So I'll be graduating next year (hopefully) and lately I started thinking about getting a PhD in computer science (to be more precise I was thinking about something related to "distributed systems", don't have any specific topics yet in mind), but is it really worth it? A PhD course here lasts 4 years and is free IF you're doing the "normal one" (which means you have class from monday to friday) OR you have to pay if you want to study on the weekends. So I've been thinking about getting a normal full time job (as a JEE programmer) and doing my PhD during the weekends OR doing the normal PhD course (mon-fri) and getting a part time job as a software dev (the main reason I want a job is simple - I need to eat). That would give me practical working experience and theoretical knowledge+a PhD, but it would also mean working 7days a week from 9 to 5 for 4 years straight (sounds like an overkill).

Is it, job wise, really worth getting a PhD? As an employer do you prefer people with PhDs or MScs?

This might be kinda important - I'm not from the US or western europe, how are PhDs from other countries (I am graduating one of the best, if not the best, school in my country but it's still a central european country...) seen? Are they useless? I won't hide it - after graduation I am thinking about moving abroad.