What Should You Do after Graduating? — Academia vs. Industry
How to decide between doing higher studies and joining the industry?
Are you a fresh Computer Science graduate who is debating between pursuing higher studies and going for a job? Then you have stumbled across the right article. In this article, I would like to share some of the experiences I had to face, the things I learned, what to consider when weighing your choices and some online tools that will come in handy to make your final choice.
I was reaching the last semester of my bachelor's degree in Computer Science in Engineering in the year 2017. As the careers day was nearing, I was debating with myself about what I truly wanted to do; whether to sit in front of a computer and code while I get paid a decent salary and develop a good career or join academia where I can do higher studies and specialize in a field of my interest. As you would have expected, I did some reading and talked with people in the field. Here are a few points I learned when it comes to deciding what to do after graduating.
Who you are and what you want
Choosing between doing higher studies and doing a job is purely a personal choice. It primarily depends on where your actual interests lie, what you truly like to do and what you plan on doing in the future.
First of all, you should identify what type of person you are. You may be a person who loves to mess with code and enjoys developing software, or on the other hand, you may be a person who is not that much into coding but loves doing research and specializing in trending fields. So first of all, you should figure out what kind of a person you are; whether you are more of a code lover or more of a research lover; whether you want to join the industry and build a career or you want to do higher studies and engage in more research.
It is better to plan ahead rather than merely wait for things to happen in your life. You may have an innovative idea you want to market and you plan to have your own startup. You may want to develop a career, climb up the career ladder and be a top executive in the industry. On the other hand, you may want to devote your knowledge and expertise towards the development of the field while enhancing your own knowledge as well. You may love teaching while helping others to enhance their knowledge and skills.
After spending nearly 3 to 4 years in university and as a trainee in the industry, it is high time that you have figured out what your passion is and what your actual interest is. This is very important because it will a major turning point in your life.
Academia vs. Industry
Academia — Master Researcher
Joining academia after graduating, will be the best option if you love to do research and feel that you need to pursue in a specialized field. You can become a research student and prepare your background for higher studies. You can spend one or two years to do research and learn about the new trends in the field of your interest. While doing research, you can get acquainted with reputed people from the field and get to know about their work. If you have financial issues, you may be even lucky enough to get a scholarship to do higher studies, depending on the quality of your research.
Even after joining a company, if you want to go for higher studies, you can talk to your company officials at any point. Some companies even pay for your study expenses. If you are truly passionate about doing postgraduate studies such as an MSc or PhD, I would advise to do it as soon as you graduate. It is difficult (but not impossible) to switch back to a student’s life once you get into the industry. However, it is all about your choice.
Here are some websites which you can search for higher studies opportunities online. You can find different courses offered by different universities and get further information such as intake period, tuition fee and course duration.
PostgradAustralia — https://postgradaustralia.com.au/
FindAMasters — https://www.findamasters.com/
If you are interested in joining a particular university, then you can check that university’s website for available opportunities. Generally, every university showcases its researchers, their work, ongoing projects and whether those researchers have available positions. You can go through this information and decide based on your interests.
You can also contact senior colleagues who are already pursuing academic careers to get advice and further information. They will be able to give you details based on their experience in academia.
Industry — Genius Coder
If you feel you have learned enough and you want to put your skills into action, then the industry is the best place for you. You will get to know how the actual industry looks like and learn about the best industry practices. It is good to get exposed to the industry and get real-life experience, as it will give you a competitive advantage if you plan to pursue higher studies after a few years. It will also give you a chance to see whether you like the career path you have chosen so far.
If you plan on having a startup, first you can get the exposure from the industry and then have your own startup. You will be more successful since you have experienced working in the industry and you know how things happen in the world of software engineering.
What is more appealing is that you will be making money! You can have a decent life as you have money to spend on your needs, without asking your parents anymore. If you plan on doing higher studies later, you can work for a year or so and then go for higher studies, with your savings.
Before making a decision, it is better that you do some research about the job market. Here are two popular websites where you can search for job details such as average salary, hourly rate, career paths and experience levels.
PayScale — https://www.payscale.com/
Glassdoor — https://www.glassdoor.com.au/index.htm
You can talk to people in the industry or your senior colleagues from your university and gather information. You can get to know about their experience, required qualifications and their opinions about the currently available job opportunities. When you are applying for jobs, you can get a clear idea about what you need to work on and improve; it can be your presentation skills, how you answer questions or even your CV.
Follow Your Passion
Do what you love, not what others tell you to do. Love what you do, or else you will get fed up with what you do. It is totally up to you to decide what you want to do for the rest of your life.
Work Hard and Dream Big
Work hard and dream big. Your dreams will motivate you to work towards achieving your goals. Whatever you do, do it with all your heart and enjoy.
Final Thoughts
Currently, I’m doing postgrad studies and I believe I chose the right path. However, continuing in academia can be stressful for some people. Personally speaking, if I change my mind after graduating, I can still get a good job in a good company with my qualifications. So don’t worry that you won’t be able to switch careers if you don’t find it interesting. You should always prioritise what you are passionate about and do what makes you happy.
I hope I was able to shed some light for your decision if you are facing the same problem as I did. Hope you enjoyed this article and gained something useful out of it.
Best wishes for an amazing career!
Thank you for reading!
Cheers! 😃
