Only get a PhD
If you want criticism endlessly
Pointless feedback
Warped reality
A mountain of opinions
An ego factory

There’s only so much feedback
I can take
Before I stop caring
My passions crack
My motivation breaks

It’s just that you don’t realize
How silly it all is
Until your halfway through
At that point you convince yourself
It’s worth it
What else will I do?

I’ve already spent this much time
Giving it up now would be a crime
I guess I’ll keep going after all
Someday I’ll hang something on my wall

I’ll have letters behind my name
A reward for playing this game
Appeasing the gatekeepers
The smart people
The true teachers

It’s not easy you know
In the academy
See how far you can go
Is a PhD worth your sanity?

I hope someday I don’t become
An unnecessary critic
A killer of fun
A tenured professor
A pillar at one
Of the institutions
That sucks you dry
Leaves you unemployed
In debt
With some simple letters
And a goodbye