Why a Career in Industry?

Scope of Talk

This segment will focus on technology-driven SV type company– Many other types, obviously, which are not covered here, e.g.:

» Business computing

» Services

» Mgmt consulting

Will talk about high-level technical-track position Academia vs. industry is a false dichotomy: A career in

industry is towards one end of a continuum

What is “1 + 1?”

“ACME Industries wanted to hire someone to solve a Really Hard Problem for them…”

The Profit Motive

Purpose of Industry is to make moneyDr. Eldon Tyrell, from Blade Runner: “Commerce is our goal”

Work must be targeted – whether directly or indirectly – towards producing a commercially viable “product”

Primary path to goal:1. Assess best features of what technology is currently out there2. Improve upon candidate technologies, or create new ones, until

you produce solution that…» Successfully addresses needs» Maximizes cost/benefit» Satisfies time and resource constraints

Examples

Sequoia: extent-based file system ADS: real-time obstacle avoidance system Toshiba MRI: Overall system architecture and UI Arris: pharmacophore modeling and drug design

Pros:

Get to build real systems Work is applied and relevant Satisfaction from seeing actual use Higher sustained intensity (pro AND con) Higher “quality” of product -> greater self-satisfaction Teamwork

Cons:

Don’t have luxury of extended exploration for intellectual curiosity

Some restraints on publication– Trade secrets

– Allocation of time

Dilbertian “pointy-haired” politics– Actually, simpler than in academia (i.e., motivation usually

power)

– Much easier to quit

Industry vs. Academia vis-à-vis Academic Freedom

Even in academia, intellectual freedom has constraints:– Grad students: must align area of interest to advisor’s specialty

and grants

– Professors: must align (or recast) research definition to fit available grants

Constrained (subtly) by community’s self-definition– Straying too far from community “mean,” or trying to break into

neighboring discipline, can trigger turf wars.

Industry often reserves resources for “pie in the sky” ideas, esp. at larger companies

Some Random Additional Observations onCorporate Structure

Expect to change research areas Technical Track vs. Management Track

– Some companies implement this more successfully than others

No tenure– But tenure can be a double-edged sword

Some politics– Personal observation is that it is qualitatively different from

politics in academia

– more simple-minded, based more on power, less on standing, prestige, turf

Industry’s Technological Advantages

Industry often has superior technology, but is more secretive– E.g.: SoftAPR vs. FEATURE

Access to real data, often generated for your application Availability of better resources

– As long as need is appropriately focused

Conclusions

A job in industry should be a strong consideration if:– You like to build concrete solutions to real-world problems

– You want/need the satisfaction of seeing people use what you build

You should consider a more research-oriented career path if:– You want the freedom to explore wherever your ideas take you

– You get distracted easily :-)

There is a wide spectrum of career paths – find your spot!