I think this would be a sad truth if I had just gotten a PhD and was hoping that it would provide me with a unique credential to write software. But as someone

I think this would be a sad truth if I had just gotten a PhD and was hoping that it would provide me with a unique credential to write software. But as someone with a mere MS (not in CS in the first place), I'm pretty happy that I don't need a PhD. Another nice thing about the world of software development is that you can actually get involved in many of the more (or most) interesting projects without any degree at all. There are some areas where you'd benefit greatly from a PhD, but you aren't at all relegated to "guis for databases" as a programmer with something less than a PhD.