>Are you saying the only incentive for students to spend hundreds of hours in the research lab is just to get a letter of recommendation from the professor and land a job? As a student, I find that ridiculous. Are you saying the only incentive for Catholics to pray the rosary is to rack up points in the afterlife? As a Catholic, I find that objectionable.

In this context, the reason to pray the rosary or spend a lot of time learning in college is for self-fulfillment. If you find it fulfilling, great. If not, your time is probably better spent doing something else, if the afterlife points or letter of recommendation don't matter to you.