Should I just study finite group theory and do that for the rest of my life? This semester I took an insanely tough group theory class that is taught by one of the most famous mathmaticians in the field. He literally wrote the book on this topic. I aced the class and impressed the professor so much he said he could write me a letter of recommendation to get into any PhD program I wanted. I also have a 4.0 gpa and tons of research experience already with urops. The problem is, I've already secured a job as a software engineer with my dream company and don't know if it would be worth it to go for a prestigious PhD and try academia. Any thoughts? Anyone else in a similar situation or had been?