4 Reasons Why You Should Care If Your Professor Is An Industry Professional

Sponsored by Universidad Tecmilenio

It may not be something you’ve considered, or even realized – but many universities around the world are waking up to the benefits of having industry professionals involved in the world of academia and teaching students.

Bridging the gap between ‘traditional’ teaching methodologies and the application of industry knowledge in the classroom not only enhances the curriculum, but can help students understand the link between theory and practice, as well as better prepare them for the future.

We spoke to industry professionals Jorge Monsivais, Miguel Gomez Gonzalez, and José Sergio Ávila Flores – who all teach at the Universidad Tecmilenio in Mexico – to find out more about this.

Academic professors and industry professionals both have an in-depth understanding and knowledge of the principles and theories within their field, but distinctive collaborations between industry and academia combine the best of both worlds and are highly appreciated by students.

Professor Miguel Gomez Gonzalez is a computer science engineer with 12 years IT industry experience, a degree from the University of Guadalajara, as well as a Master in Information Technology Administration from ITESM.

He started working at IBM in 2007 and worked in HPC, Cloud and Linux technologies before joining Universidad Tecmilenio this year as a professional and master's degree teacher in computing, networking, IT systems and security.

We asked him to tell us a bit about his experience working as an industry professional at the university.

“When standing up in front of young, eager students, it’s easy to see how interested they are in knowing how everything works in your company, and how you do this or that in order to solve a problem.”

Industry professionals bring a unique value to the classroom, as well as provide fresh insights – something which can otherwise be difficult to come across anywhere else.

“Beyond the subject that’s being taught, the experiences I’ve been through allow me to adapt the content of the course and give it a personal touch, aiming for a more “real-life” scenario,” explained Professor Gonzalez.

Professor Flores added: “It’s very good to have teachers who have active job experience as it can help students know what real life challenges they’ll face in their professional careers.”

After 20 years of working in manufacturing, Flores enjoys his role as a professor at Universidad Tecmilenio where he trains up future engineers.