Hello, I am someone who dropped out of my PhD! I just came to realise that research and academia were really not suited to me, I hated the work and have decided to go down a more vocational route. It also really worried me that there were very few jobs out there that I wouldn't be over qualified for or would have to retrain for. I think good undergrads are often bluffed into doing PhD's like it is something expected of them, but they are not warned of the problems of what is beyond the PhD!!! I also hated the 'publish or die' attitude that was constantly floated around in the lab - I couldn't care less, there are people starving in this world, why should I care if I get my name in an obscure journal for research that would probably be disproved at a later date!? So I was obviously not cut out for research! But whatever you enjoy doing - if you don't mind about the debt and the stress and love your research, then go for it. It just wasn't for me.

Well guys, I left this morning! Handed in my notice! I've got a position in social work - as soon as I was offered it I knew leaving my PhD would be the best thing I ever did and I feel great because of it! Initial training will mean I earn half what i did on my PhD, but I don't care - I'm so happy! My supervisr hit the roof, but hey, that's life! I'm out of there. The only thing I have now is the humiliation of collecting my things, but I am going to strutt in there and ride against it. So many people have been supportive so I don't care what my supervisor thinks. In fact, he's not my supervisor anymore is he! He's just another dude.

I think the best thing I can do is just bide my time and keep saving money for a few more months while I get enough data for my MPhil, it takes two years to do that anyway at least so I wouldn't have to explain anything on my CV. Thanks for all the support from everyone, I just really needed to hear some reassuring words!

This place is getting ridiculous - my supervisor has started slagging me off to another student, and she elaborates stories to him about how I'm feeling - not that she would actually know how I feel! Also I have absolutely no guidance on what to do with my experiments, and there is inadequate equipment because it has all been moved to another department that i don't have access to!

I'd probably retrain as a nurse, my parents are nurses and i have regretted not going into that area myself, it's a job I know I want to do and would do it after a PhD anyway. I just feel really depressed just now and wish I could go home to scotland and forget these past two years. the trouble is also my friends here are either doing a PhD too or are starting soon so they are giving me doom and gloom stories about what will happen when I leave.

I've been unhappy for the past year, really because of a number of things - the project has obviously not been thought through well enough and my supervisor is really inconsiderate. Also I just don't enjoy research and the whole culture of publishing papers like it is life or death in your career. I've just been afraid to leave bacuase how do i explain it on my CV? Also I can't just leave yet because of the lease on my flat. Otherwise I would have left a long time ago. I have no inspiration in science, I thought I did when I finished my undergrad but after doing this work I know it is not for me.

Go into teaching - you can do a PhD anytime and at least teaching is a rewarding career, rather than staring into eppendorf tubes all day!

Hi, I've decided to quit my PhD after two year. What are the repercussions of this if you want to enter into another career path that has nothing to do with science? Also my supervisor seems to discuss all my personal and project details with another student, and I'm having problems with my experiment since someone threw out my samples by 'accident'. I'm totally sick fed up of it all. I lost interest in my project a long time ago.