Am I insane for thinking a PhD might be a good idea?
I’ve been blessed with two graduate opportunities and was hoping to get some advice. I have just finished my masters in robotics engineering and have been offered a job working in automation for a precision manufacturing firm. The pay is decent and it is a good job but I am having doubts about the technical depth and career progression that would come with the job. After talking to their current graduates it really seems like the job involves a lot of database management and PLC programming/commissioning which is not something I have experience with and not something I particularly think I want to pursue. I am someone who has loved doing research and having technical ownership of systems throughout my education and so have also pursued and been offered a PhD. The PhD is not at a top university however is with a respected and well funded group and is partnered with two national labs and is focused on automated inspection in advanced manufacturing encompassing computer vision, additive manufacturing, advanced metrology, control and industrial robotics. Overall the opportunity seems much more appealing to me from a technical perspective however I am worried about the employability and progression after doing a PhD as someone who would still want to go into industry especially with how the job market is currently. Basically I was just wondering where a PhD like this could lead career wise and if I would be crazy to throw away a pretty good and solid job opportunity to pursue it.