I have a PhD because I thought I wanted to go into research. And while I loved research, that didn't come close to cancelling out how much I loathed all the non-research shit you need to do for funding and keeping a job.

Then I went from academia into corporate R&D, and realized I basically started to hate doing chemistry in general. Mostly because it reminded me of all the stuff I hated.

Im now super happy as a safety consultant, and my PhD sometimes helps in convincing people that I do in fact know more than them. It also covers an ugly spot in the wallpaper, a purpose it fulfills much more frequently.

I got my current teaching position by essentially volunteer-professoring while doing some grad work. Super exploitative on paper, though that wasn't the intention of anyone involved (tiny college hated by the conservatives so they kinda had to wing it every time legislative fuckery happened). But it's rough, I don't make enough to pay my (incredibly cheap) mortgage so I'm in the awkward position of having been financially unemployed for a year while still working full time. Not to sound too whiny but man, the culture of "Guess I'll starve because I just love my students so much" is absurdly toxic. And that's coming from someone firmly part of that culture.