From the PhDs I know, yes, it's true. Grad school can be brutal, but there are a few ways around that:
1. Most of the "soul destroying" aspect of graduate school is because you're at your PIs mercy when it comes to landing a post-doc or industry position. Without a good reference from your PI, you're truly screwed. If I were to do a PhD in retirement, I don't need any of that. Worse comes to worse, I can just leave.
2. I would also find a PI who was later on in years (professor emeritus)? They've been there, done that, have a steady flow of grant money and nothing to prove. I worked with a prof like this in school and he came into the lab purely out of enjoyment of science. Screw the grind.
1. Most of the "soul destroying" aspect of graduate school is because you're at your PIs mercy when it comes to landing a post-doc or industry position. Without a good reference from your PI, you're truly screwed. If I were to do a PhD in retirement, I don't need any of that. Worse comes to worse, I can just leave.
2. I would also find a PI who was later on in years (professor emeritus)? They've been there, done that, have a steady flow of grant money and nothing to prove. I worked with a prof like this in school and he came into the lab purely out of enjoyment of science. Screw the grind.