The more you're in, the more it's obvious: Though many students of biomedical disciplines plan to go for an academic career, there's af unnel-shaped distribution over the involved career stages. Recent data from the United States underlines the high drop-out rates at each level and even lead to a wake-up call being published in Nature. An attempt to consolidate the numbers is presented here aiming to allow a realistic view on individual career perspectives. Finally, a strategy to repress arising fears to keep the personal academic dream alive is presented: being realistic and knowing one's risks and chances.