[elonmollusc]

I'm a CS professor and chair at a primarily undergraduate college. I've advised several students over the years who have gone on to be admitted to PhD programs at top-20 schools.

Here's what I would tell one of my students: If you're wondering whether you should do a PhD, the answer is no. At least not right away. Slouching into grad school without a strong commitment and a plan is a bad idea.

The most challenging parts of grad school aren't the academics. It's the long process, low pay, getting older, and uncertain outcomes that wear people down. If you aren't sure (yet) that you really want to do a graduate degree, you should try something else for a few years, then think about returning to grad school if you still have a desire to do research.

I worked for a few years between finishing my first degree and entering a PhD program. Those years were helpful in shedding the "undergraduate student" mentality and thinking of myself as a professional. Industry can also expose you to new problems and research areas that you never encountered in your undergrad program.

In terms of careers, you don't need a PhD for industry, outside of a small percentage of research positions. Academia is a different game and a PhD is required, but there are many different types of institutions that are looking for different things from their faculty. Teaching and advising students is the largest part of my job. We have publishing requirements for tenure, but the research culture isn't as grinding as it would be at a top-tier R1 department.