First, here is why academia decades ago was a nicer place to be and tenure was much easier to get -- meaning when parents tell you how great is was for them, times have changed: https://www.its.caltech.edu/~dg/crunch_art.html
Second, academia is part of a larger process that stamps out most creativity and independence in order to produce professionals who toe the line ideologically: http://disciplinedminds.tripod.com/
Of course, that process starts much earlier than PhD programs: https://archive.org/details/TheUndergroundHistoryOfAmericanE...
Good luck with your new directions. Wish I had know this decades ago myself.
BTW, on they joys of being a professional carpet cleaner: https://web.archive.org/web/20030807105050/http://www.unconv... "More than a few people agree the best career would be one which provides challenge, intellectual stimulation, and rewards for quality work. Many however, would be surprised to discover they can have all of those benefits and more in some of the unlikeliest of careers. Case in point: I'm a professional carpet cleaner. Some people think this is a second-rate career. I don't agree with them. Carpet cleaning gives me challenges, intellectual stimulation, and many other rewards. To prove this, permit me to walk you through one of my work days."