>It is hardly surprising few people take that option when instead they could be living comfortably (even 80K/year is well above median US income) at a job they'

>It is hardly surprising few people take that option when instead they could be living comfortably (even 80K/year is well above median US income) at a job they're not passionate about. But we're talking about a "disappearing" American grad-student. What has actually changed about lucrative professions being more lucrative than a grad-student stipend? This whole thread comes across as people just wanting to brag that they went into industry rather than think about the question.