A PhD with an industrial partner will give an indication of whether or not an industry-based research career is suitable for you.
If you want to work in industry, it isn’t necessary to do a PhD, says Steve Martin from GSK. If you have a passion for the science, then you could work your way up. However, a PhD can offer some training which is relevant to a specific role. Some researchers opt to take on a PhD in a part-time capacity whilst working in industry, but others, like Helen Pappa from Quintiles, start a PhD that is supported by industry. “I had the best of both worlds,” she said at the 2015 Naturejobs Career Expo in London. She spent half at Imperial College, London, and half in industry. The industrial contacts that she made through her PhD also helped carve out her future career path.
If you are contemplating a career in industry and you have the opportunity to do a PhD with an industry element in it, then “the answer is resoundingly yes,” said Martin. Understand what industrial research is like, and will give you an indication of whether or not it is suitable for you.
Further reading:
Careers in industry: The options.
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Surely, having PhD significantly boosts your career opportunities but I don’t think it is a must. For example, Steve Jobs or Richard Branson (more examples at https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/249683) didn’t graduate college but did pretty good and achieved what they wanted. So, having a degree doesn’t mean much. Well, except having to pay huge fees and then later spending years to pay off your student loan. These are the main problems a good half of students worldwide is facing and these become a good reasong to go to college or grad school but invest money in yourself. Still, there is another issue – whether you can pull it off. This is a big risk and no one is ready to take it. That’s why articles like at https://dissertationwriter.org/is-a-phd-worth-it/ talk about going to grad school and having great time. Nevertheless, the decision is always yours.
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This is a big risk and not everyone is ready to take it ****
small correction to my previous post
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Fully agree, I did my PhD part in industry and part at the university lab, it was a huge sacrifice and you need to be patient, but at the end, a PhD profile with industrial experience gave me all the opportunities i was looking for.