Tech companies value speed, disruption, and innovation, while universities value stability, process, and careful planning. Having worked in both environments, including Georgetown University and as a contributor to a Top 3 consulting firm, I have learned that each has its strengths, and each could learn a lot from the other. This session breaks down the unexpected lessons from university web development that can apply to any engineering role, from navigating bureaucracy to balancing technical debt with long-term sustainability. We will discuss:

- Why do universities prioritize stability over speed, and when is that actually a good thing?
- How do university teams manage (and accumulate!) tech debt?
How to navigate bureaucracy, legacy systems, and institutional inertia—a skill useful in any large organization
- What working at a university taught me about documentation, stakeholder communication, and maintaining long-term projects
- How the private sector’s focus on iteration and efficiency could improve university-based development teams

Ultimately, this talk is not just comparing industry and academia from afar, but about sharing what is working, challenging assumptions, and building better engineering cultures in both worlds. Attendees will leave with a fresh perspective on development in different environments and strategies for managing long-term projects and tech debt. Whether you work in a startup, large company, or university, you will walk away from this session ready with new insights to apply to your own teams.