This varying a lot by field is a good point. It also depends on what you mean by academically inclined: are you interested in doing research, in publishing the

This varying a lot by field is a good point. It also depends on what you mean by academically inclined: are you interested in doing research, in publishing the results of your research, or both? In chemical engineering, for example (not my own area, but some of my family are in the field), it's much easier to find a research-oriented industry job than to find a research-oriented industry job that will let you publish openly.