I agree with arithma. If you're only considering a PhD so you increase your chances of getting a job, then don't. It won't make you more "employable", for the reasons he already mentions. Just like any important choice, you should really understand what a PhD is about.
I'm not the most qualified person to talk about PhD programs, especially in Lebanon. Others may be more qualified to do so (and I encourage them to give input here). It would be best to ask some current grad students.
What's a PhD?
I love this image by Matt Might (and you should definitely check
his explanation of the picture). If you don't feel like reading it (you should!), here's how to understand this image: The circle is the entire human knowledge. Blue is what you learn in elementary school, green is high school, light pink is a Bachelor in Science, dark pink is a Masters in Science, the red is going to the edge of human knowledge by reading papers. A PhD is
adding the tiniest dent to the circle of human knowledge.
Effectively, it consists of reading papers, writing some and exchanging with the leading experts on certain topics. This is different than a programmer or an engineer whose job consists of applying what we already know in the corporate world.
A PhD is rarely about a single field. Cross-disciplinary topics are becoming the norm. One of my favorite authors, Gerald J. Sussman, has a wonderful paper on applying what we know about cell biology to increase the robustness of software (
link to pdf). Grammarians and linguists are now working on making the best programming languages and music scholars are trying to teach a computer how to compose music.
Everything so far, school, bachelor, masters, basically all your life, has been about teaching you something humanity already knows. A PhD is different by definition. You are not "taught" something. You are researching about something no one knew before.
A PhD is useless if you want to work as a programmer.
What are the jobs to consider after a PhD?
You're likely not going to work as a programmer. Your skills are elsewhere. You know how to read scientific literature and look up info quickly. There are other fields where you can grow:
- Academia: Work at a university. Get involved in both research and education. Do regular publications. I don't know about Lebanese universities, so I cannot describe exactly what happens there, again, if you know more than me, please give us some feedback.
- Private R&D sectors: PhD's are increasing in demand in companies with R&D divisions. Again, I don't know much about Lebanon.
- Authoring: doctorates are trained authors. The sheer amount of papers you have to write to get a PhD is worth several books. It's very common for PhD graduates to publish books, give talks, make presentations, ...
- Innovative startups: This is probably what @Fischer's article mentioned. When you work at the edge of human knowledge, you are able to think about thousands of ways to monetize it. When the environment is welcoming (like what's happening at Silicon Valley), PhDs are the first to found their own companies.
- Whatever way one can find to make money.
The point I'm trying to make is not that PhD students and grads are bad programmers, but that a PhD is useless (it may even be a bad choice) if you want to be a programmer.