What the author appears to be describing is the experience of being a PhD student/postdoc that he misses. As faculty you are (usually) no longer running experiments and analyzing data, but managing people/projects, writing/reviewing papers, teaching, sitting on committees, and constantly applying for grants. While it is indeed unlikely he can find a faculty position after 7 years of being out of academia, he may in fact be happier looking for a senior scientist position at a university. As long as he is okay with the salary that is.
I Regret Quitting Astrophysics
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Re: I Regret Quitting Astrophysics
#12The thing is if you don't quit then there is going to be another post about regretting not quitting.
I have gone past the age to feel strongly regret to any choice I made. As long as I made a desicive choice without much delay I'm good with it (of course unless something really bad happens), because I know I'd regret if I choose the other way (or not), anyway.
Re: I Regret Quitting Astrophysics
#13Interesting that the pay difference didn't come up at all. I would've thought that would be a big change from Academia to Business.
If you have to work somewhere like Silicon Valley, a lot of the pay difference might get eaten by housing.
To some extent, but as someone who made that transition from 25-40K as a grad student/post-doc to even a modest tech salary in those areas (e.g., 100K), the difference is more than compensated for with rent/mortgages being ~10-20K more expensive. Plus, more and more data teams are now allowing remote work (though, let's see how long that lasts post-2020).
Re: I Regret Quitting Astrophysics
#14Let me just say to all those out there who have left academia and went into industry: academia would be happy to have you back!
I went into "academia" (or close to it), doing software engineering for a telescope being built. Astronomers are a great little community out there, and they really need help writing code. A lot of them aren't familiar or have experience with best industry practices that could save them so much time/money/heartache.
Bunches of projects are hiring, and if you have creds, and industry experience, that will only increase your value. I'm sure you could find a job at any of the wonderful facilities wherever you want to be around the world!
Sometimes you have to look at the grass from the other side to realize it's greener, and that's fine. Some day I may go back to industry and get paid again. But it's all good fun anyway.
Re: I Regret Quitting Astrophysics
#15Let me just say to all those out there who have left academia and went into industry: academia would be happy to have you back! I went into "academia" (or close to it), doing software engineering for a telescope being built. Astronomers are a great little community out there, and they really need help writing code. A lot of them aren't familiar or have experience with best industry practices that could save them so m…
Maybe this is true for your country, but not true here (there is even a limited number of years you are allowed to work in academia by law)
Re: I Regret Quitting Astrophysics
#16I'm a new-isly minted biophysics PhD. The reason I got into physics was because it felt fulfilling and my opinion of industry was shaped by a high-school internship at a defense contractor which was a total slog.
During my PhD, I got the full experience, drumming up new ideas, grant/proposal writing, managing and setting project goals, maintaining collaborations and doing the actual work. It was fulfilling and fun especially working with great group of people that are 100% dedicated but, boy, was really, really hard.
The long hours, terrible pay, and watching people stuck in the post-doc treadmill got to me. Plus, I saw quite a few 2-body problems fall apart (mine included). I also watched my advisor go through the tenure process, it seemed like he never slept.
It's been challenging getting into industry (I'm still looking :) ), but, if I make it, I'll write a blog post to see if there are any regrets in 5 years. But, like the author, I'm already missing the culture, going to seminars (the terrible seminar coffee), and nerding out with friends in other disciplines.
Re: I Regret Quitting Astrophysics
#17I think this guy should stop regretting. He used to do astrophysics and there were things he didn't like about that. He's now doing data science and there are things he doesn't like about this, and looking back (with a bit of rose tinted glasses) at his life 7 years ago, he has regrets. Newsflash: the vast majority of jobs out there are not that fun. That's why you get paid. If they were a lot of fun, you'd be the on…
>But saying that astrophysics is meaningful because some internet surveys find it to be "the sexiest job in the world", that's quite shallow.
To the author's credit, I read that sentence the other way around: the internet deigns "Data Scientist" to be the "sexiest job," but he doesn't feel satisfaction that matches that reputation.
>The internet says I have ”the sexiest job of the 21st century”, but I think my previous job was more enjoyable to brag about at birthday parties.
Re: I Regret Quitting Astrophysics
#18Let me just say to all those out there who have left academia and went into industry: academia would be happy to have you back! I went into "academia" (or close to it), doing software engineering for a telescope being built. Astronomers are a great little community out there, and they really need help writing code. A lot of them aren't familiar or have experience with best industry practices that could save them so m…
Maybe this is true for your country, but not true here (there is even a limited number of years you are allowed to work in academia by law)
Very interesting, could you tell me where that is?
At least in the US, tenure is a really big thing. But there are plenty of people who are paid employees at the university and aren't teaching, and I'd also consider that academia.
Re: I Regret Quitting Astrophysics
#19> Being at the forefront of figuring things out about the workings of the Universe is amazing, and unparalleled in any business setting. This is the key attitude to gauging whether it's worth sticking it out in academia. I tell people you really need to be 'obsessed' with science (indeed, obsession is really a key concept: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=riaYwt0gf20 ). Just being interested in problem-solving isn't c…
This is exactly the conclusion that I came to before I also left astrophysics for industry. In order to outweigh all the cons of working in academia, you really have to have a deep passion or obsession with the particular problem you are researching. In my opinion, being _just_ interested is not enough, and that's where I found myself. I drove myself down the academic career path because I thought I would find meaning and purpose there, but when I didn't find it all of the pressures and toxicity of academia just didn't seem worth it. It's only been two years since I left, and sure there are some things that I miss, but I definitely do not regret leaving.
Re: I Regret Quitting Astrophysics
#20You can definitely go back -- academia loves people with industry experience. Few people go back because they typically earn less money in academic jobs. So you now have something academia loves, and there is little competition of other people having that kind of experience.