Academia don’t really work
Zero sweat or sweat equity
Once you’re in you’re pretty much set forever
Salary in mid 100s
Plus grant money and benefits most folks only dream over
Vested pensions like a teamsters honcho
Average full tenured professor retires by early 60s as a multi millionaire for work that is fairly leisure
Except for medical school professors and associates
They work their asses off
However...
In academia, much of what you do is at the pleasure of the students, and usually the loudest, most difficult ones. You need to follow the herd at all times, and divest yourself of individual, or original thought. Common Sense? Ha. And, no one has any interest in accomplishing anything - success breeds expectations, so the end result is "No one does anything, ever".
It was a pretty good gig that I had, and I quit shortly after I started. The environment was very much a "Gilded Cage". I got the heck out before I got captured.
Also, take any of the stereotypes that you have about academia, or that are perpetuated here on FR...and they're all wrong.
They're not strong enough, reality is far, far worse.