[PAClearner]

meh as a baby academic I am not convinced that the nepotism protectionism elitism of academia are markedly higher than the 'real world'

[Nasrudith]

The big difference is the workplace variety. You can work at start ups, small businesses, mid-sized companies, or mega-corporate, or even government jobs. It isn't that they don't exist there but that it is easier to escape certain types of it.