Industry or Pure Academic?

Question

I am a woman in a conservative society, my parents are strongly arguing I should have industry experience before pursuing a career in academia, although most professors in my Uni did not actually have an industry job experience.

If I take an industry job, I can't take it for more than two years, otherwise I will be too old to be in the academia. However, I need some safety, for unpredictable events such as marriage and having a children, so academia is risky because I amy not be tenured before the unpredictable event and therefore the industry position may be safer.

Is it necessary to take an industry experience first before entering the academic job or you can just skip it and begin a career in the academia?

Answer 1

In applied areas, a year or two of industrial experience will not hurt your CV -- but it certainly isn't a necessary requirement.

In pure sciences (mathematics, physics, astronomy), this may be more like waste of time.

No rule is without exceptions, of course. If you spend some time at a research unit of some highly advanced and renown company -- then this may look good in the eyes of the people from academia. But then, again, this is likely to happen in applied areas. The general rule, however, is simple (at least in the West): if you are building an academic career, then stay in academia and don't leave.