but i also understand the author as i recently pursued a master's degree 2 years ago, made it halfway through the classes, rushed to publish one completely bs paper, gave a presentation on it during a virtual research conference (one of several hundred that happen every year), received a "good job"/"atta boy" , was then asked to continue to write more papers and become an aid for the professors... So forth.

You really can lose passion for a subject you love when the machine of academia is only concerned with climbing the ladder, a la corporate world, politicians...