drwex | A good question

fraterrisus asked: you've had a significant taste of both academia and the private sector. which one do you prefer and why? alternately, if you had to choose one, which one would you pick and why?

That's a very good question, and the answer is somewhat convoluted. I'll see if I can sort it out. Right now I prefer private sector. If I could get the benefits of academe without the tenure treadmill then I might do that. I've got a huge stack of things I think are worth researching and I would love to direct a small group of dedicated grad students. On the other hand, getting tenure is a tedious grind and hard on the family life. I'd rather not put my family through that.

If that sounds like someone who'd really rather be in academia, you're right. If I could wave a wand and make myself a professor today I'd be heavily tempted. But today I have a lot more flexibility in the private sector. Somewhere along the bouncing in and out of jobs, which I really am getting to loathe, I've learned how to really coherently describe the value that I bring to an enterprise. There also seems to be a sea change in my field (usability) over the last three or so years. This job search I've seen _lots_ of postings for interaction designers, usability professionals, human factors people. I feel that finally companies are beginning to wake up to the idea - to which lots have paid lip service - that they can't just shove technology on customers and have a successful business.

If that sounds like someone who'd really rather be in private sector work, you're right. Or maybe it's just my self-justification for being too lazy to do the tenure grind. I did get the PhD with the intention of being a professor "some day" and going to the Media Lab reunion a couple weeks ago really reminded me just how much I loved that environment and how happy I was there.

I used to get this question a lot in interviews, until I massaged my resume to make it look less academic. It's a tough one to answer honestly.

((The floor is still open, if anyone wants to ask me things, or have me ask them.))