I too considered the academic route and had some very interesting, concrete, and I think useful ideas of what to study. I was discouraged from it by existing Ph

I too considered the academic route and had some very interesting, concrete, and I think useful ideas of what to study. I was discouraged from it by existing Ph.D's who warned me about how absolutely brutal the system is and how hard it is to do anything. I'd say we've bureaucratized science to death.