>Unlike a surgeon, who must spend their career actually doing surgery or face financial ruin. I literally know somebody who went through surgery residency and

>Unlike a surgeon, who must spend their career actually doing surgery or face financial ruin. I literally know somebody who went through surgery residency and decided to walk away from the field. They are not in financial ruin. Medical school is also a "one time expense", so I'm not convinced of the distinction. The opportunity cost of a PhD, especially in a field of engineering or CS is probably on similar par. The difference between a TA salary and someone in industry, over the course of 6-7 years to complete a PhD, can easily approach or exceed $500k. While the debt load between the two may be different, the actual opportunity cost is similar. >The degree can easily become an anchor which holds someone to problems that they no longer care about, or provides false belief in one’s credentials. Completely agree.