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Lanny_McDonald · 10-26-2021, 01:52 PM

^^^ I agree with this to a point. There are plenty of professors who could use some time in industry to get their feet wet, but there are many disciplines where that is not possible. Those that come from a technical discipline are expected to have expertise or continue their research to be on the leading edge of industry developments. So yes, professors should have industry experience, but that experience can come differently than you expect. There are many good instructors who have plenty of industry experience and are actually in demand for consulting gigs to improve how businesses do things. Whether this understanding has come from working in industry or from practical research, the reality is they do bring that understanding to the table.

I also think you are completely missing the fact that most people who end up teaching are not like you suggest. Most people in academia are not the professional student type. Most have completed their undergrad and got a job, then completed their masters at a later date, and the PhD even later after that. It is strange to run into someone who has completed undergrad-masters-doctorate in succession. Yes, they do exist, but I have not had opportunity to run into many of these unicorns. Most people, even those with proclivity for education, want to get their lives going as quickly as possible, and try to get out into the workforce as quickly as possible.

I did chuckle at the "life experience" example of the guy pumping your gas. You think that people who go to school are sequestered into this academic bubble where they do nothing but study and sleep in a carrel? People who go to school also have jobs. They also have relationships. They do plenty of learning outside of their academic endeavors. To me, this is yet another example of people not having a clue about our education systems or the people that work their way through the system. People speak from their perspective, and the degree they completed (usually not a terminal degree), as being the pinnacle and only true example of education, not having any idea of what it takes in other disciplines or what people in those disciplines do to achieve their terminal degrees. People need better insight and "life experience" to understand the higher education system, and not just rely upon what they are told by others who have not experienced it.

10-26-2021, 01:52 PM	#207
Lanny_McDonald Franchise Player Join Date: Mar 2013 Exp:	^^^ I agree with this to a point. There are plenty of professors who could use some time in industry to get their feet wet, but there are many disciplines where that is not possible. Those that come from a technical discipline are expected to have expertise or continue their research to be on the leading edge of industry developments. So yes, professors should have industry experience, but that experience can come differently than you expect. There are many good instructors who have plenty of industry experience and are actually in demand for consulting gigs to improve how businesses do things. Whether this understanding has come from working in industry or from practical research, the reality is they do bring that understanding to the table. I also think you are completely missing the fact that most people who end up teaching are not like you suggest. Most people in academia are not the professional student type. Most have completed their undergrad and got a job, then completed their masters at a later date, and the PhD even later after that. It is strange to run into someone who has completed undergrad-masters-doctorate in succession. Yes, they do exist, but I have not had opportunity to run into many of these unicorns. Most people, even those with proclivity for education, want to get their lives going as quickly as possible, and try to get out into the workforce as quickly as possible. I did chuckle at the "life experience" example of the guy pumping your gas. You think that people who go to school are sequestered into this academic bubble where they do nothing but study and sleep in a carrel? People who go to school also have jobs. They also have relationships. They do plenty of learning outside of their academic endeavors. To me, this is yet another example of people not having a clue about our education systems or the people that work their way through the system. People speak from their perspective, and the degree they completed (usually not a terminal degree), as being the pinnacle and only true example of education, not having any idea of what it takes in other disciplines or what people in those disciplines do to achieve their terminal degrees. People need better insight and "life experience" to understand the higher education system, and not just rely upon what they are told by others who have not experienced it.