To me, this says you need to try it and find out. You're already well on your way to finishing. And then rather than thinking that at the end when you are awarded your PhD you need to make your decision and that is that, you can try it out and see if it is for you or not. If you left, you might never know (at least if you are feeling the same uncertainty then as you do now). Or it might be that you enjoy whatever other thing you choose to do so much that you know it was the right decision to leave.

I know a very successful early career researcher who was producing lots of interesting research and then decided it wasn't for her and left to work in the commercial world.

One thing I would be wary of doing is making a decision based on hearsay. Much better to try it and see for yourself.

Trying to apply this now! : D

This is amazing! Thanks for sharing and massive congrats! : ) : ) : )

PhD candidate = A candidate (on the program) for (being awarded) a doctorate.

PhD student is nice because most people instantly get what you mean (although they probably still have no clue what it entails). Oh, so you're a PhD student...

Yes, I'm doing this. And I think it's a good plan now. The paranoia is fading.

Too much Red Bull - you'll feel horrible in the morning!

Thanks 4 the discussion.

Lol @ hammers and screwdrivers!

Yes, I am not turning down postdoc positions at present. That is a good point.

Nope. Wrong person. I said I didn't mind what people called themselves (PhD fellow, PhD candidate, PhD student, PhD researcher etc), and I myself choose to go by plain and simple "PhD student". I explained how that I did once use PhD researcher, as I was having difficulty getting into schools to do research and thought maybe researcher would sound more credible. It made no difference though as far as I can remember (I got into the schools by simply persisting until they let me in!).

I'm not annoyed : ) I assure you though that I don't care/mind about how others perceive my decisions (if you knew me then you wouldn't even entertain the thought!). However, I do care about the implications of my decisions. Those are two different things as I tried to explain earlier.

In this case, I agree that I am being a little too weary / paranoid and overthinking a simple decision. But that's because of my PhD and some of the decisions I made there - not realising that it would have an impact later.

I'm happy for people to call themselves what they want as long as it vaguely describes them! I go with "PhD student" myself, though I do think "PhD candidate" sounds more prestigious (and technically as far as I understand that is the official term once you've passed the 1st year upgrade). I did go through a phase of being "PhD researcher", as I thought it would increase my credibility when I was trying to get into schools to do research. I don't think it made any difference!

I suppose one way it could be seen as a negative might be that I already have lots of RA experience and time is passing, so I should be trying to get on to a postdoc rather than taking on a fixed term contract as an RA... that could be a valid concern I suppose.

Hmm, I think it is more a case of just not knowing what is the norm / how things work. For instance: if it raised questions as to why I hadn't tried to secure a postdoc immediately or something (sounds a bit silly but still...). I don't want to do something that could negatively impact on my career and then only realise it in hindsight. Through having made several decision I regret because of just not knowing how things worked before / at the start of my PhD, I have probably developed a kind of paranoia where I know have to look really hard at everything and from every angle to make sure I am not making a decision I will regret later when I know more!

Tru suggested some potential pitfalls earlier on in the thread, and those were certainly useful to consider.

Anyway, after hearing people's thoughts on here and discussing it with a few people, it doesn't seem like it would be a damaging step to take. Perhaps what is more important is to try find one that might offer some scope for development and/or publications, and to try and find one with a decent PI.

You've got me reflecting and synthesizing my thoughts again, pm133 - thank you!

Thanks for sharing this Nutty! It's great to hear everyone's experiences.

Just to add to my original post in case anyone else is going to reply:

I have a good bit of experience RA-ing from before my PhD, and I find it a pretty fulfilling role. Just to clarify though (because I think my original post might not have been that clear / to the point), my question really is: is doing an RA role that doesn't need a PhD (post PhD) likely to help or hinder someone looking for a post doc.

So far, I'm getting a picture that it won't help OR hinder, particularly.

Are you considering applying to do a PhD or a Masters? If so then here is a really great place to ask for advice. There are quite a few people who are doing or have done a PhD on this forum.

From what you've said so far (namely the point about challenging yourself with further study and expanding your career options), it might be a good idea to map out what possible careers would be of interest, and see if Masters are available in or relating to those areas. I know that there are Masters for things like Business Management, and sometimes you only need to have a relevant qualification (i.e., not necessarily a degree) plus relevant experience to meet the criteria. My friend and I were looking at some of these just the other day. There seems to be a variety of options - including online and part-time study.

Hope this helps as a start!

Thanks! I've sent you a pm. Hope that's OK!

Thank you! I would never have found this without the tip off!

Many congrats on your postdoc position offer!