Well, I think there is a common misconception among academics: They think that theory must be pure and that people who work tend to muddle the theory.
What they seem to ignore is that theory is an abstraction within the human mind and that the real thing is something practical.
So in my opinion the academic path should be accompanied by a real/practical job (within the field of study). Apart from supporting the student with a salary it would bring alternative career paths much earlier to the table.
One issue here is that there aren't always real/practical jobs within the field of study, though. Furthermore, I would claim that people who do experiments often are ones that are doing "real things"
What they seem to ignore is that theory is an abstraction within the human mind and that the real thing is something practical.
So in my opinion the academic path should be accompanied by a real/practical job (within the field of study). Apart from supporting the student with a salary it would bring alternative career paths much earlier to the table.