I have a PhD, and left grad school directly after graduating because I had no real interest in pursuing a career in either research or teaching. I also joined a

I have a PhD, and left grad school directly after graduating because I had no real interest in pursuing a career in either research or teaching. I also joined an industry that is only peripherally related to the field I studied, and don't use much of the knowledge I gained on a day-to-day basis. However, I don't regret doing the PhD, and would recommend a similar path to people in the same position as me. Like the author, I learned a great deal during the years of my (European-style, not American-style) program. I learned how to explain complex ideas to experts and laymen alike. I learned how to present data to make a compelling argument, both in text and in graphics. I learned how to read complex technical writing and extract the author's point. I learned how to ask a series of questions that got to the core of a complex matter. There are all soft skills - but I have found that the complement the set of skills that I got from the subsequent years in industry very well. I also had three years to meet and talk to some extremely smart people, which has helped me in several big ways and many small ways in the years since I graduated. Maybe the biggest reason I don't regret doing a PhD was that I got to spend two years gratifying my intellectual curiosity about a topic that I was really interested in. Few people get such an opportunity, and for those who enjoy that kind of thing it's an opportunity not to be missed.