In the age of free and quick information via search, the value of PhDs with extreme amounts of knowledge in niche academic fields has been nullified. If 99.999%

In the age of free and quick information via search, the value of PhDs with extreme amounts of knowledge in niche academic fields has been nullified. If 99.999% of people will never need your dissertation, and your domain-specific knowledge facts are gained for free via 2 minutes of google-fu, why on Earth would you spend 7 years of your most productive years of life getting a PhD? PhD's may make sense in STEM fields, where you can parlay them into lucrative coding/analysis/strategic thinking jobs. But the vast majority of PhDs are text-based, humanities-adjacent...they are people "following their passion" and it's a colossal mistake. I'd 100 times over rather be a pianist or painter than an expert in medieval lore or obscure literature, at least my family and friends can appreciate a great painting or a wonderful piano piece. That's the kind of passion we should be following, not chasing obscure tomes in an ivory tower.