EP4 - Academia or Industry? PhD or no PhD? Career advice

The Neil Ashton Podcast

Summary
In this episode, Neil discusses four key career questions that you should think about. He explores the pros and cons of pursuing a PhD, the path to becoming a professor, and the opportunities in the tech sector. He highlights the importance of gaining industry experience and the potential for higher salaries in the tech sector. Neil also mentions the option of dual positions, where academics work in both academia and industry. Overall, he encourages listeners to consider all the options and make informed decisions about their careers.
Takeaways
Doing a PhD can provide expertise and specialization in a specific area, but it may delay entry into the job market and result in lower initial salaries.
Becoming a professor requires a PhD and often involves postdoctoral research positions. Advancement to higher ranks, such as associate professor and full professor, requires publishing, securing funding, and taking on leadership roles.
The tech sector offers high-paying jobs and opportunities for engineers, particularly in areas like machine learning and data science. Tech companies value both academic and industry experience.
Consider the trade-offs between academia and industry, such as job security, work-life balance, and the level of freedom and autonomy.
Dual positions, where academics work in both academia and industry, are becoming more common and offer the best of both worlds.
Timestamps
00:00 Introduction
05:22 Question 1: PhD or no PhD
09:19 Question 2: How do I become a Professor?
23:10 Question 3: Academia or Industry?
31:00 Question 4: The third alternative - tech sector (Amazon, Google, META, Nvidia, Microsoft etc)
38:38 Dual Positions: Bridging the Gap Between Academia and Industry
41:00 Conclusions