Just apply to Google; you've got nothing to lose and they love PhD or masters candidates. They will want to see some coding abilities (Java will be fine) even if you're applying for a non-coding (e.g. project management) role. Typical coding questions you might have to answer (might be in general terms or you might have to code it) would be: complexity lookup times (big O) for various data structures (hash table, tree, etc); how such structures would be implemented; graph theory; range intersection (somebody I know had to code a range intersection algorithm at the interview).

It ENDS at 85 (i.e. it is the most recent posting).

Tom

i was carring one in eth but dropped it in the middle. i figured it out that R&D is not my interest at the end, so i switched to MBA instead of wasting time for a Dr. title

Top posting then (shudder). That pretty much seals the deal...

Interestingly enough, I did almost the exact opposite.

I started off on the PhD course and due to family commitments chose to quit at the research Masters level, I could have gone back but in the end chose not to. Almost all my close friends did complete PhD and subsequent PostDocs.

My advise from experience would be:

It depends on the field if you are going to do it in Science or Engineering you are likely to get paid while studying and there is more of an expectation that employees have graduate degrees. For research Biologists this is certainly true.

It is important especially in the US where you complete the PhD as if you have a doctorate from a top University it will likely mean much more $$$.

Another question to ask is where do you intend to work if you really do want to remain in academic research then a PhD is a really good idea, it can also be very useful for biotech or pharma related sales positions. When I worked in drug discovery research I definitely experienced a PhD glass ceiling. However since I moved to an industry based position I am experiencing the opposite.

The bottom line if you have the time and resources and you enjoy studying go for it, we should never stop learning, but do not do it just to be able to add Dr to your business card or you will regret it.

Continue searching if it is worth:

The disposable academic (from the economist!)

Ok I can list a number of blogs here by people and their stories who have left academia.

From my experience their arguments hold some truth. I have not presented them to my professors so I do not know their reaction. However they have and their reaction is not for the faint of heart!