I agree that everyone is different and I tried a similar mind set and viewed it as a job. I found this very difficult because it was not a job, it was more than a job and unless I was progressing I could have went on taking money and perhaps never finishing. I still wonder wither I could have finished - but through 4 years of not enjoying my job.

Good luck, I am off to the big scary jobless market.

Hi,

I recently made the decision to quit a PhD after procrastinating over it for about 6 months, in total I did about a year and a half. I just wanted to share some of my experience and the mistakes I feel I made - perhaps they will help others.

This should be a two way system, you are interviewing your supervisor as much as he is interviewing you. I was so excited about this great opportunity I never really considered it.

Genuinely know WHAT you want to do and WHY you want to do it. Don't just write a proposal because someone else thinks you would be good for the job, or that you are not sure what else to do. It is about the topic and a desire to study it. Write a proposal for yourself and not anyone else.

Ensure you like the university. They can be dry stale and difficult places to spend long periods of time by yourself. I think this is an overlooked factor - were will you be working?

Be prepared for isolation (and to do something about it). I ignored this after being warned, and decided that it can't be that bad. Your mind can become dry, stale and dusty unless you are careful to keep yourself seeking newness. I learnt a lot about myself and that I would rather work with others and don't have the capacity to work on the same project for a long period of time. I am a little more hyper-active than is controllable.

A PhD is truly not for everyone. There is a lot more to a PhD than having the aptitude to achieve it, it is a combination of factors that have to come together. Think carefully. I feel like a weight has been lifted and am escaping to enjoy a mundane job until I know what I want to do. I feel newness and it feels good.

I have more to share if anyone is interested.

:-)