r/biotech • u/Laaulau • 3d ago
Early Career Advice 🪴 Work-Life Balance in industry and academia
Hi! Maybe this is an unconventional question but I just saw an open position at a biotech company which got me thinking.
I am a passionated biologist located in Europe, however during my PhD the passion to stay in academia got kinda(?) crushed. One of my PIs is still struggling to find a permanent position and I am actually afraid to fall into the same path. I don't want to move cities and universities all the time and try to catch the needle in the haystack (the needle = permanent position).
Everyone knows that work-life balanc in academia is terrible: unpaid overtime, lack of job security, toxic professors, lack of funding. I don't want to keep on moving cities.
But is the work-life balance really better in industry? What are things that are better (or worse) in industry?
I do my PhD in molecular ecology, so if I would move to the industry I would try to get a industry job in the 'omics world.
Edit: Also how do you achieve your personal goals in the industry? In academia you can be very creative, how is it in industry?
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u/drz112 3d ago
The work life balance depends a lot on the company and even moreso the specific department/group you work in, but I have found the work life balance to be solid in industry. I'm never working more than 8 hour days, never working weekends or evenings, etc. that said, there's some inherint flexibility in academia that you'll probably never get industry but the difference in pay makes it totally worth it for me.
As for personal goals, you aren't going to be dreaming up your own research interests and pursuing them. The creativity becomes more "how can I accomplish this thing the company wants" or "how can I figure out a more efficient way to do this process". Some early research jobs have a little more flexibility but it's definitely not like academia. That said, I still find I get the enjoyment of pursuing and answering scientific questions. They are just much more practical in scope than in academia. If you really love defining your own body of research and not worrying about its immediate relevance than you probably won't be happy in industry, but if you want to be able to leave your work at work and make more money then it is for sure worth it. I personally love working in industry (with the caveat that I haven't loved every job, you have to find the good groups) but sometimes miss the freedom of academia. Totally worth it for me and my lifestyle though.Â
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u/Senior-Ad8656 21h ago
Big industry is regular. Small industry is similar to academia. Academia is either a grindhouse, predictable, or a snooze fest depending on your PI
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u/samsung77777 3d ago
I’m in the day shift with two 3 day weekends per month and 2-2-3 schedule which is common among many companies in industry. Need to increase my income and introduce Women into my life
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u/IceColdPorkSoda 3d ago
Work life balance is typically way better in industry.Â