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As a professor I avoid the phrase "in the real world" as much as possible. There's a number of reasons for this:
1. In general I think it undercuts the importance of the class and the material presented.
2. As an industry professor, such language suggests the teaching part of ...
1. In general I think it undercuts the importance of the class and the material presented.
2. As an industry professor, such language suggests the teaching part of ...
my life is something I consider less "real".
3. Most uses of "in the real world" don't actually describe how things work in the world.
4. It suggests that people are/should be defined by their job instead of any other aspect of their lives.
5. I feel students who are already ...
3. Most uses of "in the real world" don't actually describe how things work in the world.
4. It suggests that people are/should be defined by their job instead of any other aspect of their lives.
5. I feel students who are already ...
stressed do not need additional anxiety about the future. (When used in the, "in the real world, X is not tolerated," context.)
The term I use most often to substitute is "industry" to draw the comparison to "academia" as the two areas care about very different qualities.
The term I use most often to substitute is "industry" to draw the comparison to "academia" as the two areas care about very different qualities.
But importantly "industry vs academia" allows immediately for students to think "well there are other parts of life" in a way that "the real world vs now" does not. How about family, friends, hobbies, entertainment? Are those "real" or not?
Of course, this wouldn't be twitter if I didn't end this thread with "Maybe the real world is the friends we made along the way."
