Its a mind blowing thing to me that people study for that long, not really even starting their career until their 30's, to get a Ph.D - That said, if you are that close, and having this serious of thoughts about what is the right decision, and it will only take this extra 8 months to set you on the right path, then just do it. btw what country are you in?
Not in Germany. I started studying at 18, so as early as possible. Finished after 5 years with my Masters degree. A PhD would've taken a minimum (!) of 3 more years, so I would've been 26 or older. If you don't have a perfect start, take more than regular study time or take longer than those 3 years, it's easy (and not considered being bad) to be 30 when you're done.
23, 24, 25, 26, yeah somewhere around there. That's a lot different to 30s. I had a colleague in Austria who got a very good PhD, with top-tier publications, all done in two years and out into industry.
