Philip Greenspun has a 2-decade old essay that is relevant:
https://philip.greenspun.com/careers/women-in-science
Basically, it's arguing that science (really academia) is generally an awful career path for most Americans.
https://philip.greenspun.com/careers/women-in-science
Basically, it's arguing that science (really academia) is generally an awful career path for most Americans.
One thing that helped me a lot is that both of my parents were industrial scientists, so the idea of life beyond academia wasn't foreign to me.