PhD in economics here from a top 15 uni, completed a couple of years ago. No regrets, even though I realized, after a few years, that I would probably not enjoy

PhD in economics here from a top 15 uni, completed a couple of years ago. No regrets, even though I realized, after a few years, that I would probably not enjoy a career as an economist (in academia or policy). I successfully 'converted' into data science. Most of my cohort found jobs they love. Some, though, had to settle for post-docs (sometimes for terrible pay) and are still in academic limbo. There is always the question of the opportunity cost, of the road not taken. What would I have done of those 5/6 years? Perhaps I would have learned more, perhaps not. Many PhD students who end up outside of academia may have made better use of those years. I think the bottomline is, for every PhD, that you should only start it if you are passionate about the field and would like to work as a researcher (in academia or, say, IMF / World Bank). That may no longer be the case at the end of the PhD, but it probably should be at the start.