> I felt less and less comfortable in a setting that apparently expected me to pick some low-hanging – let’s call it fruits – and call it a day. I think the au

> I felt less and less comfortable in a setting that apparently expected me to pick some low-hanging – let’s call it fruits – and call it a day. I think the author's reasons for quitting are valid. But I would also say that "low-hanging fruit" is exactly what many PhDs are going for by design. Science can move forward in giant leaps (like Newton, Einstein). But mostly, science progresses by the accumulation of thousands of narrowly focused projects. Perhaps the author's work could have eventually been used by another to make progress. The scope of what any single person can accomplish against the accumulated body of all scientific knowledge is often quite small.