[howandwhy]

The fundamental principle about doing science has changed. It has come from becoming a true scientist(born with natural curiosity towards natures, physics, understanding and exploring fundamentals principles of physics, life and matter) to bread butter scientist where you are pigeon holed into a cubicle writing grants all day and tinkering a very narrow part of a huge field to collect as much data possible so that you can put it in your next grant proposal. Oh by the way, do not forget to teach undergrad, grade their papers and sprinkle some tenure pressure, department politics into it and your life as a scientist is complete.

[auxym]

I don't know if you were downvoted because of the cynical tone, but that sounds pretty accurate in my experience. It's why I quit after a master's.

[btdiehr]

Academics spend a lot of time on the internet defending their poor decision of going into academia, as well as anyone who points out how obviously fruitless academia is.

For most people it's nearly impossible to admit something they just dedicated a large portion of their life too was completely worthless.

(standard disclaimer statement that of course there are exceptions to the trend.)

[letitgo12345]

Sure if your only goal is to make money...I am a CS PhD and at least in this area, believe it or not, I really haven't met many academics who regretted their choices.

[Noseshine]

And your statement is something academics have shown empirically :) (I just find it slightly amusing, no point really) I think the most famous instance was that story about the cult whose prediction about the end didn't come true, and they ended up being even more convinced and made up all kinds of excuses instead of quitting (the cult).

[AnallyAnguished]

That's because science was largely a pastime for indepently wealthy members their societies' elites. Science hasn't changed; middle class people just have access to it now.