[erejacob]

Fun fact: One third of scientists (on a global basis) do not live in the country they were born in. (See http://www.fasebj.org/content/18/9/936.full) This comes from a lack of opportunities. For example, there are no groups working on what I was trained for in myCountry other than the one I was in. I would essentially have to replace my supervisor by competing with the other students he graduated with only one winner. This is what happens when each professor trains 10 people to replace him and proceed to determine the winner by whoever can work the hardest. This is not good faith investment. That's a callous winner-takes-all system with a built in oversupply to lower prices---like those competitions where you get webdesigners to work for free to make a logo. I don't feel any moral obligation to participate in that Ponzi scheme. Ever noticed how people hawking university degrees aren't exactly upfront about placement ratios and things like that and how students usually have to learn about what's really going after they're already committed?

Since the salary for an academic scientist is rather low, I could have made the money MUCH faster as a long haul trucker. At $17.5/hr a framing carpenter apprentice is paid substantially better than a grad student. At $37/hour a journeyman level carpenter (after 4 years as an apprentice) would make nearly twice as much as a postdoc. A watchmaker (2 year education) makes 40k. Yes, skilled tradesmen make that much. I never knew.

Had I known back then what I know now, I would never ever have gotten the degrees I did. It was and is one of the most inefficient means of making money I can imagine. Other than being a sign spinner or a dancing pizza (which still pays more than being a research assistant with a MSc, no kidding). I would have way more resentment towards the system if it wasn't for the fact that I enjoyed my work at the time. This enjoyment probably saved me from wasting my money on stuff to compensate for my lack of happiness working.