So, you want to be a business professor?

Career transitions within the same industry are challenging enough, but transitions across sectors are even more difficult. Underlying cultural and operational differences between industry and academia present significant hidden obstacles for practitioners seeking to become teachers in higher education. To help expose these challenges, I recount—in this Executive Digest—my personal experiences leaving the consulting profession for a role as a faculty member at the Kelley School of Business, Indiana University. I offer comparisons between the two career models, illustrate specific examples of misaligned expectations, and conclude with practical suggestions to ease the transition and set forth a solid foundation for longevity in academia for non-researchers.