I've got a question for you. I've never worked in corporate America, and I've been thinking about grad school. One of my concerns is that if I get a PhD, and can't get a job teaching at a University, that I'll have to find a job out in corporate America. That in itself doesn't scare me, but I'm worried that if I try to get a job in corporate America, fresh out of Grad School with a PhD, that I won't be hired because I'll be "over qualified" for jobs (aka--they don't want to pay me more than some kid with his Bachelors).

Does having a PhD, entering Corporate America, make you un-hireable? Am I right in thinking that having that degree will intimidate people in charge of hiring employees?

I was thinking the "safe" thing to do would be to take my Masters and run, considering the VERY low probability of getting a job teaching at the University level--and the time it takes to get the PhD (6 years). I figure, with an M.A., I can get hired -and- paid more than someone with a BA, but that if I had a PhD, I couldn't get hired at all.

Any ideas??