Industry vs. Academia

Academia isn't for someone who justs want to teach. It depends on what type of university you want to teach in and what kind of salary you are expecting. Of course, if you want higher pay (and ultimately tenure), the research/paper driven path is where it's at. But it's not leisure either because there is the added pressure of being published x times a year and having your paper cited y times. But yeah, if you just want to teach at a so-so school, then I don't know why anyone would want to spend 5+ years of extra schooling (and costs) to do so. Unless you're very, very passionate about computer engineering. A PhD dissertation is no walk in the park.

After spending a year and two summers doing research, I've had enough. It's low pay, relatively low stress (that was good), and can get boring reading scientific papers that you could care less about. The workplace isn't all that better in terms of being stimulated, but at least you're getting paid better for applicable work. I've thought about grad school for a little but decided that the only reason I wanted to go (while talking to one of my profs) was that I didn't know what I wanted to do in the next five years. Which is entirely the wrong reason to go to grad school.

I personally think it's best to get some industry experience before going directly into grad school. At least then you have a feeling of what kind of area you like or more interested in, you interact with all age groups, and you know what kind of jobs are out there for those with a masters/phd or bachelors. I know it's tempting to live student life indefinitely, but who wants to live off low pay? I think of grad school as something like a jumpboard into a higher position, higher pay, or something else career wise. I suggest finding an internship in your industry during the summer or if you can afford the time during the semester. In industry, talk to your co-workers. They have interesting career paths themselves. Talk to a lot of people now, including profs and grad students. Ask profs how they became a prof. Ask students why they chose grad school and where they want to go after.

Either way, I think the safest bet is to take your GRE before you graduate, and land a full time position somewhere. Some grad schools accept deferred applicants I think, so do your research with those schools as well.

Jam it back in, in the dark.