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3rd year graduate student- Really tired of my lab and thinking in leaving research

M

Hi everyone,

It is being hard this year after and before my candicay and now that I passed that phase and I am working on my project and I am more focused on finishing (that´s my goal every day) I am thinking on leaving science due to the very bad experience in the actual lab that I am doing my research.
The last thing is that I am going to send an abstract for a poster in a conference and my lab does not have money, so I am asking to my university for a grant that they have for travelling expenses (and the same conference have awards fro travelling expenses too) and students told me that is pretty easy to get funded for that concept.
My advisor did not show any excitement about it or any support when I told him that maybe I can go if I get those grants awards, in fact I think or it seems that he is jealous that I can go to that ( I will be when the time of the conference in my 4th year and I did not go to any conference!).
It has been a real struggle being here everyday, I am happy about thinking in graduating and leaving this place, and also thinking about leaving science, I am realy tired.
I will think about this more along (I hope) my last year because a bad experience cannot make me decide about my future but I am not enjoying my graduate time in the lab, at least I have great friends outside...

Anyone with the same problem?Has anyone thought about leaving research?

Thanks for the support.

M

First of all, dont worry you are not the only person who get tired from academia, you can see how many stories. All I can say it fake and hypocrite system with some useless supervisors. My advice is: go forward dont let any thing stop you, the most important that you have to desire to finish and get out of this place and this is must the driving force to go forward and not losing the three years you have spent. Dont worry if your supervisor is jealous, just ignore him completely and dont show challenge or something, show that you are indifferent. Do your best to get funding through university, conference or asking them to be a volunteer, you can dig in to find an alternatives to support yourself.

T

On your travel grant, just apply for it and see what happens. You should attend at least one conference, regardless of what your supervisor thinks, so just apply and if you get it, attend it.

Finish your PhD. You are very far along and near the finishing line. You can finish your PhD and then leave academia research. There is a huge world out there for fresh grad PhDs who wants to pursue non-academia careers. Like industrial postdocs position by pharmaceutical companies, data analyst, product development scientist, etc. So many possibilities. But finish your PhD first.

M

Quote From monkiaa:
First of all, dont worry you are not the only person who get tired from academia, you can see how many stories. All I can say it fake and hypocrite system with some useless supervisors. My advice is: go forward dont let any thing stop you, the most important that you have to desire to finish and get out of this place and this is must the driving force to go forward and not losing the three years you have spent. Dont worry if your supervisor is jealous, just ignore him completely and dont show challenge or something, show that you are indifferent. Do your best to get funding through university, conference or asking them to be a volunteer, you can dig in to find an alternatives to support yourself.


Thank you so much for this message!it gives me energy to continue, I am trying to be indifferent but sometimes it affects me but it is fine, I have a great support outside the lab, great husband, family and friends so that at least is the best that I have! I am learning that sometimes a PhD is a matter of be a strong person and learn a lot about yourself!
Thanks again!I really appreciate this message

M

Quote From tru:
On your travel grant, just apply for it and see what happens. You should attend at least one conference, regardless of what your supervisor thinks, so just apply and if you get it, attend it.

Finish your PhD. You are very far along and near the finishing line. You can finish your PhD and then leave academia research. There is a huge world out there for fresh grad PhDs who wants to pursue non-academia careers. Like industrial postdocs position by pharmaceutical companies, data analyst, product development scientist, etc. So many possibilities. But finish your PhD first.


Thanks so much!! It is great to find support and possibilities outside a PhD...thank you for the ideas in your message, I absolutely will do research about possibilities after a PhD, I was thinking about applying for a industry position as a postdoc or other related with administration, I am trying to not depend on this bad experience but I am not enjoying at all my PhD so maybe that means that I do not enjoy research as I thought.

Thanks again!!

T

Yes, I have heard of something like this before - more senior person / supervisor seems jealous of less senior person's abilities / achievements. Just keep your head down, keep applying for funding etc, establish links elsewhere and move on asap :) As soon as I got out of my bad experience / context, everything totally changed for me, and I started to love my work again :)

M

I would like to add to @Tudor_Queen, unfortunately, it is common to see toxic supervisor jealous from their students when they could achieve something. I had two previous ex-supervisors who were toxic and jealous and did their best to screw up my career. But again, you have to focus and keep a good spirit to finish and meet rational people. My advice: it is normal to meet people who are more intelligent, having more capabilities. I was a teaching assistant and my students sometimes intelligent more than me, I always encourage them and most importantly learn from them, support them even after graduation and in the same time improve from yourself, I think it is kind of candid competition, not a sick one.

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