<p>What is the view of graduate departments on working in the industry for a year or two before going on to grad school vs. going straight from undergrad?</p>
<p>Do you have any thoughts on the following scenario:</p>
<p>About to graduate from a respected Chemical Engineering department at a very good state school with good GPA, published research and good LORs from profs. Has a guaranteed position at a very small firm, whose future is not certain.
Geographical area is where there is next to no recruiting.
Department does not take undergrads from their own school for their graduate programs.</p>
<p>What would be the best academic/career path for some one who would like to continue in research but isn't entirely sure about academic vs. corporate setting?</p>
<p>A decent number of my current classmates worked for several years before starting grad school. Heck, several of my classmates were 27 years old when they started their PhDs. This may vary by department of course, but I’m pretty sure most ChE departments have a significant contingent of students who worked for a couple of years first.</p>
<p>I don’t think waiting to go grad school would incur any significant disadvantages on that person’s career. I would recommend that person simply go and do what they actually want to do at this moment, whether that be grad school or industry (with the option of going to grad school later). If they want to go to grad school, they should try to go some place different than for undergrad to get exposure to new places and people (but depending on the person of course, there are sometimes good reasons to stay at the same place). In general, they shouldn’t think like there is one “best” path that they must follow to maximize their success.</p>