Taking the Leap: Moving from Industry to the Academy

Abstract

Every year, some percentage of practicing engineers examines options to leave their industry role and move into the professorate. The reason for this desire for change varies widely. Whether they are hoping to give back to the profession after a successful career, found that their passion is teaching or building the body of knowledge through research, or hope to find a better lifestyle; educators with a deep set of industry experiences have much to offer their new employers. But they also face a unique set of challenges in adjusting to academic life that other new, more traditional, members of the faculty may not encounter. These challenges include successfully adjusting to the politics and inner workings of the academy, when they may already have a deeply ingrained set of expectations for the workplace; balancing life and work during the challenging start-up and pre-tenure period, when they likely have a greater set of outside commitments than younger new faculty members; and leveraging their skills developed in industry for success in the classroom and research. This article explores the experience of two faculty members who each made the move after over fifteen years in industry, one who is now early in that transition and the second moving toward full retirement. These experiences are used to outline not only ideas on best practices for being successful in the transition, but pitfalls and traps to avoid.