I am so confused about what I'm doing in the near future. I want to get out of this hellhole but there's a slight chance I could finish my PhD with someone, who's actually not a bad dude.(My current supervisor is... not helpful) But I will have to stay here and work very hard and not get paid, but PhD is over in less than a year. I'm fucked with system implementation tho, since I'll be changing directions and have to start fresh.
I could also get a job and move away, and be paid a decent wage. But then there's no telling when I'm gonna finish the PhD.

Which would you choose if you were me? Which one should I pursue?

Really go for the PhD. Really. The fact that I'm officially a system administrator and not a programmer when it comes to papers stinged a lot of time in my life. Especially when doing very well it stings. There even was a moment when someone blabbed out that I was just a system administrator after winning a general discussion. I saw people lose respect straight while looking in theur eyes when I told what I've studied. I just partied a lot when I was younger and had different priorities but was programming since small kiddo. So. That's it. Get your fucking PhD so no one can say your statements are questionable for not having right papers. Also, work life is way longer than study, it's better to put some extra energy in study if it helps your long work life. Also, financially, high educated people grow in general with bigger steps than lower educated. I'm sure that you're elite, it would be a shame not having the right paper that should be yours. Just do it.

@retoor > 'I saw people lose respect straight while looking in theur eyes when I told what I've studied.'.

That's fucked up.

Skills are way more important than some paper in my book.

Hell, there are way too many idiots who graduated universities nowadays, so yeah... I'd definitely !trust the paper alone.

N: 'I know Kung Fu'.

M: 'Show Me'.

kind of thing.

@D-4got10-01 oh yes, totally. How is it possible of some people to graduate, really. Some people are just good at school, we'll see how they do at dem workforce.

@retoor My guesses would be either they're cheating, or the lowered bar.

Yes, they could be genuinely good at it, too, but we were talking about the bad ones, so this just doesn't apply.