Hi,

I have a similar story as of others in this post. I am 1 year into the program. I opted for a phd as I did not have a job after graduating (given the economic condition in 2009 I thought I wont get a job for sometime) and I did not want to sit at home. Yeah I guess 2 wrong reasons to do a phd. I know I can do this phd, but I am not motivated. I am not passionate about it, and what ever little interest I had has nearly vanished.

The thought of quitting has crossed my mind a zillion times. There are times when I want to play it safe: get a job and then quit and other times I dont care: I just want to quit and then look for a job.
I dont know what I want from life but I definitely know what I don't want - doing phd. I am sure I want to quit. But I dont know how to look for a job. What do I write in the CV? Should I mention the fact that I am currently studying and want to quit and work. Or should I hide this information. What should I say in the interview?

Please help...
thank you

Have you done enough work to write up as a Masters so that you have something to show for it? As regards what to say and put in your CV, this has been covered quite extensively in the past on this forum. I'd recommend doing a search.
This might be counter to the advice of other and admittedly far wiser people on this forum, but I wouldn't put that you've quit in your CV. I only say this because at the moment there's something like 50+ graduates applying for every graduate level position. If a prospective employer sees that in your CV, without having spoken to you personally about the circumstances behind your decision to leave, he may think you a quitter and put you on the reject pile. You could mention that you are currently studying but are seeking an employment opportunity. This way you stand a better chance of getting an interview. In the interview you can then give your reasons for actually wanting to work instead of study.

Good luck.

I'd agree with Wally here, if you can get a masters out of it then do so, but if you can't or if you just want out then when applying don't say you've quit. It's ridiculously tough out there to get jobs at the moment, so you need to sell yourself in the best way possible. Do some volunteer work maybe and say that you've been looking for work but keeping busy and building your skills set by doing volunteer stuff, that way it looks like you're the worker type and haven;t been bumming around if you don't say you're currently doing a phd.

Good luck, I know it's a very tough decision to make.

I agree you should try to get a masters out of it, also, you might consider your timing a bit - in the next few weeks/months there will be loads of straight out of university graduates, so competition will be even tougher than it may be in a month or so. you are, of course a third of the way through, so if you have any interest at all in your subject (and this might depend upon what your subject is of course) you could try to make the best of it maybe? However I was in this position once and I knew as soon as I got to the place and started the course it just wasn't for me, but I hung on for two years before I finally gave up and left, I regard it now as a complete waste of my time and I should have made the break earlier, it was an unmitigated failure, so I would be the last one to say you should do that! - luckily though I not only I found a job straight away I think if I hadn't I could have stayed at my summer job for longer - they had me back in the research labs three years in a row and promoted me every time, and had an open ended finish date every year. Finding a job might not be too easy, if you could fit in some voluntary work for a while that would be useful, how about seeing if you can do something for the new graduate intake in helping them to settle in, that might look good on your CV.  You may need to think about this as a slightly longer term goal, I would try to get something lined up before I quit, and in any case, if you go for the masters, you will still have to write it up, then you can say you have been doing the voluntary stuff, and writing up your masters at the same time, I don't expect they will ask you if it was a PhD that didn't work for you, how would they know? and if they don't ask, you probably don't need to mention it unless you want to.

I would just knock the PhD off your CV. Never mention in the interview unless they specifically ask you to elaborate on the gap.

Most graduates, they are younger than you, have no idea how to look for work when they graduate. They do just fine. It might take them a few/several years to figure out what they want to do with their lives, but they do fine. They don't go collecting JSA or go down the life of crimes. Only a small minority do. You have to try figure out yourself.

ReaderinPikey, this post is 3 years old.

Reenie, Can you not post useless comments like "ReaderInPikey, this post is 3 years old." I can read the dates. I only contribute to topics that are applicable today. That's obvious, isn't it? Or maybe you can't read?

Reenie,

You only have to browse back a few pages and you're looking at posts that were made two or three years ago easily. It's an easy trap to fall into and I've done it once myself!!! :-)

As regards ReaderinPikey, I've a question about his activity and I'll use a new thread to ask that question.

Ian (Mackem_Beefy)

Addressing to someone in a thread from 3 years ago isn't really contributing to a topic that is applicable today - there's no need to be so defensive about it.

I'd agree with Mackem_Beefy, the purpose of this forum is "to help current, future and previous postgraduate students to exchange ideas, get advice and generally help each other out" and although ReaderinPikey has given some pragmatic advice, dragging up old threads just to give advice that clearly isn't relevant anymore is questionable behaviour.

You are right of course Ian, but ReaderinPikey has dragged up quite a few old posts, which is why I've mentioned it.

Contradirony - I agree, thanks for your post.

ReaderinPikey - you are now banned from the forum. If you want to email me to appeal, feel free.

Hello,

DO NOT QUIT WITHOUT GETTING A JOB.

I just downgraded from a PhD to an MPHIL, currently about to start writing up my MPHIL thesis.

However before I quit which I left in early feb, I have completed a year and 4months of my PHD, I started applying for jobs in December. I got offered employment in january. What I discovered was I was in the same position you are for the past year and 4months, although I really wanted to do a PhD as I am passionate about research, my relationship with my supervisor which broke down was one of the reason I quit also the rearch topic was shit. Now I have a job, I am much more happy and feel like I should never have chosen to do the phd in the first place. So i suggest you find a job then downgrade to an MPhil. Before you do this do not make any palns to quit, always quit with another plan otherwise you will become depressed of not getting a job after you quit.