Why Becoming a Researcher in 2026 Is Better Than in 2005

Описание: Why Doing Research in 2026 Is Objectively Better Than in 2005






(Even if it still sucks)


1. Access is radically better


In 2005, most people outside a few Western countries never had a real shot. Today, someone in rural Italy, India, Brazil, or Indonesia can actually imagine becoming a researcher.


2. The world is materially better off


Despite what social media feeds you, most long-run indicators show fewer people in extreme poverty, more education, and more stable cities than when I started.


3. Research tools are unrecognizable


No artificial intelligence in 2005.


No cheap transcription.


No instant equations.


No thinking in blocks of ideas.


Everything was slow, manual, and fragile.


4. Writing no longer requires linear thinking


If you have ADHD or dyslexia, research is no longer gated by sentence-by-sentence recall. You can think, speak, iterate, and refine.


5. Literature access is instant


I had to go to libraries and hunt paper journals. Now the problem is too much access, not too little.


6. Methods are cheaper and faster


What once cost thousands of dollars and weeks now costs pennies and minutes.


7. Global research markets exist


In 2005, “making it” meant the US, Canada, or the UK. Today, serious opportunities are emerging elsewhere—even if slowly.


8. Politics were always there


Visas, violence, instability, and fear existed then too. The difference is now you see it constantly.


9. The noise is worse, not the reality


Social media is optimized for anxiety and outrage. That does not mean the underlying world is worse.


10. You can build under uncertainty


There are now tools, platforms, and communities that let you learn in public, iterate, and survive ambiguity.






⸻






The uncomfortable truth






Research still isn’t safe.


It still isn’t stable.


It still isn’t financially rational for most people.






But compared to 2005?






There has never been a better time to learn how to think, build, and adapt under uncertainty.






This is not encouragement.


It’s a facts.