So, here is the deal.

I am in a phd program, data collected, qualitative analysis incomplete and for the moment, my decision has been to leave it that way as the topic area and analysis method don't lead to any logical job afterward. I have no interest in going into academia any longer (pehaps as there are very few prospects given the competition, and few publications on my part), can not really go into teaching as mine is a crossdisciplinary area with no core courses to teach, and am not enthusiastic, but not ruling out research, given my negative experience thus far.

I've already applied to another masters program for Fall 2010 that seems to have the more logical and practical post graduate career path as I have reasoned that in the time it will taking me to finish the phd (a toughj 2 years as the analysis will be difficult) I can just as well get some more applied skills in the other MA.

Having said that, I am now left wondering, might there not still be some way to shape my dissertation so as to be more generically applicable to something post graduation and if so, how?

If so, might it be better to focus on getting the phd, even if it is not as applied. While I feel like I have wasted the past number of years working on the phd and in not really getting anything done, might I not simply start working from this day forward to change that or is is too late in terms of having already tarnished my academic cv?

But is this just me buying into the idea that the phd actually means something outside of the academic world, even if it is not tied directly to any obviousy applied area of work?

Your thoughts on any of these meandering thoughts?.