Academics have long experienced something called a mid-PhD crisis, a period of self-doubt and anxiety that often occurs midway through their PhD program. When I faced the same an year or so ago, I developed a different perspective: What if the mid-PhD crisis was actually a crossroad where you finally see the academia scam in full daylight, and face a dilemma of whether to quit it or join it?
This "scam" is the realization that academia, often idealized as the pursuit of knowledge, is more often a game of peer-review and publish-or-perish pressure, where genuine intellectual curiosity takes a backseat.
In conclusion, the academia scam is a real issue that needs addressing. To truly foster creativity and innovation, we need to change the system that currently prioritizes publications and conformism over intellectual curiosity and groundbreaking ideas. It is our collective responsibility as part of the academic community to reform, and not just conform, to the existing structure.