Academia vs Industry: Pros & Cons

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SUMMARY

The discussion highlights the significant differences between academia and industry in terms of research speed and efficiency. In academia, processes are hindered by bureaucratic red tape, resulting in experiments taking over a month, whereas industry can complete similar tasks in just three days. The speaker emphasizes the lack of practical application for extensive theoretical knowledge, such as NMR and mass spectrometry, in their work. Ultimately, the conversation questions the rationale behind choosing academic research over the faster-paced, results-driven environment of industry.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of research methodologies in both academia and industry
  • Familiarity with laboratory instruments like NMR and mass spectrometry
  • Knowledge of molecular synthesis and testing processes
  • Awareness of bureaucratic processes in academic institutions
NEXT STEPS
  • Research the differences in project timelines between academic and industrial research
  • Explore the practical applications of NMR and mass spectrometry in industry
  • Investigate strategies for increasing efficiency in academic research settings
  • Learn about molecular synthesis techniques used in industrial laboratories
USEFUL FOR

This discussion is beneficial for researchers, students considering their career paths, and professionals in chemistry or related fields who are evaluating the pros and cons of academia versus industry.

gravenewworld
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This question gets asked quiet often in school so what's the deal?

Academia is extremely slow. I have no idea why. Experiments that I would do in industry that would take only 3 days, take over a month to complete in academia. It's simply ludicrous the amount of red tape and administrative crap you have to cut through just to use an instrument in academia. Sorry, I don't give a crap about the intricacies of how NMR works and I don't need a 3 day work shop on how to run and interpret a mass spec sample. 99% of the time if you aren't an expert in those fields you will never need to know the knowledge that they teach. The only analysis I need done is to tell me whether or not my stuff is in my flask, that's it, period.

They look at you like you are crazy if you propose to make 3 or more new molecules a month to test. Meanwhile in industry I was already making 50-80 new molecules per month to test, from start to finish.
 
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Are you exaggerating? Why would anyone hand off a research project to academia if things were slower by a factor of ten there?
 

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