At age 12, this just wasn't a question that came up. Although I already knew I wanted to be a scientist, my list of career requirements was vague--intellectually stimulating, of value to humanity, and with the potential to achieve fame. The academia/industry question began to get more focused as my education--an M.S. at the University of Maryland and a Ph.D. at Oxford--progressed. Although I have...
PART ONE: WHERE WOULD I FIT IN? After reading the first and second articles in this series, you may already have made up your mind which arena you want to work in. That's great! But before you start making contacts and sending out resumes, you need to assess whether you've really got what it takes to catch the eye of employers in the domain you've chosen. In this article I'll cover some practical...
PART ONE: WHERE WOULD I FIT IN? Last time, I discussed the similarities and differences between industrial and academic laboratories concerning work ethics and research goals. This time, I'd like to offer you a series of topics to think about as you face your own "academia or industry?" dilemma, the goal being to assess what you value in your work and what you really want out of your career as a ...
