I think that it is just strange to me to define yourself so extreme as a PhD student. I sometimes really get the feeling that this is like the most important thing to people in this forum in life :D That seems completely irrational to me, even though I'll also apply for PhD positions and would be happy to get one. In the end, it's an experience and two letters in front of my name. I don't think I would be willing to do almost everything imaginable and possibly sacrifice every career opportunity just for this. From the beginning of my bachelor degree on, it was relatively clear to me that I want to do a PhD after my masters, which has not changed and of course it would be hard to give up on that but in the end I have to make a living in the next decades. If there is no good opportunity, then it is like that. I know that I would be also unhappy if I still live a student lifestyle when I'm 45 without any chances for permanent jobs and so on. But people are different and I respect that :)

Dunham, because of the problems you mentioned with the PhD as a route into an academic career, it is probably more common than you realise for people to have their own reasons for wanting to do a PhD. In fact, it is one of the things they ask you about at PhD interviews - Why do you want to do this? - and I understand that people give a variety of answers.

By the way, I will be 45 in a month, and I don't live the student life you may imagine - I have a nice flat which I own, a partner with her own career and my life has not been one sacrifice after another - I just always wanted the personal challenge of doing a PhD and I am happy whether it leads on to a fantastic career change or not :)

I'll happily say it's one of the most important things in my life: my life would not have been complete if I didn't do a PhD. That's just the way it is for me. I would go as far to say that the pursuit of education saved my life and that's not an exaggeration.

Likewise with chickpea, I wouldn't consider that I live a student lifestyle, so I a PhD hasn't been a sacrifice for me. I've got a car and a mortgage and a pension and I'm still earning more than most of my friends so I think I've done pretty well.