So I am half way through my PhD and past viva upgrade. I'm really not passionate about my topic and reading papers or even having to do any work on the PhD is a chore that I put off for as long as I can. The only reason that I have even started a PhD is because I wanted to become a "doctor" at the end of it. I have been severly affected by chronic illness most of my life and I feel like getting a PhD will "prove" that my life hasn't been worthless. I know how ridicolous this sounds but that's exactly how I feel. As a result of all this I'm a barely mediocre PhD student and will probably never be able to get any kind of academic career out of it.

I have tried to think of other topics that I would find more exciting but reality is it all comes down to hard work :-(

I'm now questing myself and thinking of quitting. I'm not sure if it is OK to do the PhD because you have the ability even if you don't have passion and your reasons for doing it have not much to do with future career?

i am a few months into my phd, and i have to admit that a part of the reason that i am doing it is to become a "doctor". the subject is one which i am not very familiar with, and i certainly wouldn't say i was passionate about it. however, it does interest me, and i am quite enjoying the work (so far anyway!). having said that, i have never had any idea what i wanted to do as a career; i picked my degree subject on the basis of what 'a' levels i did without putting any real thought into it, i chose my masters subject because one of my undergrad lecturers thought i would be good at it, and i chose my phd because the advert caught my eye and before i knew it i had applied and been offered it! i have no idea what i'm going to do after my phd.

i'm not sure that it matters what your main motivation for doing the phd is, but i do think that you have to be prepared to give 100% and work really hard at it to make it the best work you can produce. therefore, if you are really bored by the topic and you find it a struggle, then i would say that you probably need to reconsider. on the other hand, as you are already halfway through it may be worth sticking with it, maybe take a break from it for a few days and have a good long think about whether it is going to be worth it in the long run. what do you want to do next? do you even want a career in academia? if not, then maybe a phd isn't necessary?

good luck with whatever you decide, your life certainly hasn't been worthless, having 'dr' in front of your name won't change that ;)

If you can get your PhD withough going to mad I would just finish it. It really doesn't matter why you are doing it, as long as you don't make yourself too ill or unhappy. If it helps to think of the satisfaction you might have in just having it and waving it around a bit - then use that as motivation. Why not? By the end, I think a lot of people are pretty fed up with their topic, no matter how passionately they started out. There are no rules about why you should do a PhD. There are quite enough rules in the world already without making your life more difficult by inventing more (something I see people doing all the time!).

Hell to the yeah! My Mum did data entry for ten years whilst I was at school. She had no "passion" for data entry and her reasons for doing it had nothing to do with her future career.

I don't see my PhD as some kind of "journey". This is what I'm choosing to do at the moment for all sorts of reasons. We all know stories of people changing careers after 10, 20, even 40 years. My cousin is doing a plumbing apprenticeship at the moment. On his course is one of the most prominent eye surgeons in the country. I'm sure that person has changed because they got all they wanted/needed out of eye surgery and I fully intend to treat my career in the same way. If I'm not enjoying it there is sure to be something better out there for me to spend 30-70 hours a week doing. Right?

Work to live not live to work, but if you have to work, make it something you enjoy spending time doing. I'm not saying you should quit (or that you shouldn't) just that a PhD lasts 3-10 years, after that, do whatever will make you happy be it a post doc, a professional career outside academia or, if you so choose, a plumbing apprenticeship.

A

I think the "Doctor" bit has to be a reason for the majority of PhDers.

The title opens doors (and closes others), it's a peer group to get into, it's a card you can pull out when in a difficult situation, it gets you a job round the world, it looks impressive if you are a consultant, it's many things.

But at the end of the day it's just a qualification. Grit your teeth & get it if you can - then choose to use it or not in future.

HTH,

WysiWyg

I think the "Doctor" bit has to be a reason for the majority of PhDers.

The title opens doors (and closes others), it's a peer group to get into, it's a card you can pull out when in a difficult situation, it gets you a job round the world, it looks impressive if you are a consultant, it's many things.

But at the end of the day it's just a qualification. Grit your teeth & get it if you can - then choose to use it or not in future.

HTH,

WysiWyg

"I think the "Doctor" bit has to be a reason for the majority of PhDers".

A bit of a sweeping statement isn't it. Personally, the (Dr.) title means naught to me.

If it is indeed the OP's sole/primary motivation then they've (IMO) got a problem.

I don't think wanting do a PhD solely to be a dr is a major problem at all. I didn't do my undergrad or postgrad to learn more about the subject - if I wanted to that i would have just got a few books out of the library and read them in my spare time! I did them purely for job opportunities and letters after my name :$ like I think most people do. And I do admit that the PhD is unlike a taught degree and an interest in the subject is preferrable. However, I really feel that there is far too much pressure placed on the PhD as a 'journey' - a lot of people in my lab who are finished stress at all times that it is much harder than I could imagine, it is the worst thing I will ever do and I will never submit in 4 years, let alone 3. But I think if you don't approach it like that then I would probably finish it in 3 years, like a big work project. (well that is what I hope anyway)

i totally agree, i am trying to treat my phd like i would any other job (and trying to stick to 9-5!) as i don't want it to take over my life.

does it really matter what your motivation is? at the end of the day it's YOUR phd and you can tackle it anyway you want, regardless of whether you see it as your life's passion or just another job.

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Now, thats adding something to what was originally said. Anyway, I agree re the 'jobs opportunities' aspect, but I think a search on here will find you could be in the minority regarding the 'letters after your name'. Its a topic that crops up now and again. It also does seem to matter what your motivation is (as the Dr. Title) doesn't seem to be 'doing it' anymore for the OP.

I don't think I'm wrong in saying that most of us have been through or are going through the "I can't be bothered with it any more" phase. I regularly go through it. I also go through the "I'm useless" and "I know nothing" phases too. Together with the "I will die if I fail" phase and the "I'll never finish" phase and the "I'd rather watch TV than write" phase and so and so on, you get the idea. My PhD is not in a subject that I'm passionate about (it's in economics) purely because I knew I wouldn't get a job with a PhD in space-time geometry (which was my passion). Nevertheless I'm nearly finished. Treat it like a job and make sure you take time out for yourself. Don't stress over your motivations for choosing to do a PhD because whatever your initial reasons, you've been dedicated enough to pass the upgrade and so you're well on your way to completion. Don't be so hard on yourself.

Hi lostinoz.  No, I certainly don't think that wanting to be called 'Dr' is a ridiculous reason for doing a PhD. If you don't want / expect to get a job in academia (for example, because of your age), then what other reasons might there be for putting yourself through years and years of mental hell.  If the degree did not carry the title, would anyone seriously want to do one - to focus on one extremely narrow topic for 3+++ years. It was certainly my principle reason.  Like yourself, I too have suffered from chronic health problems all my adult life (I am now 59 and got a PhD at 57). It was for me a way of making a point that could not be made any other way - it said that if I had been dealt a better hand of cards, then I might have achieved more than I have (that might be a fantasy, but there you go), and relatedly it has also enabled me, I feel, to be a 'someone', a slightly different (more confident) person to the one I was before I got it.  My thoughts are that people do PhD's for all kinds of personal reasons, leaving aside straightforward career reasons, but that they are rarely admitted to. I do hope that you don't chuck it in and go on to complete it.  It took me a long time to abandon the idea / fantasy that I might have an academic career, no matter how short, at the end of it. There are lots of people who do PhD's and never think of academia.  To do a PhD you probably need to be slightly insane to start with - so to want people to address you as 'Dr' is quite minor in general insanity terms.