Why I quit grad school within a thesis of an MA and never looked back

I keep seeing things like this.

Blogger's intent, ca. 1994, was to write my master's thesis in American History and move on to a PhD program, then find a cushy job teaching military and diplomatic history at some little liberal-arts college somewhere (hopefully) in the Midwest.

Blogger's intent was hit crosswise by a timely, income-doubling job offer from an Internet entrepreneur whose only interest in my college career was that I had a bachelors in something (indicating that I would finish things that I started). Sixteen-plus years later I've more than doubled my income again in the intervening period, and best of all, I have a job.

Which is probably more than I would have had and done in the last sixteen years had I followed blogger's original intent. For one thing, to all intents and purposes, nobody teaches military and diplomatic history anymore. I lucked out in school and had professors who did.

For another thing, I probably would never have gotten a job to start with. I would have been in my mid to late thirties and even if I had been hired, I probably wouldn't ever have made tenure track; schools were looking for young heads full of mush with freshly-minted PhDs on politically-correct subjects, which didn't include military history and certainly didn't include American diplomatic history ("what's diplomatic about it?"). Plus my opinions would have been unpopular amongst the rest of the staff and probably no few of the students, to boot.

Nah. Though I've thought about going back and finishing the MA, just because I'm the kind of guy who dislikes loose ends, there would be little point now that I'm past the half-century mark and unlikely even to be hired to teach at a university. And even if I did get the MA, I don't have the temperment to sit through a bunch of seminars and colloquia with young heads full of mush just so I can emerge after writing and defending a 160+ page dissertation with the right to put "Dr." in front of my name.

I mean, shoot, I'm already Worshipful. And Illustrious is probably down the road a few more years. It seems like about all "Dr." would get me these days would be a meal at the local soup kitchen, and maybe an unemployment check.