Yup. You gotta have a master's degree first. No good UX company will hire you without one. Get it in Human Factors or Psychology (I/O, Applied Cognition, or Social Psych to be specific [mine is in I/O]) . I got a PhD in the social sciences too, which helped with my new job, but you don't have to have one, necessarily. A master's is a requirement though (shyt, our intern is working for free and she already has a BA, and is working toward her MA).
If you already have a master's, I can rattle off some companies to apply to. My last job loves people fresh off a degree.
I have no desire to go back to school for a master's

But you deserve your success after putting in the work for a PhD so
