“Moving from academia to the industry involved a lot of unlearning,” said Debjani Saha, who joined Premas Life Sciences as a product manager after completing her PhD.
But what exactly is there to unlearn?
And more importantly—what does this shift mean for your daily work, your sense of purpose, and how you feel at the end of the day?
If you’re debating whether to stay in academia or transition into industry, you’re probably weighing career prospects, pay, and types of positions. But before you consider those, you might want to understand the differences that will shape your everyday work life.
So let’s unpack it!
Although few talk about it, there is one major shift that underpins all other differences when you enter the industry: motivation.
You Know It—Academia Is Driven by Ideas
In other words, research is fueled by curiosity. From undergrad students to principal investigators, the driving question is: What don’t we know yet? Even when progress is slow, it’s the chance to explore unknowns that motivates the work.
Basically, publishing can be understood as the main currency of success. However, it is hard to quantify beyond publication count and impact factor. And emotionally, that means you often sit with open questions, delayed gratification, and personal responsibility for every setback.
In Industry, Targets Are the Main Driver
Here, success isn’t measured in knowledge but in impact—through revenue, product delivery, or customer satisfaction. The mindset is: How do we solve a problem in a way that keeps the business going by satisfying others?
That doesn’t mean science isn’t valued. It is—but only insofar as it contributes to the set target. Curiosity must now have a purpose.
This shift transforms how work is structured. So, let’s break down how this difference shows up in your everyday work. Here are 3 major differences you should consider:
1. Freedom vs. Structure
Academia: High Freedom, High Responsibility
You control your time, your direction, and even what question you’re asking. You can pivot quickly if you see something promising. Need to start a new experiment tomorrow? Go for it—no need for approval.
But all that freedom comes with weight. You carry the consequences alone, and if something fails, you have to decide how to continue. While this responsibility can be empowering, it can also feel isolating and exhausting under the wrong circumstances.
Industry: Shared Structure, Shared Risk
In industry, decisions go through layers. Starting a new project or changing direction requires approval and often cross-department coordination. That can feel slow, especially if you’re used to academic autonomy.
But it also means you’re not alone. Risk is distributed. Strategic decisions are informed by data, past experience, and broader business goals. There’s a safety net—and often, a higher chance of success because you’re building on well-tested systems.
-> Emotionally, this means less pressure to be a “lone genius” and more collaboration—with both its comforts and its constraints.
2. Progress vs. Success
Academia: Variable and Open
As you might know, defining success in academia is hard. You may spend years on a project that leads to a single paper. Feedback and guidance are often informal, trickling in during presentations or peer reviews.
That ambiguity can be liberating for some but frustrating for others. You’re often chasing moving targets without knowing if you’re “doing well.”
Industry: Clear, Fast Feedback
Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) matter. Revenue, time-to-market, or customer satisfaction—these metrics make performance visible. Formal reviews and goal-setting are regular.
That also means failure is clearer. If something doesn’t work, it’s cut. Projects don’t drag on indefinitely.
->Although it might sound intimidating, in reality, it is often motivating to be able to monitor tangible progress. But it also requires adjusting to accountability that’s immediate and concrete.
3. Funding vs. Making Money
Academia: Grants Fuel Discovery
In academic research, money is the input and insight is the outcome. Once you get the grant, you decide how to spend it. It buys time and freedom. But funding is sporadic and competitive, often linked to the PI, with little influence from others (unless you get grants as a postdoc).
Emotionally, this is often not evident for younger scientists. For senior colleagues, this can be a rollercoaster: long periods of insecurity and little connection between effort and reward.
Industry: Money Is the Mission
In business, money is both the means and the end—like a loop. Every investment must yield a return—whether that’s a drug, a technology, or a service. If something costs more than it delivers, it will hurt the company.
That sounds harsh—but it also unlocks opportunity. If a product succeeds, it brings in revenue. That revenue can grow the team, improve tools, or fund new initiatives. Success isn’t capped by grant limits—it can scale.
-> Emotionally, this creates a feedback loop that feels real. You see the impact of your work not just in knowledge—but in products, people helped, and company growth. However, it also pins you down to work on and refine things that must have value for your business.
The Bottom Line: Mindset Shapes Experience
Transitioning from academia to industry isn’t just about new tasks—it’s about changing how you orient your attitude and work.
- Academia: Exploration, freedom, ambiguity
- Industry: Targets, guidelines, definition
And the scientists who thrive in this different world are the ones who can see the value in this new attitude.
Let’s hear from Debjani Saha once again:
“As an academic, one is responsible for moving a project along… The industry involves a lot of teamwork and people management skills, and this may end up giving a person a feeling of not having enough control or ownership of one’s project…”
A Little Bonus
That means collaboration looks different too. Although collaborations are not rare in academia, they are usually parallel play: different labs or scientists contribute samples or data independently to eventually put together a single paper.
In industry, you’re often part of a multidisciplinary team. And success depends on coordination. Your experiments must meet regulatory standards, and sales must align with the marketing strategy. You work with people who aren’t scientists—and that’s the point.
If you’d like to learn more about this topic—like how projects are assigned or how climbing the ranks looks different—join our new course series!
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