[zucan]

Is it that unappealing for US citizens to get a STEM PhD? Especially in the US the private sector ought to offer enough jobs at the PhD level and pay to make the PhD worthwile.

[grigjd3]

Depends on the particular stem field but in general, if the goal is a well paying job, STEM PhDs are one of the harder ways to get there.

[hycaria]

Hard ? Because of getting the PhD in the first place or refocusing your career afterwards ?

[grigjd3]

Well, again, it depends on the particular field, but both reasons can apply. My study of black holes was hard and didn't exactly make for a ton of usable skills other than knowing how to learn.