Maybe in the US, here in the Netherlands you get a reasonable wage and usually finish withing 4 years during which you learn to write papers, keep yourself busy

Maybe in the US, here in the Netherlands you get a reasonable wage and usually finish withing 4 years during which you learn to write papers, keep yourself busy and determine the direction of a research project by yourself (at least more and more over the 4 years). Afterwards you can make the step to industry, quite comfortably. During my first year I was already told, 1 of the 100 of you will become professor so I had no illusions.