>getting a job in academia is really hard In my side of the world its a little bit better, the CS department has plans to double headcount in the next few year

>getting a job in academia is really hard In my side of the world its a little bit better, the CS department has plans to double headcount in the next few years. They've got whole new faculty apartment buildings set up and everything, and the funding situation is quite generous (I'm told). Although I have also read in the USA the bar for even stipend paying masters/PhDs has gotten incredibly high. >Milking government funding for years There are special programs for startup oriented funds, so it's more like VC pitching to academics with equity free grants (although naturally there's the whole university research IP issue). But I'm quite willing to put up with it to do something meaningful (at a decent number of jobs you put up with it just to keep your job). I do keep an ear on startup-y things, I don't think I'll have it any easier than an undergrad but I think I won't be too disadvantaged. >Do it and get out I don't place too much emphasis on the PhD per se but the real value of it. >If you want to do something special academia is not the place Ten years ago tech would've been a good place. But now especially for a new graduate its a bloodbath, not to mention there's been huge layoffs. Academia seems like the better option nowadays.