Hi everyone,

I'm new to this forum. After reading older posts, I can see that their are lots of people with all kinds of experience whether it be good or bad.

My situation is as follows; I initially started a PhD following honors because at the time I actually enjoyed research and my project was so huge that there was still plenty of work to be done. Over time my interest in research has dwindled and I know I don't want to be an academic or do research in general. I'm certain of this. What I'm not certain of is whether or not a PhD is worth doing. I've so far completed 2 years of lab work for what feels like very little success but I might be able to write up a Masters instead. From where I am now it just seems like it's only going to get a lot harder because my project hasn't produced the data my supervisor would have hoped and I feel like I just don't have the passion or drive to make it to the end. I have spoken to my supervisor about changing to a Masters and I now feel ostracized and like I have been labeled a 'waste of time'. The thought of continuing for 2 more years to finish the Phd makes me feel sick in the stomach and I'm literally pulling my hair out on a daily basis worrying about this. For careers outside of academia, it seems like a Phd in most cases is overkill and that Masters will is just as good in developing all the transferable skills. So my question is, is completing the Phd over the next 2 years (if everything works well...) and in the process crushing my soul and spirit worth it? If I change now I could potentially have a Masters written up in 6 months time and could be earning money and doing things that make me feel good about myself such as learning my instrument and playing sports.

Thanks for reading.

On weighing up the reasons for and against you changing to Masters, I would say that the for outweighs the against! Especially given that you do not want a career in academia. I'm interested to see what other people who have more experience will advise. I'm only just beginning my postgraduate education. Good luck with your decision.

Hmm, 2 years in. For a science and engineering PhD, that means you should be six months away at most from completing the experimental work and possibly already thinking of writing up. If you'd said 18 months and you didn't feel like continuing, I might have agreed.

You've said you'll be at this for another 2 years. Funding runs out in 1 year provided you're on standard format. So you're talking about a minimum of 1 year compared to 6 months to submit for Masters. Is that such a big chunk of time?

As regards your lack of results, a non-result can be a result in itself. An experiment not producing the expected result can disprove a hypothesis or question a previous result. Failing that, has your supervisor or someone else actually had a look at your methodology to suggest where you might be doing something wrong. It's okay to ask for help.

If things had gone better, would you feel the same way about your position and your aspirations? Should you have not sought advice before telling your supervisor how you feel?

I'm just trying to put a different perspective on things before you make the final decision to pull out. It may be you're being a little hasty and your mountain is no more than a molehill. I'd question your methodology if you are not producing expected results and a fresh pair of eyes may sort your problems out. It's amazing how different things feel when everthing is going smoothly.

Ian

Thanks for the input, Ewardianguy and Ian.

@ Ian

My supervisor said that it will take me the full 3.5 years to do lab work and then 6 months to write up afterwards. My scholarship is for 3 years but a 6 month extension is possible. From what I know, in my department at least, no one is ever written up by 3 years, most take 3.5 years for the work and then write up. I don't know, maybe that's just the supervisors making sure they get the most work out of the student before they move them on. I guess if things had gone better I wouldn't be in this position, but maybe they didn't go well because I don't have enough passion and drive to make it work. It's hard when I'm not that interested in what I'm doing! I sought advice before talking to my supervisor but then I realised after already talking to her, my supervisor didn't say anything encouraging or constructive. This is the 3rd time this year alone where I've thought of pulling out, each time I get closer to doing so. I feel like I just want to move on with my life, they only reason I think I should stay is that there will be industry jobs in which PhDs are highly sought after and I don't want to limit my options with a Masters. But you're correct, I shouldn't be hasty. In fact I have an experiment happening right now and It looks like a good result is coming my way so maybe thinking about it for longer might help.

Hi Jeff,

I can understand where you're coming from to a degree - I'm two and a half years in and around the 2 year mark I had hardly any data for my thesis due to equipment failures and failed experiments, and I think around then I considered quitting too. I'm at a point now where I too will need three and a half years for experiments and six months at the end to write up (with no funding for that final year). It's a long slog and it feels like there's still a mountain of work to do, but something makes me want to keep going and finish (probably being stubborn!). If you do decide to keep going, know that you're not alone and there are plenty of other students that find themselves with little data and a lot of work in the last two years of the PhD - hopefully just knowing you're not alone will be some comfort.

I'd also recommend not making a final decision while you're feeling particularly unhappy - as Ian has already pointed out you might feel differently when things start working out well. Also you've mentioned keeping your options open with industry jobs that may prefer PhDs over a candidate with a masters, and I think that at this late stage it could be worth bearing that in mind if you do decide to continue.

On the other hand, it takes a lot of courage to walk away from something that is genuinely making you unhappy, and only you know what is best for you. I hope you come to a decision that is best for you and will make you happy in the long run, that's always the most important thing! Good luck and let us know what you decide to do!

Tulip

Its a hard call, but a Masters is better than walking away with nothing. In my JD a lot of people just walked away half way through it. It blew my mind.

If you get a Masters, there are doctorates that let you in with credit for it later on if you want to finish it later in life. A heads up, those might be more DBA type than PhD though.