It's not just the $$ ... (Score 1)

I bailed out of a "mo - bi" PhD as an ABD and it wasn't about the money. Working long hours with dangerous chemicals in ventilation/filtration hoods and lab coats is not easier than installing toilets and repairing leaking pipes. Maybe it was just a quality of life decision. I became a web developer during the golden years and I've never looked back. I just hope 20 years from now that nitrosoquanidine doesn't come back to haunt me (ie cancer). I don't see how anyone could stay in that career for long except for egomaniacs with indentured servants (graduate students) do the heavy lifting.