[wjnc]

True. My point was a bit more subtle: those of my (former) co-workers with PhD's in physics or maths were extra extra smart and really great programmers... But they didn't start their PhD wanting to go into finance! You start because you want and love to do real research. As a bonus there are skills that can (also) make you big money. But there are quicker ways to the Goldman Buffet.

[sc0rb]

Just like I didn't start my Computer Science degree thinking I would end up working with large ecommerce platforms that power some of the worlds most recognisable brands websites.

But here I am.

Most PhD people I've met (selection bias) don't do work that's too closely related to their degree (just like I don't, Enterprise Java dev != comp sci). They do all make a lot of money though.