Similar situation here.

Think about your life rather than just this PhD. Do you really like the subject and want to pursuit it for the rest of your life? I made a mistake a year ago thinking PhD is something nice to have, rather than something I really wanted. Looking back, I find this past year fulfilling in terms of results, but void in sense of accomplishment. I don't regret doing this PhD but regret not thinking thoroughly before I entered it.

I just realised that my interest lies in other fields and am making plans to switch over. It'll take a while but I know it will make me happier in the long run. My advice is: think about what makes you happy and what you want to do with your life. We only go through 20's once in our life time.

Thanks for all the posts guys. It's nice to hear opinions from people who are going through similar situations.

I have done a lot of non-stop thinking and talking to anyone I possibly can. After weighing the pros and cons, I have made up my mind to do something else instead of this PhD. I have already spent one year for this mind-numbing lab life in central London, being absolutely miserable and utterly poor, and it is definitely not something I want to do for the rest of my life. Although some postdocs do make it through, it takes way too many years and too much effort. Instead I am discovering interest in the management field. I used to be captain of sports team and for those of you who play games, I used to be a guild leader. I find more joy working with people rather than bashing my own head against pipettes and mice.

I have started actively looking for a management type of position back near home. Even though I have made up my mind, I will not jump the ship just yet because I don't want to be without a job for several months. It will be very tough to switch gears since I've worked in a lab since the beginning of my higher education. But I think if I try hard and learn quickly, I will be able to manage it.

This could be the best decision (or worst) in my life. At least I am making it now while I am still young. I am very scared and feel extremely insecure, but I think it will be a better life.

Thanks for all the advices. Deep thoughts are going through my head. I've talked to everyone around me including my supervisor. It really depends on what I want to do with life because PhD is not just an academic education. It's the whole life-learning experience which decides what kind of person you will be. I am weighing the pros and cons at the moment. Will update later.

Thanks for your reply and support. I am putting some deep thoughts into it. However, I would like to ensure that I have something to do before I officially give my PhD up.

Hello guys,

I would like to know what options I have if I decide to leave my PhD and join the work force. My undergraduate degree was in biochemistry and cell biology. Then I completed my masters in pharmacology. Currently my PhD doesn't look very promising due to lack of interest/motivation, bad supervision, confusion about future, and etc. Most of all, I've come to the realisation that I am not made for research. I've done some researches on the internet, and there are a few opportunities in pharmaceutical project management which I will attempt to apply. For those who have changed their path either during PhD or post PhD (ie. not staying in research), what did you do and how did you do it? Just need some advice on how to even start organising this big life change. It is a huge decision for my life, and so please provide me with some guidelines.

Much appreciated

-Alex

Greeting everyone. I am new here.

A little bit of my story. Originally I am from Los Angeles. After I finished my Bsc, I decided to come to London to pursuit an Msc degree in pharmacology, which I have completed. Now I am just starting 2nd year of my PhD in London and am finding it extreme difficulty in self-motivation and interest. Before I came to this PhD post, I went through undergraduate and Msc with full enthusiasm and thinking this is exactly what I want to do with my life. After being in this PhD for a year, I find myself, like many others, completely disillusioned. Nothing is working like I previously thought. Literally nothing. Apart from having problems with the degree, I am also struggling financially and emotionally with life. The meager PhD stipend is nowhere capable of keeping up with the high expenses in London. Various recent events have shown that having a proper financial mean for survival is absolutely crucial for one's mental and physical well-beings, especially in such an expensive place. My girlfriend has left me just a week ago due to the fact that there seems to be no end to this education ladder, and I will continue to be a poor student for a very long time. She has been supportive all this time for my degree but has came to the realisation that one's earning cannot put a roof above two people's heads. A woman needs someone she can count on, not someone who counts on her for a living.

I am really hitting the bottom of the abyss now. Not much is coming out my research and my work probably won't be published until years later since the project is still in its early stage. I have lost every bit of interest in research. I am seriously thinking about another alternative for my life. First of all, make some money and be able to stand on my own feet. From what I've read from various posts and forums, an Msc degree in science doesn't seem to be a lesser degree compared to PhD in the industry, especially in the management/sales departments.

I am sure everyone has seem this sort of post before- whether PhD is worth it and such. Reasons for leaving a PhD can vary. I'd like some advice on what I can do or where I can go if I do decide to leave it behind and start a new life. For those of you who did quit, what career/profession have you turned to and are you happy?

Thanks for reading wall of text.

-Alex