Botanists' Dilemma: When Passion Collides With Paychecks

A viral discussion on Hacker News exposes the brutal financial realities facing STEM professionals, particularly botanists, when compared to illegal earnings from cybercrime. While society values environmental science and plant research, the compensation rarely matches the years of education required—meanwhile, skilled hackers report illicit earnings orders of magnitude higher. This disparity raises uncomfortable questions about how societies allocate rewards and what drives talent toward unethical pursuits.