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Hello everyone,
I left my humanities PhD about 2 months ago. I felt absolutely fine about it at the time. But
now I feel a bit depressed. I just saw this old school friend who is just about to start a science PhD and I feel a bit jealous.At school we were both the kind of star pupils. It made me feel a bit sick in the stomach when I found out. Although I don't mind my job I do now, I feel like maybe I haven't realised my potential. Having said that, I know deep down that my PhD wasn't going to be worth it, I am just too shy and not confident enough for a job in academia. I really don't mind my job now though, and up until recently i really felt like I had made the right decision. I guess in a way I am similar to people who do phd but decide to opt out of academia and get a normal job instead. Can anyone reassure me.

hello, I am the original poster of this message, which I wrote about 6-7 weeks ago now. I have left, I feel like I have made the right decision. While it is a bit stressful to leave and there are certain regrets you have, overall, I feel pretty relieved. Its quite strange as I went straight from BA MA to Phd, and while I was doing it, despite having always done well academically, I suddenly really began to question what it was that I wanted to do. I have new job now, which I like, so it is all good. I wish everyone the best of luck and thanks for the messages.

I have posted a message before. Just some more advice needed, I'm doing a Phd in art history at the courtauld. I have got funding to do it, but I am not enjoying it, I think mainly because I can't see what I want to do at the end of it. I don't think my Phd will be 'brilliant' enough to get an academic job, and I don't really want one anyway. The other career option, of working in the museum,/gallery sector also doesn't appeal. I already have a totally unrelated part time job working for an NGO. My Phd is making me unhappy and I'm worried I will leave and just be in a really bad position in the job market. I'm thinking about leaving and entering the real world. What does anyone think.

I'm doing a PhD in Art History and I have pretty much decided to leave,
the end career results, of a job in academia or the museum world don't seem worth the extreme stress that I go through doing it. Part of my stress is related to the fact that I fear what I am going to do at the end of my phd and the financial stress when my funding ends. However, I have this idea though of this msc course called electronic publishing,it seems very vocational, it concerns setting up and writing websites. Something I do a bit already. I'm worried it won't be intellectually challenging enough though. What do you think?