I'm considering getting a masters or PhD (in PL) under a professor I work with now for my undergrad thesis. It has been my observation that the standard path of getting a standard corporate job tends to nullify all impact you could have (with a few rare exceptions). And after that I could get a job, become a professor, turn my research into a startup etc. The pros are
1) I know my professor and he's a solid guy
2) Pays decently well, money isn't too much of a concern
3) I get paid to do research, university provides generous grants if turned into a startup
Cons
1) Hear a lot of bad things about the academic rat race, pressure to public even at masters/PhD level
2) I could probably hack out some paper into journals but whether I could have any real impact "on demand" (versus say spontaneously coming up with something) is a big question mark, especially within the deadlines given in the program
Any thoughts on this? Especially heuristics, methods or ways to increase impact?
1) I know my professor and he's a solid guy
2) Pays decently well, money isn't too much of a concern
3) I get paid to do research, university provides generous grants if turned into a startup
Cons
1) Hear a lot of bad things about the academic rat race, pressure to public even at masters/PhD level
2) I could probably hack out some paper into journals but whether I could have any real impact "on demand" (versus say spontaneously coming up with something) is a big question mark, especially within the deadlines given in the program
Any thoughts on this? Especially heuristics, methods or ways to increase impact?