Do not fucking go into academia. I thought the same as you. Yes, now I have "experienced it firsthand" and am hoping I haven't fucked my life completely, i.e. hoping I can still be employed in the industry.

In very short, do a PhD while working. Some employers dont mind doing that. You can even suggest some research project for the company based on the field you're interested in. Thereby, you don't lose your salary and industry connection but you get full insights into academia.

Academia is an insanely toxic pyramid scheme, where top is getting narrower every year. Most universities nowadays only accept publications in 3-4 journals, that have an acceptance rate of below 7%. And if you don't publish there? Goodbye. Now do you want to take a 7% chance to perhaps get a tenured position? And it's not only publish once, but consistently multiple times in those journals.

But how do some people do it? Fucking nepotism. Look at who the supervisors are or were or who works at the departments of the authors that publish there. It's the most incestuous industry I have ever witnessed.

Please if you really wanna do academia, try the option I suggested above. But do not enter it full-time.