Oh man, this really hit me hard. I'm halfway through an MA in mathematics and thinking about going on to a Ph.D. I've done very well at my current institution

Oh man, this really hit me hard. I'm halfway through an MA in mathematics and thinking about going on to a Ph.D. I've done very well at my current institution and think I'll have a decent chance of getting into a good program. But I'm not totally convinced I'll make it in the long run. I've seen some friends of mine go through the academic job search this year, and it's absolute hell. I don't imagine it'll improve when I hit the market. If I go the academic track, I might not get a job. Or worse, I get caught in postdoc limbo or am denied tenure. Then I'll essentially be where I am now, minus 5-15 years of my life (I'm studying pure mathematics. I'm not likely to pick up any directly-marketable skills in further graduate studies). Meanwhile, essentially my entire social infrastructure is moving to the Bay Area. The appeal of going up there, getting a job (establishing financial security next year instead of next decade), and being around people who I know I want to have in my life, is becoming hard to ignore. I'm frighted by my eventual prospects in the academic job market, but I already knew that was scary. But down the other path might be something at least as bad. Fuck.