I have an M.Sc. in computer science, and worked as a SW developer for 5 years before going back to do a Ph.D. I stayed with it for one year, but decided it wasn't for me. I really liked the idea of learning more, but realized working in industry was even better for me.

I found that a lot of Ph.D. projects are driven by what you can write papers on, not necessarily what somebody somewhere really needs. Also, you can learn without being at a university.

More here: https://henrikwarne.com/2016/03/07/ph-d-or-professional-prog...