My non PhD experience is totally the opposite. When I was studying physics, while there was interesting stuff and I enjoyed trying to build things, my professor

My non PhD experience is totally the opposite. When I was studying physics, while there was interesting stuff and I enjoyed trying to build things, my professors and senior students hammered me with all the petty stuff I needed to organize the projects and get money. Suffice to say, I dropped out of college and chased a quick buck on IT. At least on my university, it as expected that you'll get to academia, and of my friends, those who didn't went to other career path, are still waiting for a place in academia.