> I do not understand why anyone would ever choose to be an acedemic,... When you're young and don't know enough it's easy to look up to the "smartest" people

> I do not understand why anyone would ever choose to be an acedemic,... When you're young and don't know enough it's easy to look up to the "smartest" people you know at the time, which are often your teachers and other university celebrities. And while at college, if you don't have any serious plans, masters and so forth seems like easy options going forward. Your university mentors will even make you believe it is a good choice. Been there myself. I regret it. Surrounded by academics while my friends and relatives are just "normal", I had a very one-sided worldview. On the bright side, I think more are quitting the academe recently, realizing it is not worth it.