[proc0]

From my sporadic research on this the tl;dr is you don't get a PhD unless you want to profess the cutting edge of that field by teaching, researching and perhaps doing general public education. It seems it is not as profitable as it is intrinsically rewarding. Then my own perspective is that at the moment academia is a minefield depending on which institution you join and what field of study. Some fields end up looking like industry job anyways, except you write and review papers day to day.