Eh... I would debate quite a lot of what he said. This is a very field-oriented problem. For instance, in Psychology, the majority of graduate degrees go into counseling. Of the more research oriented people left, there is a vast array of fields available; Neuropsych, Cognitive Psych, Industrial Organizational, and so on. These are fields with public and private sector demand... If you're good, and you publish it is quite possible to land in a tenure track position is 2-3 years. The biological sciences, which my ex went into, are likewise diverse with high (unless you study ichthyology) demand. Finally, know that all academia, like startups, is a dice game. Brilliant is less than half the battle. Being right often counts for nothing. Hardworking, with force of will and personality, and in the right place at the right time (which is not always luck) play an awfully big part of every success. Even when you get in, you can easily end up the flunky of someone with similar credentials, but more success. But hey, that's life, right?
I remember when our math teacher stood in front of us in High School and told us math was important because of all the ways we'd use it...
She lied. I think I used the Pythagorean Theorem once, for a cool bookshelf, five years ago.
Now, I'm learning it all over again. One thing I've found is that if I can teach something, I understand it better. In that spirit, I'm volunteering with the local Alternative School, tutoring math. It works out great. I keep myself about two chapters ahead, the kids are bright and unafraid, and I find myself motivated ever time I plow into my own book.The best thing is, I spend less time tutoring the kids than the rest of my morbidly unmotivated 'catch up' math class spends practicing problem sets. I'm saving time, having fun, and understanding.