>>11604358Even the grandes écoles aren't a criterion. While at uni, I met an excellent student who ended up in the X. I am above average, not a genius, but I have a passion and a rather natural inclination for academia. That student was good at studying, but not exactly a bright person if you ask me. I ended up doing actual research, while that student is now an engineer - which seems boring to me.
To each his own, but I dislike the French tendency to over-consider engineers, and barely acknowledge researchers. At the end of the day, it's like the chicken and the egg. I don't know what started, praising engineers or rewarding them more, but it's a strange and kind of artificial self-preserving scheme.
