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I have just started a PhD with the same  university where I graduated
top of my degree class. The university offered me a PhD fully funded based in
part by my performance. I felt I should study a PhD  due to my academic
performance and I was worried that in a job I might struggle to develop a
similar level of specialist knowledge. 

The problem: I have found  myself
spending more time thinking about getting a job than I do working on my PhD! I
think the reason is I like to work in a fast-paced environment. Where  there is
pressure to get work done, meet deadlines and solve problems. Make a
difference. Currently the PhD has none of this.  

Due to my strong CV (grades
and 2.5 years of undergraduate work experience) I got plenty of job offers
before  accepting the PhD (though none of the jobs were that exciting) and I
have recently received several interview requests from leading engineering
companies  in the uk (one of which I am really excited about). So it seems I can
get a job.

Obviously, something is stopping me leaving. One aspect is the
thought of  quitting, I have never quit anything. Secondly, I don't want to
regret turning my back on a unique opportunity (i.e. unlikely to get another
chance to study for  a PhD). But a career is surely not a dead end in terms of
my development, is it?! 

Does anyone have any advice to help me think clearly?

Hi. Maybe you can have your cake and eat it too. Would any of these companies be willing to take you on as a part time/ free lance consultant? It seems they are really interested in you. I am not familiar with the engineering field but if say you could have one day a week to work the job and the rest for your PhD. That way you could get the experience of working to see whether it would be something of interest to you and still pursue your PhD and not lose out on the academic opportunity.

That said, my advice is to listen to your gut (instincts) and not your head. Do what you really think is right for you regardless of perceptions or what other people will think or what might occur in some unspecified future. I have quit/declined what others would consider absolutely amazing opportunities in the past and been told i am crazy/ i will live to regret it but i am in an even more amazing place now and looking back i am glad i took the risk.

hope this helps :-)

Hi, thanks for getting back.

Well I was offered a chance to do it part-time with a company before - but the location and university wasn't great. I will definately ask these new companies about this option. My university is generally against this, I guess because they want academics.

My gut does tell me that I have been happier than I am now - and I know PhDs only get harder. I cant imagine what my supervisor will say, he will certainly be dissapointed - they have done a lot for me to get me to this point...

Hey, if you can i would give it a few months to mull things over. Its the beginning of the PhD and you may feel differently after a few months. I also just started my PhD in the social sciences and i am a bit like, what did i just get myself into? Is this what i really want? But its the first stages and i know i will get into the swing of things.

I understand where you are coming from. I had to quit a really good job that i had just started to come do my PhD. My boss was none too happy of course because the interview process was quite a lengthy one. But at the end of the day he was happy for the opportunity the PhD would afford me. So my advice, take the time to consider then make your decision. There is no 'right' or 'wrong' decision.

You are allowed to work 20 hours per week as a fully funded PhD student. This will top up your income, will organise your time better, look good on your CV and will make you decide what you like better. I think you should go for a part-time job

I can completely relate to your desire to get a 'real' job, I was also feeling like that after studying 6 years engineering. The best thing of real jobs is that you can actually see the outcome of your efforts instantly (especially in smaller projects). This doesn't happen in the PhD; things pay off but in a much slower pace.

The bad thing about real jobs (and this was the reason I ran fast and far from industry) is that after a few years of work experience, you learn nothing new: you produce one drawing after another, exactly like a machine fed on cash and bitterness.

Hi Everyone,

I spoke to my supervisor. What do you think of this quote,

"Do you want to do a PhD to give yourself a better long-term future in your career, or are you more interested in working in industry now and your career simply plateauing?"

True/False?Biased?

I think it definately sounds biased, whether it is true or not I guess depends on what you want to do and what company you work for.

Going back to your original post I think most people find the initial pace of a PhD very slow, usually alot of reading and learning how to do things. Once you get beyond this stage I guess you could up the pace of your work by either creating your own deadlines or agreeing deadlines with your supervisor, that suit how you want to work.

I think it definately sounds biased, whether it is true or not I guess depends on what you want to do and what company you work for.

Going back to your original post I think most people find the initial pace of a PhD very slow, usually alot of reading and learning how to do things. Once you get beyond this stage I guess you could up the pace of your work by either creating your own deadlines or agreeing deadlines with your supervisor, that suit how you want to work.