Oh. My. Oh. My.

You guys need to get a life!

One geek I got stuck with told me about his attempts to calculate the size of carbon footprints of everyone at the meeting. He kept going on about it. Of course, I had the largest because I'd travelled the furthest and by plane. But he owns a four wheel drive and so does his wife! I don't drive and use the bus to go to work. So overall I think I win!

What is the most boring conversation you've had with someone at a conference?

You should do what you enjoy. The next two years could potentially be a nightmare. And who knows, you may land a great job in renewable energy or even go on to do a PhD in that once the MSc is finished. I left my PhD after two years and there is no shame in it - I haven't looked back since.

Prof Storey has a brilliant reputation, and is lovely to work for. Dundee is also a cheap city to live in, and it's nice and sunny. It's a bit limited for places to go out/eat, but you are very close to Edinburgh (~1hr on the train) where you will find lots to see and do.

I used to keep duplicate samples in different freezers just in case! Sounds paranoid but it came in useful a few times!

What department would you be working in Dundee? Is it the Wellcome Trust Biocentre or somewhere like SCRI or BSI? The facilities at the biocentre are amazing, and there is a lot of support and encouragement from staff for postgraduates. You'll have to work hard there though, they really crack the whip! I've worked there before and it was a great experience.

At what cost if you're really not happy? Depression, stress, turning to alcohol!? For some people it just isn't worth it.

xeno - the person who dropped out was probably putting a brave face on it when they said they enjoyed their project. I was very much like that before I dropped out, so it came as a shock to my ex-colleagues too. Little did they know the months of stress and sleepless nights I'd endured before reaching my decision.

I was in second year too, and I had all the negative stories as well!!! My supervisor was an idiot, made me feel so bad for even considering quitting. But giving it up has given me a new lease of life and I am happier than ever! The only thing that bugs me is that lots of people ask me what the gossip is my old lab and what everyone is up to, but I have not been back in nearly three months and have no inclination to know what my ex colleagues are up to! (Some of them don't even talk to me anymore anyway since I quit, how sad!).

Just a little word of advice for those seriously considering quitting (and you will know when it is a serious consideration and not just the PhD blues)...

I was told my job prospects etc. would be virtually nil by my supervisor if I quit, it put so much pressure on me to stay where I was, even though I was depressed and so unhappy. colleagues said I'd have major problems being taken seriously after it...

But of course I did quit anyway, and it has been the best decision I could ever have made. The surprising thing is though, people who were against me quitting and gave me all the doom and gloom remarks totally changed their tune afterwards, and I got two PhD offers after I quit (I didn't apply for them, they were offers from people I used to work for), and I am now doing something I'm so happy with, and they didn't even bat an eyelid that I quit a PhD!

So just follow your heart, think things through properly and plan for your resignation carefully, and you'll be fine xxx

Be very careful when considering a PhD based on your experiences as an undergrad! It is VERY different! What is expected of you goes way beyond what they expected of you on a degree course - you pretty much have to dedicate your life to a PhD, and you have to not only be passionate about your topic, but of science in general, and the whole working environment - i.e. the publish or die mentality that I experienced in many situations. I thought I went into a PhD for very good reasons - I'd taken a year out to think about it, found a topic that sounded interesting to me and which I'd love to continue working in after I finished the PhD - but a year in I still quit! Think about it very carefully.

o.stoll - the current rate of salary for a newly qualified nurse is ~£19,000. Compare that to a job I would have got having the PhD I dropped out of - £11,000 (if I'd been lucky).

Do you think salary is the most important thing? Happiness and job satisfaction are way more important in my opinion.

o.stoll - you sound deluded. Reality check required there methinks.

Take my advice - if you are that unhappy and that uncertain, you should perhaps seriously consider leaving. And you will know when it's right for you to leave, whether you have an alternative job to go to or not. I left mine about a month/three weeks ago and I haven't looked back since. I've started training for something else and I'm skint because my funding hasn't come through yet, but I am happier than ever and can easily balance my work and life now because I feel certain about what I'm doing now and since my moods have lifted my partner and I are so much happier. Talk to your partner all the time about this, mine was such a support when I was deciding to give up x