This is an interesting article and I think a good overall point to make, however the generalizations don't all hold up. Based on personal observation as a long

This is an interesting article and I think a good overall point to make, however the generalizations don't all hold up. Based on personal observation as a long-time CS grad student, I take issue with #1 and #2. Grad school only delays adulthood if you let it, and I know plenty of people who matured well during grad school as well as plenty who did not while working "real" jobs. You can also argue about whether delaying adulthood is actually "pointless" :) There are many reasons to get a PhD in CS if you are not going to teach - industry research is active in many sub-fields, and those jobs often require a PhD - and if not, it certainly helps. Finally, in my admittedly small sample, of people I know who graduated with a CS PhD, at least three received six-figure job offers from industry. I'm not sure what adjusting for IQ, education, and working hours looks like, but people don't make decisions adjusted for IQ - they are looking for absolute dollars, and a PhD can deliver. Again, this is based on CS experience - I have heard less encouraging things for (e.g.) biology.