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Hi peeps,

I'm so happy that I found this forum!! I'm also doing a PhD and currently I’m in my final year. For me, it wasn't always easy to work on my thesis and I had many moments that I really considered to quit with my PhD. Many times it felt like a torture and like I lived in a prison. The atmosphere at our department also played a role in this: men are dominating our department and they created the atmosphere that doing a PhD is a piece of cake....so if you're facing troubles or if you're uncertain about your skills or research then it's better not to tell this to others otherwise you'll get the feeling that you are a loser.....this is how I’m experiencing it....

I faced many struggles, but at the same time these struggles motivated me to continue. At the same time I've decided to leave academia after finishing my PhD. If I look at my colleagues with a post-doc position;;; that's not the work I want to do after finishing my PhD.....sometimes I got the impression that the scientific field (I’m from social sciences) is just like a factory and that you have to publish or you will perish.....some people really like this, but I don't.....and if I look at the post-docs: they also live, like a PhD student, in uncertainty....if you have today a post-doc project it doesn't ensure you that after finishing that project you will start with a new one....it depends on getting grants, applying research proposal etc.....and if you're lucky you can get a position as university lecturer....like I said before: some people really like this and see this not as a torture etc. but as a challenge....but I don't want to do this....

So....but still I want to finish my PhD because I want to show to some people that I can do a PhD.....maybe this is the wrong reason for finishing a PhD, but for me this is a legitimate reason.....and secondly, I want to finish it so that I won't regret later...I read some threads of other PhD students who wrote that doing a PhD is a waste of time....I disagree with that....well, maybe it will not always be a benefit at the labour market....but on the other hand, doing a PhD means also that you'll develop certain skills that can be very valuable at the labour market....for example: doing a PhD actually means that you're leading your own project (although your supervisor advises you etc.) and that you take the decisions etc.....and more important: doing a PhD is not a waste of time....because you can get known yourself much better after being through all those struggles....

I also want to say that people who are considering to start with a PhD should think twice :D