I am about a year or so away from graduating and I do not want to continue my current line of research. I want to transition to another field, but I do not believe I am competitive at all for postdoc positions in this other field. I've inquired with a select few researchers in this other field who have caught my eye and they have basically told me outright that it's going to be very hard for me to get a postdoc position in their lab (though they hesitated to say in general that it would be hard, which is fair enough).

I will say that this other field is not just a whim, I've been actively keeping up with this field for a good 2 or 3 years in terms of current developments, broad ideas. So I'm in a weird position: I know enough about the field where it's beyond just a whim, but I also have no proven research track record here and I do not believe I will have the time to establish one.

I'm wondering what the hell I should do? I do not view my current thesis as all that valuable to me in terms of my career, my own personal interests, etc.

I know some programs strictly prohibit getting a 2nd PhD unless they are very different fields, and I will openly admit, the fields aren't different enough where I can get away with this. I don't want to disclose too much information, but I would say its tantamount to the difference between getting an experimental physics PhD vs. doing a purely theoretical physics PhD. They sound very similar, but you are learning drastically different things in terms of what it's like day to day.

I see myself as having four options:
1) Dropout and transfer
2) Graduate and try to get a postdoc in this other field
3) Graduate and try to get another PhD
4) Move on with my life

Any advice? Feedback? Thanks you in advance.

While we are here to give you advice, we are certainly not here to tell you what to do. But, since you are asking for thoughts I would say that since you are already towards the end of your PhD you might as well complete it. If you transfer, then you have to start from scratch; similarly to doing a second PhD. Both these options are extremely time-consuming. I know loads of students whose post-doc is not (exactly) relevant to their PhD - and if the other field is what you really like, how about you applied for jobs on your preferred field? Just a though.

Mara Sp.

If you'd just started your PhD, I'd have said withdraw once you've secured a position on a more relevant PhD, at least avoiding an interim period of unemployment or inactivity. However, you are near the end and as Marasp comments you may as well finish.

It's not unheard of to obtain a post-doc in a not too dissimilar subject - I obtained a post-doc in biological wear science with my PhD and a first post-doc in high temperature engineering wear science. You can try to apply for jobs and see what happens.

I will caution, however, that people doing PhDs directly related to a post-doc subject will have an advantage. Such people may even obtain the post-doc having worked in the same lab, possibly writing up their PhD whilst starting their post-doc (a common approach for continuing funding into the dreaded year four).

One possible approach rather than start a second PhD is finance permitting to do a masters in your preferred subject. This will only take one year and give you your necessary grounding. Your Masters dissertation could even form the pasis of a paper, giving you a proven, published document to place on your CV.

Alternatively, you might look at a position outside academia for a few years and use your experince to move back into academia when you have sufficient relevant experience. However, I don't know if industry might offer a specifically relevant position.

A second PhD? You may find people will turn you away for this or only allow you to proceed self-funded. Funding councils will not be keen if they know a candidate has already done a PhD. So this brings you back to the question should you pull the plug on the first PhD if you want funding for the more relevant PhD?

Not straight forward. The Masters option might be your best approach. Talk again to your contacts and ask how they feel about the Masters option.

Ian