(84e) Industry or Academia? Ph.D. or MBA? - Factors to Consider in Your Decision Making

We define our careers through our passions, interests, actions, efforts, work, and drive; but most importantly we define it by the decisions we make. For a young engineer who is early on in their career, the first fork in the road forcing a decision is often related to the pursuit or not of further education, the second fork relates to the type of academic education (MBA or Ph.D. or other) and the third (for those who have chosen a Ph.D. path) addresses the pursuit of an academic or industrial career. In this talk, the author will review the factors and benefits associated with the above potential choices and use his own career as an example to provide the audience with better insight into career decisions and outcomes.