Academia is a rather poor choice if your goal is income (industry pays much better). I agree that academia isn't as idealistic as one often presents it, but the

Academia is a rather poor choice if your goal is income (industry pays much better). I agree that academia isn't as idealistic as one often presents it, but the principle currency in academia isn't money but prestige. Plagiarism and other forms of academic fraud are largely motivated by an attempt to look smarter and more productive than one is in order to win recognition from one's peers.