======= Date Modified 10 Jul 2012 19:31:51 =======
Hi all,
I am currently doing an AHRC funded collaborative PhD with a university and a museum and I have been thinking about leaving to enter the job market. I never intended to do a PhD, I was hoping for a career in museums and I saw the PhD advertised, applied, and was offered funding. After speaking to a couple of people in the museums sector, they recommended that I take the PhD as a way to 'ride out' the recession. However, I'm now a year in and I've become quite disillusioned with the experience. I think this stems from the fact that although a PhD may help a career in museums it is certainly not necessary and I don't really want to enter the already over-saturated academic sector.

I have been thinking about leaving but I don't want to let the university or the museum down. They worked quite hard to secure funding for this project and I don't want to have leave them 'in the lurch' so to speak or sever any ties.

I've been thinking that perhaps I need to just buckle down and get on with finishing the PhD as quickly as possible, but I don't know whether it is worth missing out on the two years work experience I could be gaining if i quit now.

Has anybody else in this sector quit a PhD? Can anyone offer any advice or tell me about their own experiences and whether or not it affected their chances in the job market afterwards? Likewise I would love to hear from people that have had a positive PhD experience and successfully entered the job market afterwards.

Thanks so much for any advice you all can give I've got myself quite stressed out with deciding.