Assuming you don't have debt from your undergraduate degree,

>>1858255
no

http://www.economist.com/node/17723223/

>>1858259
They suggest that it is only worth it for a few fields. Some statistics from the college board suggest the average graduate student has lifetime earnings almost a million dollars more than someone with a bachelor degree. But this might be skewed by extremely successful, doctors, lawyers, and MBAs.

I don't know what to believe because it is hard to find lifetime earnings statistics for individual fields broken down by the type of degree. That seems like the only way to know if it's worth it.

>>1858355
>Some statistics from the college board suggest the average graduate student has lifetime earnings almost a million dollars more than someone with a bachelor degree.

You don't compare the same population if you do this.Someone just barely getting a bachelor's degree isn't of the same capacity as someone finishing, not just getting into, a PhD program. This is actually a pretty big problem in econometrics. You face a similar dilemma if you want to know if college makes a difference in lifetime earnings.

>>1858255
I always thought of a PhD as something for people who were intensely interested in the academic and theoretical side of a field. More of a labor of love than a bid for a better paying job

>>1858490
Yes, this. Don't get a PhD for money. I do know that some fields it actually gives you worse job prospects since you're more expensive.

>>1858845
>>1858490
I know to some degree it depends on the field. My dad told me his biology PhD was the only way to get his foot in the door (though it was likely a labor of love as well). It definitely paid off for him.