[WJW]

Some people are like that, sure. But please don't make the mistake of idolizing academia because it's different than industry. There are plenty of scam artists doing P-hacking, MBAs leading universities and ego-tripping professors in academia as well. There's a reason the article describes a chapter titled "How to Survive Grad School With Your Soul Intact"; that'd be unnecessary if grad school was a very healthy place in the first place.

This is probably not what you want to hear, but in any place where lots of people work together (whether industry, academia, government or charity organisations) the social aspects of the work and the competition for status and resources will eventually overtake the actual work.

Your question "if not grad school, then what?" may well not have an answer at all.

[spiderjerusalem]

I agree with this take, having dropped out from my PhD.

I have reluctantly come to accept over the years that my intellectual interests need to be catered to separately from whatever I need to do to economically sustain myself as an adult.

Some lucky people find a good fit (irrespective of institution, academia or industry) but most of us flail around most of the time.

[blaeks]

+1