I guess you don't have real field experience - its a super frustrating job. 10 years of efforts end up in bureaucratic quagmire, rewriting same stupid article/p

I guess you don't have real field experience - its a super frustrating job. 10 years of efforts end up in bureaucratic quagmire, rewriting same stupid article/publication 10x. You may find out you spent all thaat time in direction which doesn't work. No, its often a properly shitty job, unfortunately. People in such field often, very explicitly, express to me how they regret going into it and how easy life I have it with my office job with tons of time for hobbies. No life, just locked in the labs. These are not anymore the days of Pasteur or Marie-Curie where fame comes to hard workers. You want rewarding job? Doctors. Teachers. But ask them and few are happy with the job. I'd say its a mindset thing - either you can be happy with little, or not and then its hard to not die with regrets. Personally, I've set my life and did all major decisions with primary aspect of 'not having regrets when dying'. It may or may not ultimately bring the result desired but it gives a clear, good direction in life which is enough for me.