When I told my professor in Weizmann I decided not to pursue a Phd, he thought I lost my mind.
“Why would you not want to be a scientist?” He sincerely asked. I had a really good time working there, and even got my name on one of the lab's publications, which is not to be taken for granted…
I couldn’t quite explain that itch I felt, but it had something to do with my "Industry bug"- the drive towards technology and manufacturing which is very different from the pursuit for knowledge and aesthetics, that drives Pure Scientists...
He didn’t give up on me.
“Listen, you want to develop a technology? No problem. Start here on the bench. If you walk down the corridor and ask your neighbors, you’ll get at least five different potential projects that can end up as a product one day- raise some funds and go for it!”
I didn’t take the offer, but after a few years in the industry I stumbled upon quite a few start-up companies that started just like this.
Academia is flourishing with ideas- the challenge is to bring them to market, and survive the funnel of death (but that’s a story for another post 😊).....
So, where are you located in the "Science-->Technology-->Market" continuum?