It’s an outstanding achievement for students to finish their courses and get a degree in college. However, there is one question ahead that comes to mind: Should you go to industry or grad school?
Check out our MSE Company Database and free professional development guide for materials scientists and engineers!
Today’s guests are Lily Turaski, a Ph.D. student in MSE at Stanford University, and Sam Williams, a Senior Associate Electrical Engineer at L3 Harris Technologies. In this episode, they discuss a dilemma that many students have taken years to decide and give actionable advice on which path to choose: Industry or Grad School.
In this conversation, we discuss the following topics:
The driving factors behind one’s own decision to go to industry and grad school.
The benefits and disadvantages of each chosen path.
How academic research differs from industry.
How can it affect one’s physical, mental, and financial health when they’re in the industry versus grad school? 
The words of encouragement and advice for MSE students that may help them make their decision more confidently. 

 
Learn more about our MSE Career Development Online Course, which includes more industry-specific information and advice. 
Also, check out our MSE-themed merchandise if you want to support us or simply show off your love of materials science!
Join our Discord community! You can meet other passionate materials scientists and engineers from around the world, discuss the latest breakthroughs in MSE, share materials-related memes, and get career advice from experts in the field.
For shorter segments and full video podcasts, subscribe to our channel on YouTube. For bloopers, audiograms, and interesting materials science articles, follow us on Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter. Feel free to message us on our social media platforms if you have any feedback or recommendations for future episodes, or email us directly at itsamaterialworldpodcast@gmail.com. Finally, reach out to David Yeh and Punith Upadhya on LinkedIn if you'd like to chat about the latest breakthroughs in MSE!
Disclaimer: Any opinions expressed by either guests or hosts in this show are their own, and do not represent the opinions of the companies or organizations for which they are affiliated.