<p>When looking at Profs for grad school, how important is their connections to industry?</p>
<p>Like everyone else, I’m hoping to get a job after grad school and I’m thinking that working with a Prof who has connections to industry will help me here. </p>
<p>How important is this?</p>
<p>Professors can help you with getting a job. I got mine through a professor (although he was an adjunct), I have friends who have gotten jobs through other professors, and I’ve heard many of them asking us if we were interested in a job with a certain company. People sometimes go back to their professors and have them advertise openings. </p>
<p>Just how important it is… I’m not quite sure how to answer the question. Sure it’s a factor, but should it be your only factor in choosing a grad school? How would you know how well connected a professor is before you even know them? Perhaps a better question is how well connected is the department to industry? They sometimes give out alumni surveys. That was actually one of the ways I eliminated a grad school I had been considering.</p>
<p>My dad loves helping students find jobs. Since he’s been a UT prof for over 40 years, he has taught a good number of the architectural/structural engineers in the state of Texas! They call him up whenever they have a job opening for a young engineer. It’s still one of his major frustrations that he couldn’t find DH or me a job in 1986, but with the collapse of oil prices, there were just no jobs to be had. Just as well, since we love Maine.</p>
<p>“Just how important it is… I’m not quite sure how to answer the question. Sure it’s a factor, but should it be your only factor in choosing a grad school? How would you know how well connected a professor is before you even know them? Perhaps a better question is how well connected is the department to industry?”</p>
<p>I’m contacting the Profs before I officially apply just so I can have a better idea of what their research is like. From this, I can find out how connected they are to industry. ie if any of the students do projects that are partly funded by a company. </p>
<p>Do you know where I can find these alumi surveys? Can you tell me about the grad school you eliminated?</p>
<p>thanks!</p>