[cbanek]

From personal experience in both, I would say academia is worse, and I think it's due to the lack of choices. Also, when academics are getting paid less, I feel like they gain some of their status by lording their power over other people, which is known to be part of the academic game. In industry, I feel like everyone is there mostly just to make money. Don't get me wrong, bad people exist in both, and people are people.

In general though, industry is a lot more competitive. You can just move on and get another job, and likely get paid more. Rather than the typical 2 body problem of academia, where one person is taking a job knowing it's just because the other person needs a job. (Yes, I've seen this happen where you hire someone's spouse so that you can get them to join. It's almost certainly not legal, but it happens in academia. I've never seen this happen in industry though.)

In industry there is also a little less gate-keeping. You've already got the job and there aren't really any more hoops to jump through to get paid. Sometimes getting a promotion is about as likely and easy as academia due to those above you in the management chain though.

[beaconstudios]

> Also, when academics are getting paid less, I feel like they gain some of their status by lording their power over other people, which is known to be part of the academic game.

"Academic politics is the most vicious and bitter form of politics, because the stakes are so low." - Wallace Stanley Sayre

[aborsy]

Or Henry Kissinger

[cbanek]

You have both earned upvotes and my unending love for this wonderful quote I never knew existed. I will be using this, mark my words.