I spent 3 years in a PhD program, like many of the posters it was one of the most fun experience of my life. I ended up dropping out to do Ycombinator, but it

I spent 3 years in a PhD program, like many of the posters it was one of the most fun experience of my life. I ended up dropping out to do Ycombinator, but it was an incredibly hard decision. Like many things in life not all PhDs are created equal. In my program I was able to take classes across the University that helped broaden my narrow business / computer science undergraduate experience. I was paid somewhere between 20-30K/year, but was able to take graduate business, econ, architecture, anthropology, and computer science classes. I was able to publish papers and travel internationally. My peers were way smarter than me, and went on to find industry and academic jobs, a few dropped out like me and ended up building very successful careers. In general my advice would be, find a program that suits your interest. The benefits of 3 years of largely self-directed learning is not for everyone, but can be an incredible way to grow. Also, your advisor will make or break your experience, I worked for an amazing guy, and still stay in touch, even after dropping out.