Thank you so much for your advice everyone - really appreciate it. Got some thinking to do and appt. with academic counselor has been made. Your feedback helped realize the options available.

Ian (sorry, only noticed your first name now) - thank you very kindly for taking the time to breakdown the options down the way you did. Reason and logic should prevail, they're just so hard to find when upset. I haven't ruled out quitting/taking a break from the PhD.

You assessed correctly - I'm at the mid-point time-wise, but not truly at the mid-point progress wise, sigh.

Going through these options at least I realized that I wouldn't want time away from work to work on the PhD. I'd have to love or at least like my PhD for that. Your suggestions to try a counselor or trusted colleague I am starting to consider, like I mentioned above to Collie11. Some changes have to happen, because things cannot remain for me as they are now, not in the long run, for health reasons and just for being able to have some fun in life. Thank you again.

Julia

Collie11 - a huge THANK YOU. That website and the link and the thread from Whizzcat are ideal, just what I needed to read. The Valley of Shit was good too.Gosh, had no idea that website existed, then again I didn't look till I got truly miserable, with tears and all. I admit, quitting has been on my mind for the past little while - being in the pits and anxious sucks. I still have to do more thinking but it's better knowing others have gone through this and that quitting is not the end of the world. With no friends or colleagues in a similar situation, it can be awfully lonely with such a problem. My close friends and family have luckily put no pressure to stay in or quit the PhD since I got like this. Maybe things would be different if the PhD directly related to my job, but my supervisor's area of expertise is quite different. Again, incredibly grateful for the link and for sharing your experience:)

I wish I could give you some good advice, but clearly, I'm not the best person for that. Having data collected does feel like miles ahead of where I am, but only you know best where you stand. Shame about unsupportive supervisors, they should appreciate the effort you are making, but I'd say don't let that be a deciding factor unless they're truly impossible. Really wish I had a brilliant link for you too. If I come across one, I'll remember to send it your way. What Mackem_Beefy suggested sounds good - seeing an academic counselor or a trusted colleague, possibly a colleague who has gone through this/has a similar career?. Since you're a student, counseling should be a free service. They can be very good for helping with coping, bringing things into perspective etc. Back in undergrad, a friend of mine got through a tough time with a counselor. Guess it can't hurt to try - it's only an hour out of the day. Wishing you all the best:)

I am hoping to get some advice here, I'm at a loss. I've been working full time as a mechanical engineer in a satisfying job for two years. I began a PhD prior to getting this job, this was right after my Masters. Continuing my Masters project into a PhD worked out with me and my supervisor.

I've been at the PhD for 4 years, all my course work is done. Problem is, I liked this topic enough for a Masters, I like it 10x less after 4 years. The PhD is still engineering-based, but unrelated to my day job. I haven't produced a single research paper, although I am close to finishing one (programming is left). In the two years since I started my job, there were several personal circumstances (totaling 6 months) where I couldn't do any PhD work at all. By now, my Candidacy exam should be completed, but I haven't gotten around to it and it should be done by spring 2014. For that I should also get a research proposal done and then prepare for a written and oral exam and then finish in 2-3 more years. My research proposal should be a derivative of that unfinished research paper. My supervisor is fine with all of the above, including my full time job. These are good circumstances, but despising your topic doesn't help. I only like the mathematical model I got to develop, but have zero desire to read anything on the topic itself. I cried twice in the past two weeks and I'm debating whether this is worth it. I don't know what to finish - the research paper, or to go through the candidacy exam. From similar posts, I see that they are able to continue because like their topics enough to read about them in their free time. I'm tired and miserable, lack of prospects for pursuing other interests or a better personal life is sad.

Thank you for reading, it's a long post.