mh
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
While I w*rked for Megacorp, I used to think academia was probably a better place to be. I envied the "ivy covered walls" rather than my drab laboratory without windows I was forced to endure. So, because I had a very specific talent and experience level, I "hired out" to the local university first as a graduate assistant and then as a visiting instructor. I did it for little money, lots of work and relatively little appreciation. Still, I ended up getting a MS out of the deal. In essence, I helped to build a department that had not previously existed. I provided real-world (war stories) to students and have, over the years, received thanks and compliments from former students. Just about lost my DW over the long hours (still worked FT at Megacorp), but that's another story.
Long story short: I discovered that academia is far more political, back-biting, dog-eat-dog, spit in your food, sabotage your office mate, etc. etc. than Megacorp ever was. I was so shocked that I eventually bowed out, even though the s#%t rarely ran down to my level (unless you consider the lousy pay for service). Sad to think I had to get in the middle of an academic "food fight" to discover that even ivy isn't always greener than Transite.
Sayre's law - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia