Please excuse the rambling nature of this post!

So I've come to the end of a 4 year comp chem iphd from a Russell group university. The last year of my PhD did not go at all to plan, many things went wrong with the project both in and outside of my control.

Funding ran out so I have found a reasonably well paid (at least for a starter) job as a data scientist at a well respected financial company, so far the job is going really well, I have much scope for promotion, I'm fitting in well and for the first time in years actually enjoying the work I'm doing.

My question is should I bother to write up my results for an Mphil? I have till September 2020 to submit and think it would realistically take me working most evenings and weekends until then to get a defendable thesis together.

I've completely given up hope for the PhD, my supervisor agrees with me that writing up what I have to this point would likely be passed as an Mphil. Given that I'm happy in my new job I'm struggling to find any motivation to write up my thesis.

Everyone I talk to tells me I'll regret it later if I don't do it but I'm not so sure, I already have an Mphys and have no intentions of returning to academia, I'm douting that having an Mphil over '3 years postgraduate research' on my cv is going to have a big impact on my future career.

Additional things to bare in mind:
-relationship with supervisor is still good, he hopes I can at least get the mphil

-I was very unhappy by the end of the PhD, hated the work and had little confidence in my ability

-my new job is enjoyable but demanding, I suspect serious work on the thesis would impact my day job now

-my head says I should try but my heart tells me to call it a day

Any advice would be appreciated!

Hi Thomasbombadilo

My only advice is follow your heart! But also, having read your post, I think your head is suggesting much the same direction as your heart... especially the parts about enjoying your new job and thinking it could impact on your day job if you did the MPhil. I'm not sure on that basis it makes sense to do it, unless you dearly wanted to. If you were jobless and worried how on earth you were going to account for the past couple of years to prospective employers, then I think it would be a bit of a different story.

I don't think it should affect the relationship with the supervisor. I'm sure they would respect your decision if they are decent (which they seem to be given what you've said). People leave/quit for all sorts of reasons.

I think I'd be asking myself in a year, or in two years, or in five... will I regret this decision? Is it likely that I will look back at any stage of my life and kick myself for having not done it and got that extra qualification? If the answer is no, then, well... :)

Good luck in whatever you decide!

hi. I have assumed you do not need to have more data or experiments. How far are you in writing? Is the situation really that bad?
There is no "standard" definition for the quality of a PhD. Is it publications? novelty? You might be surprised when you read some PhD theses in terms of quality and original research.
If the situation might be not that bad that you think. If so, sacrifice some time and submit the best possible concrete thesis aiming for a PhD and then who knows? There is an examination panel who decides.