I'm a Computer Science PhD student who is about one-and-a-half years into his degree. My ultimate goal has always been to graduate and get a job in industry (not teaching). Through my graduate experience I've come to realize that academic-research does not appeal to me, so I've begun to consider just getting a Master's degree and calling it good.

So now the question becomes, does it make sense for me to stick around and finish the PhD if my primary motivation is simply a hope of a higher salary and better job security down the road? If I'm not excited about research, will the financial benefits of the PhD be worth the few extra years of sucking it up while I finish school? Should I do it just for the money?

I've heard people argue both ways as to whether money alone is a sufficient motivation to complete a PhD. However, I've never found any real statistics or data to support an argument in either direction as to whether the financial benefits alone are worth the few extra years of study. Is anyone aware of where I could find this sort of information? What are your opinions on this matter?