out of curiosity, what are some of the wrong reasons people go for a PhD? Conversely, what are some of the right reasons to?
I can answer only for myself and my personal evaluation of needs. I see the fear of entering the job market, waiting for the perfect opportunity or "dream job", a fixation over the "dr" prestige (although I do understand it) and the failure/miscalculation to realize what it takes to follow the tenure track route as wrong reasons. As for the right reasons leading one (me) to do a PhD, I'd say the unconditional, uncompromising love and intellectual curiosity for your subject and for professorship (not being able to bear your life without having done it), and if not wanting to make a traditional academic career out of it, having gone through a thorough assessment of how/why it may hold you back in the immediate/intermediate future in terms of earnings and geographic flexibility. For those not interested in academia as a a career, it might be necessary to climb the ladder in your field/ get a promotion, so that's also a possibility.
In short, it's a multi-faceted decision and unfortunately I've seen quite a few of my friends back from my 1st humanities bachelors simply walking into a PhD because academia is the only world they know, or because they have been conditioned by professors who look for underpaid labor force that will undertake their own research interests, or because they have been discouraged and misinformed about other options, and their degree is devalued. More than half of them have abandoned it, or just want to be done with it asap and find a non-ac/ alt-ac job. Those who made the decision fully aware of the opportunities and limitations are a minority.
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