I was recently accepted to an English PhD program. I went to the graduate student welcome weekend and really enjoyed my time with the grad students and faculty. But things have changed a lot in my personal life since I initially applied to the programs. I'll spare the details, but I have been less and less interested in working as a professor or maintaining a career in academia. The prospect of looking for jobs in field I'm interested in and a city I want to live in is increasingly alluring to me. I have an interest in journalism, nonprofit organizations (my work experience for the past year), and publishing.
I have an offer for a free MA & PhD. I also love writing, attending classes, and participating in discussion. When I try to explain to my family and friends that I'm considering turning the offer down, it seems impractical. I guess my question is: if I don't have an interest in being a professor, what are the merits of continuing my English education? Does simply having an MA/PhD make me considerably more competitive for jobs outside of academia? Or would simply working in my desired field for that span of time offer me more opportunity?
I know there are a lot of specific factors that make it hard to give a decisive answer. But I'm looking for some input regardless.
