> You get extra credit points if you're active in visiting other universities and giving talks on the annual job circuit. You tend to do well if you advisors are well-connected. You have to sprinkle a bit of fad-ish topics into your research if even if it's a stretch to do so.

Sounds a bit like any job:

* Cross train in other departments

* Demonstrate your functionality/team’s functionality to other groups through talks, white papers, ‘internal consulting

* You do well when your boss does well, make your boss look good

* Buzzwords and trends make the world go round