Which way Engineer: Startups,Seek Employment or Academia?
Summer '23 is ending and I got to read and sympathize with internship stories by my friends and fellow engineers,EE in particular. As it is common here in Europe to do internships and apprentices during summer,several students try their 'luck' to get into the corporate sector ,either for experience ,network or just to save a few bucks.
Trouble comes when it's almost July and nothing is forthcoming.An ideal opportunity,as I often hear,is to get into a startup and work your way up.However,visa issues,language requirements and logistical challenges merge with the big problem of limited startups to frustrate the intern hopefuls.This doesn't end here as academic hopefuls ideally would want to practice research in startups too,but they rarely exist. Is it time to take matters by our own hands and create the opportunities ourselves?However,many decisions have to be made before we even dive into creating,and these are the factors I wrote about in this article.
Most engineers are faced with a common challenge just before,after or even way before their graduation parties.Some choose to take what comes their way,while others make decisions before hand.Whether they go towards academia to be professors and researchers,flex their muscle and swim in the over-crowded employment pool to be entry level employees or try out their luck in creating next big companies;one thing is evident- A lot of thought,time and finances culminate to form one of the most important decision one has to make in a lifetime.
Risk vs. Stability
Every venture is risky,but going for a startup immediately after graduation or while in school proves more challenging and only business ideas that can solve some major world crises come out as outliers.
Depending on someone's ability and experience in taking on risks or risky ventures(an ability which often eludes most students),it is often common to see them going towards the less risky paths,in this case;studying further or seeking jobs.
Learning Opportunities
Not everyone is after money,right?At least not in the short-term.Studies and research has shown that getting employment in bigger companies offers some form of trade-off between actual application of book knowledge offered in college and hefty salaries and compensation.While this doesn't necessarily apply to every big company or employee,it is common to see corporate sector having such structures that revolve around having levels of employment,experience,salaries and even ages.
Fresh graduates therefore are assigned minor roles that don't necessarily have big impact towards the success or failures of the company and not on their learning as well.
Networking and Mentorship
I'd say the three paths have similar prospects as far as getting the opportunity to interact with individuals who have the same goals,experiences and stories.However they provide different environments and limitations as an academic might be limited to just a few 'learned friends' from the department without much knowledge of what could be happening outside of work.
Same applies to industrial settings which tend to be limited to whatever happens in such environments.Outliers happen only when individuals take matters into their own hands and make non-parallel trajectories which ensure their work cross over to different fields thus interact with universities,industries or startups,thus facilitating exchange of ideas,motivations and even profits.
Impact and Responsibility
You can either be a boss or a servant. In the case of a startup,being a boss is likely than when you decide your way in a big company,at least not until years later.Academia also offers both tastes depending on size,value and resources of the institution,as well as how far up the ladder one is.
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The two go hand-in-hand,as one's thirst to be impactful on certain areas mean a responsibility lies on their shoulders.While this is not the case for some,who would rather enjoy a position on the backend ,it still is a huge factor to consider while making a life-long decision on whether to pursue academia,seek employment or engage in startups/business.
Goals
Everyone has goals,long or short,viable or not. As all tend towards success,comfort and generally good life,they don't necessarily have an impact on what one chooses to do after graduation.
One whose goal is to be a researcher rarely turns down an opportunity to work in a big company,as they hope things could change,or they would quit when time comes.Some eventually do but others end up getting trapped by huge incentives or allign themselves towards what the company's goals are.
Compensation and Freedom
I saved the best for last?Most engineers who decide the business route often try to dismiss the importance of cash in their decisions,although ironically they might be the ones who need money the most.
Money tend to influence paths but it has this effect for a reason.When you sit deep and try to picture the 3 fields without banks,then that's not a beautiful image,in fact it sometimes is the main motivation to keep researchers in the lab,businesses running and corporates delivering.
Startups and their owners usually get compensated almost as much as they perform while engineers working for big companies might sometimes feel undermined or overused both in terms of capabilities and when their paychecks arrive monthly.
With enough time and money,freedom naturally comes and 9-5 workers may never experience this,and again it comes down to deciding whatever risks you want to bet on and trade-offs that come with choosing one path over another.
Do it all(Conclusion)
How about the ideal cycle of graduating,getting a job and while at it,you realize you have potential knowledge gaps in your field of specialization, so you go for higher education on the same and thus get an opportunity to do some research on the same for sometime.
With all the knowledge gained,experience and accolades achieved, and networks built,you decide to start a business that solves a certain problem in the market and thus employ more and more interns to have experience for their future lives.
Wouldn't it be a satisfying life and inspiring story to tell?