tambrahms gone rogue.

Everybody is full of dumb advice about being a scientist. Invariably the advice is by post docs who have seen the bullcrap that the research world is actually. However, they are in the game, and too invested in it to quit. They then try to find some reason to make it all sound worthwhile, and often their advice sounds like a load of utter crap.
Many years ago, I started loving science because of how it opened my mind. I loved patterns and loved the abstraction of physics, and its predictive power. In India, just being a scientist seemed to be a big enough thing to do, because the world we live is fraught with superstition and all sorts of preconceived notions and myths that people mistook for the truth. The mental darkness that people lived in is astounding, so it seemed like a big feat just to want to be a scientist. And since I am a woman, it seemed more pertitnent that I should just exist as a a rational and strong presence and that would be enough to justify my existence.
After a while though, everybody gets drawn into the great machine that has its throbbing heart in the united states of aggressive mediocrity. Academia. One starts a PhD, invests heart and soul to go after a passion, comes out with a fried brain, broken heart and no career prospects. 

I want to beat that bastard in his own game. by the age of 43, I am going to be a full professor being wooed by everybody and well loved. I am going to start industry and help people and I am going to kill the man's ego. it will die. The man will not win. I will choose my allies well.

subversion. undermine the existing system. never stop working. just keep reading and doing stuff. apply for all the jobs you think you may be useful for. be honest about your capacities. let them pick you. this has to be done though. so once the paper is done, do this. next, you have to continue your struggle to subvert the existing system. you have to keep doing science and learning and teaching and finding ways to improve stuff constantly, irrespective of what people say and how much money you have. you have to have a few hours of your day dedicated to this. take drugs if required. i dont care. work is the only thing. relentless pursuit.