Early on, yes. But one soon realizes there's not a lot of respect for education and there's actually a pretty strong social stigma attached to having a Ph.D.
Sorry to hear that. This stigma is absolutely not universal. In my world (both professional and private), a PhD is held in high reward. Or maybe that is just because I don't have one...

Any education and any efforts to improve your skills and knowledge is worthy of respect. Go for it, MoBob