I wanted to do Astronomy or Astrophysics as a degree/career choice when I was growing up. What changed my mind was every single astronomer or astrophysicist I spoke to about pursuing the career literally told me not to. No jobs, no money, don't do it. Being young and unfamiliar I listened to their advice and went to university for a different career. Academia research seems like a lot of politics and bs to put up with however I think I would have enjoyed that career much more than software development I am in now.