Wait loss might be hard, but it's very simple. Most people just don't have the willpower or discipline to stick it trough.

Quite a few things, really. I had a lot of options, but I currently work as a data engineer/scientist.

Yes, that's exactly it! I even remember the layout.

Disclaimer: I have a master's degree in astronomy. I no longer work in academia though.

I remember from my university days (between 5-10y ago) that nearly all astronomy papers were free access. Even the ones published in Nature had a free version somewhere. I don't remember the exact locations, but I think it was a Harvard resource that hosted nearly everything I ever needed. I never felt like I had to struggle to find papers and references when I was doing my projects.

Compare that to my partner who works in biochemistry and she has to rely on preprints on ArXive.org or mailing the original authors for a free copy.