Is a PhD in Science worth it?

[Isis]

But, in doing that, they are giving up high paying jobs with great benefits all the while losing out on home equity, compound interest on their retirement, seniority and experience in their careers, etc.  And, then, to top it off, once they have their PhD, they are likely to have accumulated some more debt, but after commencement, many of them are without jobs!  And, worse off, industry, for many jobs, views them as being "over-educated and under-qualified".

I think some of what you are saying is true. It is a tough few years by sounds of it and you will likely accumulate some debt (that goes for every student, really) but I think you are exaggerating how hard it is to find a job with those qualifications.

Having a PhD still opens a lot of doors, so to speak. There are hundreds, maybe even thousands of companies around the world that would hire someone with a PhD.