This is exactly how I decided to go. If your goal is to maximize your lifetime income, academia is clearly not for you, but neither is the Peace Corps, the cle

This is exactly how I decided to go. If your goal is to maximize your lifetime income, academia is clearly not for you, but neither is the Peace Corps, the clergy, civil service, or anything like that. However, if you can afford to spend a few years trying to make the world a better, more interesting place then grad school isn’t a terrible option; you can always do something else afterward.