’s nearing the end of his legal career. I think that 1) there’s a smaller percentage of people that made the choice between academics and industry and chose industry 2) they’re not vocal about it for one reason or the other. Most of the people I went to undergrad with whom I thought could succeed in academia had zero interest in doing research at any level. Academia is definitely not for everyone, but when I weighed my options I am happy I did my PhD regardless of how I feel at the moment. It’s a peculiar thing for peculiar people and the attraction does not correlate with intelligence.
- Aeolun 3y ago
  That may be true, but here it concerns people that have never gone into academia at all? I think having done it is important, otherwise you just have the regret, but people with experience in academia already, never seem to long for those days after moving to industry. At least I haven’t heard of any.
kelipso 3y ago
I certainly do. Plenty of people do.