It's quite ironic, I have a degree in (Theoretical) Physics but it's is waaaay easier to find work on pure programming/Web projects and not something with numbers involved. And the latter is basically what I've been drilled for in my studies.
As far as I know academia has no pay and no stable career prospects for a student like me because I'm not the top-of-the-top of my class, just slightly above the average, but at least there is a promise of a chance of doing something interesting that might wider humanity's perspectives and maybe even help us. With real technological progress.