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RE: It's as hard to make a career in academia as it is to play professional football
I wonder, sometimes... how often the pursuit of academia (especially of there are multiple degrees involved) is more a way of postponing life than actually seeking an improvement in where you stand. Many years ago, a friend of mine (who happened to be an actuary) did some analysis on the long term "value" of graduate degrees... and found that they most often didn't pay for themselves, if you factored in cost/loans, years of NOT gaining work experience and so forth.
In a way I guess you could say that, but if you are paid to be a research professor, it is like a way to be sponsored to do what you are interested in. It certainly pays off for some people, but not everyone will have the same path.
Yes, you can make much more money if you just go and become (for example) a real estate agent. I studied physics. Nobody in their right mind would do that for the money. It's hard work, and the competition is stiff. But most people in the field don't care.
Personally, I do it because I think science is what, in the long term, improves people's lives. If I can even make a small contribution, push things just half a step forward, then that has the potential to help millions of people, now and in the future.
So sure, I could make far more money doing other things. But I am not going to, because there are more important things in life than money.
Same here. I have a B.S. in Physics and didn't do it for the money. Having a college degree has its merits, but I honestly think it is the most interesting subject to study in school. There are some great posts that I have read here on Steemit that are physics-related. @lemouth has some great one about particle physics and I enjoy reading different theories like the holographic principle, supersymmetry, and string theory.