Many of us working in academic research but not on the professor route wonder about the day our academic career ends and we're forced out of this bubble. Does staying too long in academia make it difficult to transition to industry?



Hi,

I'm interested in the topic of transition from academia to corporate or entrepreneurship, and would like to know from people who made this career shift>

1. What were their motivations to shift?
2. What was their approach ?
3. What was their experience with the job search in start-ups, multinationals etc.
4. what are the biggest challenges you've faced, especially at the start on moved to corporate?

Thanks

1 Reaching a dead-end in academia
2 Apply for advertised jobs, network, write blind applications to selected companies, try to bypass HR.
3 Difficult. I made the mistake of going back and forwards between academia and industry, ended up not being attractive to either. Go as early as possible and then put career first.
4 Many managers will be less well "qualified" than you. You need to convince them that you are not some useless nerd. It helps to choose a company that is tech orientated and employs a lot of degree qualified people.

Hi, it's not that hard. But first ask yourself, is it something you want to do, or something you have to do? In my case:

1 - My wife wanted to stay in Switzerland after my university contract ended. So, I had to find a job. If there's a need, there's way...literally.

2 - I took all the support the university offers. Student organizations (bachelor & masters level) invite professionals to talk with students. That's a really good way to meet people from "outside" that talk about working conditions, salaries, opportunities, etc. Job fairs organized by universities: I found my job in ETH's Polymesse. Couching offered in the university on how to fine tune your CV and handle interviews, etc. Finally, free language courses at the university.

3 - Did not bother to look for jobs in start-ups. As 3rd country national that requires a residence permit asked by the employer, I could not risk dealing with people even less experienced than me. I was looking after stability, so went straight to multinationals. After 5 years I have a few complains, but it works overall.

Important point, I sent like 30 targeted applications with customized CV, and just got 2 answers. 1 thanks for your application, 1 invitation to interview. So, be ready for this.

4 - They dropped a lot of responsibility on me on my first week. I was in charge of 2 internal software tools, project management, sales. I cannot complain because that's what I was looking for, but I think I've enjoyed the period a bit more if it could have been slower.