Answering the "why do you want to do a PhD?" question
Let's consider why &quot;you are telling [professors that] they shouldn't admit you!&quot;:


I felt I'm in a dead-end job...


That doesn't show motivation for doing a PhD.


I wanted to swap careers...


You don't need a PhD to swap careers.


I choose this field because...

...it provides transferable skills to the careers I want to move to...

This requires more detail to be relevant.

...because I'm sufficiently interested in it to want to keep up to date with its most recent developments...

You can do that without a PhD

...(even though I probably won't stay in it as a researcher, per the
fact that the odds of finding an academic job are very low).

This doesn't show motivation for doing a PhD.


I did well in my Masters (which was in the same field)...


Many &quot;do well&quot; in their Masters, PhD students do better.

...including the research component, so I believe I can also do well in a PhD.

This requires more detail to be relevant.


I can afford it.


This doesn't distinguish you.