Sounds like you chose wisely. I want to begin my PhD in Jan. if I can get my business off the ground within the next few months but that will dictate everything. what is your PhD in and how long did you take to earn it?
My Ph.D. is in communication studies. It took me 15 months to do my M.A. and 3 and 1/2 years of classwork and three years working on the dissertation to finish the Ph.D. (The dissertation took so long because I was working full-time while I was writing).
It was worth it even though I'm no longer teaching full-time. Given the consulting I do, I get to teach every day--it's just not in a classroom. I also get to use what I've learned about human communication to try to do some good rather than simply writing in academic journals (that has a place, but it just wasn't for me).
What do you want to get your degree in?