Is it OK to mention a banking internship while saying I wanna pursue an academic post

[barbbie]

I am applying for Phd programs, does this experience jeopardize credibility of my career plan of being a professor?
Or I just have better take this internship off my CV?

Thank you in advance!

[Elliephant]

If the internship was in the commercial/operational division (as opposed to research), it's not something you want to talk about. I don't see a need to take if off your CV, but there's also no reason to elaborate on it at all. If you take it off your CV, you'll end up with a hole several months long and it may look like you did nothing at all for that time. It's a judgement call whether that is better or worse than having spent that time "veering away" from academia. Also, if it's an experience that helped shape your interests (e.g. "After spending X months in the private sector, I realised research is the way to go because A, B, and C"), it doesn't make sense to erase it from your record. My hunch would be to leave it on your CV but not wax verbose about it.

[barbbie]

Indeed, it doesn't have much to do with my research.
Thank you, Elliephant.

[mathemagician]

No one reads your CV anyways. In the rare case that they do, seeing something like that will not effect their decision if everything else looks good. Plus PhD programs know that not everyone who receives a PhD will stay in academia - a large portion go to the private sector.