The best of both worlds: academia and industry
I’ve often been asked by colleagues why I left a tenured faculty position to jump into the tech industry. You might be reading this and thinking “why would anyone give up a job for life?” I see myself as having been fortunate to see the impact of my work in both worlds — academia and industry.
Perhaps my main reason for jumping into the tech industry was to see my work have impact quickly. Academic research requires time to formulate unique ideas that will add to the advancement of knowledge. The peer review process can feel arduous. In contrast, the impact of my work at Instagram, Facebook, Citrix and other companies has been fast and far reaching, in some cases millions of people are impacted by your ideas. That is not to say that an academic mindset is divorced from a career in the tech industry. I have been fortunate to have worked with esteemed academics in my product work, and I still attend academic conferences. More importantly, the product work that I have engaged in has required deep knowledge of disciplines such as human factors engineering and human computer interaction.
So, if you are at a fork in the road and trying to decide if you should pursue an academic career or jump into the world of industry, feel free to reach out with questions.
