Engineering PhD: Park your ego at the door

Here is an interesting interview with an engineering PhD who made the jump to industry from academia. A lot of the comments seem to apply equally well to any kind of worker with a graduate technical degree. I particularly liked this one:

"Ph.D.s tend to be less likely to compromise, less able to move forward without a complete analysis. They can be labeled obstinate and hard to work with in a corporate environment. That limits their career, and they often have a hard time understanding why, since, from their perspective, they are just pursuing the "right" answer as they have been taught, and no one seems to appreciate their superior arguments.

Another frustration is the occasional ego problem. Some Ph.D.s consider themselves above certain types of work and entitled to special treatment. A good dose of humility is always appreciated."

Here is the link to the full interview from the Chronicle of Higher Education.