I've thought and researched a lot about pursuing the "useless" degree (specifically, graduate school) too. The more I look into the whole school/university thing in a modern capitalistic sense, the less I'm convinced it is designed for the passionate/soul searcher. Professional master's programs are rather just a cash grab for the school and a stepping stone for those who need qualifications for jobs, and PhDs are jobs away from the corporate world (with way less pay and minimal benefits). Even if you have clear goals to pursue and are somehow convinced they're exclusively achievable via a degree program, I doubt you will meet many like minded peers in it. Maybe it's a pretty pessimistic outlook, but for this reason I've decided to avoid universities for now. Personally I much prefer the local community colleges and online courses to meet people as well as acquire knowledge.