<p>Thanks guys for your responses. Yea the enormous amount of time and effort required to get a professorship does sound quite frustrating, given the rather modest salaries (relative to what one with the intelligence and ability of a potential professor could make in more “practical” careers). However, a career in the academia is for the passionate, not for one who wants to become rich (although some do suddenly become incredibly rich after publishing some best-selling hits). To those who truly love knowledge and intellectual pursuit, the pleasures (and relative freedom and flexible time schedule) are rewards more than enough to keep them in the academia. I love learning a lot and would like to contribute to growth in human knowledge, but I’ll see how things go before I decide on my future career. Time for a high school senior to stop daydreaming and go back to her studies. ;p</p>