Another article found via Scientific American on the whys of going to graduate school. “Don’t necessarily go to increase job prospects” seems to be the main takeaway.
The article is about five years old (April 2012) but is one that is still highly relevant.
…the whole discussion suggests to me that the very best reason to pursue a Ph.D. in chemistry is because you want to learn what it is like to build new knowledge in chemistry, in an academic setting. Since being plugged into a particular kind of career (or even job) on the other end is a crap-shoot, if you don’t want to learn about this knowledge-building process — and want it enough to put up with long hours, crummy pay, unrewarding piles of grading, and the like — then possibly a Ph.D. program is not the best way to spend 5+ years of your life.