Of course, many people with Ph.D.'s find themselves in jobs that are not related to their graduate programs. Doctoral education in the United States should give students skills that can be used in a variety of settings. Pursuing the Ph.D. has always been a risky business. Students may not be accepted by the graduate program of their choice, may not get financial support, may not complete their programs, and may not get the jobs they want. Sometimes everything works out, sometimes it doesn't.
Most students are active in research and scholarship while they are in graduate school.
For some, this may be their only opportunity to do such work. For others, graduate school will be a prelude to a career in research and perhaps teaching. In any case, they will have spent part of their lives doing what interests them most. And they will have helped produce the information and knowledge upon which this country will build its economic, intellectual, and scientific future. Students have to decide for themselves if they believe that doctoral education is a good investment of their funds and their time.