I have a couple of projects in mind that I hope will improve my portfolio. As for finishing the PhD, it's a long process, and I am still in the early stages. T

I have a couple of projects in mind that I hope will improve my portfolio. As for finishing the PhD, it's a long process, and I am still in the early stages. The way I see it, it's basically a calculated risk; i.e., will the PhD pay off in the long run? The thing is, I'm not sure what the answer to that question is. Academic positions are highly competitive, and even if you do get one, the road to tenure is a long and difficult one. Also, unless you are a top-1% PhD graduate, you are still going to be spending another 2-3 years as postdoc (~$50-60k salary).