Have seen both sides of this. I quit grad school to work, and was much happier having done so, and then returned to teach years later and was much happier than before. A few things:

* There should be much more tolerance for going back and forth. I find many colleagues who have only been academics feel a frustration I don't have, rooted in an over-identification with what the guild thinks of them. When you've had some success in other contexts, it is easier to appreciate the guild and take its excesses with a grain of salt.

* This stuff isn't for everybody. I realized I love this job because, given the choice, I would rather hide and write a paper than build a company or a product or offer a service. Thank Goodness most people in the world aren't like that, we would be screwed. I am hugely grateful for my non-academic collaborators who are not like that. It should be perfectly respectable to get an advanced degree, if you want, and then peace out. (That said, lots of people who are natural scholars get treated as if they don't belong because of their identity, background, etc. So it is not enough to simply assume the people who are in these roles are those who should or could be.)

Leaving that first time was a moment of great joy for me. I celebrate with those who leave, just as I am grateful I found my way back.