Three hard truths I learned before moving to a non-academic career

Yet more running-down of academia - this is such a depressing site with yet another poacher turned gamekeeper.

I don't think running down, just an honest account - the statistics are correct, academic life is not easy these days, that's a fairly universal experience. Without denigrating an academic career, in fact doing just the opposite, it's important to recast your experience when you move to a new sector. I've worked on both sides of the fence and I'd add a fourth hard truth that you have to focus harder and nearer due to commercial realities, and also a fifth truth which is less hard - the creativity and flexibility that you bring from a research career, maybe in diverse fields, is highly valued when you can succeed in translating it. The private sector is lots of fun.