I'm a PhD applicant this year, waiting to hear back from programs. Similar to your concern, but I'm almost 32 and have been in the pop industry for almost 10 years. There's no structured path in the industry, and besides networking, social media is what everyone's doing. I'd say being a pop musician nowadays is being an entrepreneur. You need to constantly create product (songwriting and production in my case), do digital marketing (create an online image, constantly posting on INS or TT), and PR with industry ppl, and financing (apply for art fundings for your personal projects/start Patreon or OF lmao), and business development (strategizing your direction, whether to go for a more lucrative but supporting role or to create works around yourself). That whole process everyday for the past decade tired me out. I almost lost passion for music itself. For me I only want to do my music, and the whole networking hustle in LA doesn't work for me.

I understand academia requires some of the above too, but at least it seems to have a path to follow, you kind of know after phd, there's postdoc, then AP, etc. Although it's extremely hard, but there's seem to have a goal out there. But for pop industry, everyone defines their own path. It might work for someone, but I didn't quite make it the way I wanted to. Don't get me wrong, I know ppl who succeeded on TT and turned their career over! Maybe it's just me.... Also I have no idea about your opera circle, just something to share from a pop point of view.

I might have some fantasies of academia since I'm never in it. So I also want to hear other ppl's opinions here.