I have a PhD, and left grad school directly after graduating because I had no real interest in pursuing a career in either research or teaching. I also joined an industry that is only peripherally related to the field I studied, and don't use much of the knowledge I gained on a day-to-day basis. However, I don't regret doing the PhD, and would recommend a similar path to people in the same position as me.
Like the author, I learned a great deal during the years of my (European-style, not American-style) program. I learned how to explain complex ideas to experts and laymen alike. I learned how to present data to make a compelling argument, both in text and in graphics. I learned how to read complex technical writing and extract the author's point. I learned how to ask a series of questions that got to the core of a complex matter. There are all soft skills - but I have found that the complement the set of skills that I got from the subsequent years in industry very well.
I also had three years to meet and talk to some extremely smart people, which has helped me in several big ways and many small ways in the years since I graduated. Maybe the biggest reason I don't regret doing a PhD was that I got to spend two years gratifying my intellectual curiosity about a topic that I was really interested in. Few people get such an opportunity, and for those who enjoy that kind of thing it's an opportunity not to be missed.
Maybe those "2 yrs" were the last 2 years of his/her PhD program.
Anyway, maybe s/he entered with a Masters, which could be compulsory for the Euro-style programs, and not counted towards the average length, which may be 3-4 years.
Like the author, I learned a great deal during the years of my (European-style, not American-style) program. I learned how to explain complex ideas to experts and laymen alike. I learned how to present data to make a compelling argument, both in text and in graphics. I learned how to read complex technical writing and extract the author's point. I learned how to ask a series of questions that got to the core of a complex matter. There are all soft skills - but I have found that the complement the set of skills that I got from the subsequent years in industry very well.
I also had three years to meet and talk to some extremely smart people, which has helped me in several big ways and many small ways in the years since I graduated. Maybe the biggest reason I don't regret doing a PhD was that I got to spend two years gratifying my intellectual curiosity about a topic that I was really interested in. Few people get such an opportunity, and for those who enjoy that kind of thing it's an opportunity not to be missed.