Personally, I think there is more than enough room in this particular career field for all of the variations. Right now, I think I'm a hybrid. I'm not adverse to using it as a stepping stone to something else, but right now I'm happy with my boss, my benes and my pay as a long term support prof. My job is fast-paced and varied and my boss really appreciates my depth, logistic experience and proactive handling of tasks (so that no one is blind-sided). I have been in jobs where that was not the case, so I'm aware of how well-off I am.
IMHO, we are all very different with different life and career goals, so it makes perfect sense to me that we will have a variety of stepping stone vs. career support vs. hybrid mixes. None are right or wrong or better--just different.
(that concludes the gospel according to mathwhizchick...)
