I'm currently doing a PhD but have no real interest in it (took it as an act of desperation) and don't feel it will take me anywhere as I've no interest in lecturing or depending on research contracts and having to move around for the rest of my working life. I could stick it out and motivation is not a problem but through no fault of my own it's going badly anyway. I would like to retrain but this would involve going back to University. This wouldn't be a problem as such but I want to apply now and if I get a place quit the PhD. I think a problem could be if I declare I'm doing a PhD I'll not get offered a place on the course I'd like to do and I don't want to quit the PhD until I've a place lined up. The University I'd like to apply to is close to the University I'm currently studying at and there's some possibility the staff might know each other.

Any advice?

Either do it or don't. A PhD isn't a job, if you don't want to do it then quit and let someone else conduct this research and make use of the funding and support from the established academics in your department.

Go get a job whilst your sorting out the alternative training that will allow you to do what you want in your life.

Strangely enough I couldn't get a job which is why I ended up doing a PhD. While I get your point, I could easily stick with this PhD but have genuine concerns about the way it is going and I fear, through no fault of my own, that it may not result in a PhD anyway.

Sorry but I didn't find your post very helpful.

Hi Delta,

It seems like the only way to avoid a potentially embarrassing/awkward situation (current supervisors finding out from other people that you are trying to leave) is to sit down with them and talk about it. If you do decide to leave, the next place will no doubt want references from them anyway, so it would be best not to burn any bridges with them. Are they the kind of people you can talk to informally about your worries? It might be that if you have the "I'll soldier on" personality that they think they don't need to talk to you much about your progress and haven't realised how worried you are about not finishing.

If you do decide to stick it out, surely there must be jobs that would value your qualification (outside academia?). Is there anything that interests you which you could seriously investigate - entry points, salary etc - to make a more informed decision?

Hi heifer,

Thanks for your response. My supervisors as people are lovely but as supervisors I don't rate them and feel mostly because of them sufficient progress hasn't been made. I have no real interest in the PhD, feel detached from the subject matter but do work on it. If it wasn't for my supervisors I'd be happy to complete and I am happy to go on but I think the project is in some ways weak and they haven't taken on board my concerns. I don't want to fail even though my future doesn't depend on the PhD. I can't change supervisors and they are lovely and I wouldn't want to offend them anyway. I can't even opt to finish with an MPhil because things have been so slow going I'd have to fund some of it myself to even get an MPhil and I'm not prepared to do that. I think for the sake of an extra year I'll complete and then move on and retrain. However, if the PhD can't be completed in time it'll not be down to me and I'll need to move on.

I just can't go into more detail. Thanks for responding and not judging.

I was kind of in a similar situation, jobs were slack and I had the oppurtunity to do a PhD.
Don't like it and haven't got interest so I eventually told my supervisors, who were great about it, now going to try finish with a masters.

You say you might stick out another year, how long have you being doing the PhD for? I don't see how you can't get an MPhil or masters if in one more year you could get a PhD?

Anyway personally I think if you don't want to work in research, why should you spend your time getting a PhD, others may disagree but few jobs bar research require a PhD so why put yourself through something your not interested in.
But are you really not interested or do you just believe so because the work is going slow and your supervisors aren't helping?
Because for me I know I made the right decision, as well as having no interest I hated coming in everyday, it even made me down in my everyday life, even at home, you say motivation isn't a problem? I had 0 motivation!

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The subject matter is OK, it doesn't rock my world and ideally I'd have loved to have researched an area in line with my interests and research which I feel is actually more important. I'd definitely pack it in if I was expected to be at a desk every day as not only would I have to move quite a distance but it would bore me to tears. I do put the hours in but am allowed to do it in a way that suits me and so if I get bored I just leave it and come back to it another time. I do work though and probably put a good weeks work in. Perhaps I need to chill out a bit more because at least my future doesn't depend on the PhD and the working conditions are good.