Dear LordHargreaves,

Rather than think about whether you can do a PhD, have you deeply thought about what you want as a career after the phd? You did not mention this at all.

Do you want to work in academia? If yes, then a PhD is the way to go. However, you may wish to check on the job prospects of a PhD in humanities to help you make your decision on whether to invest all those years of PhD study.

If you want to do a PhD to get out of the supermarket job, I would suggest that you reconsider aligning your current skills to get a better job. Would a diploma or masters in business, sales, marketing or client management help you climb the career ladder better in addition to your work experience?

Why can't you start off with a masters, then upgrade to a PhD later on? Won't it be easier to find a Mres scholarship than a PhD? This would give you more time to think if a PhD is really necessary.

In my opinion, do the specific courses that your connections recommend. Then get into the field first with those qualifications. I think experience would trump PhD qualification as a data scientist, but if you are dead set about doing a PhD then go for it.

Prof B is the dean? Oh, dear. You may have trouble switching as people may be worried that they may upset the dean and ruin their professional relationship.

Since you have already decided, just approach Prof A then and ask him directly in a meeting.

What is your plan B if he says no? Look for Prof D?

Since you have already been talking to these people on LinkedIn, is it possible to ask them to recommend you for a job in the area, maybe as an associate? Could you work with the company first then get them to sponsor you for your studies later?

Hi, Chaddak,

Before quiting your current job, can you meet people doing the job you like and find out what qualifications did they have to get the job? For all you know, instead of investing 4 years in a PhD, you may just need a year's course or masters or maybe an even shorter internship. Don't waste more time than you need.Work experience matters more than qualification for a data scientist, so the sooner you can get the qualification and get a related job, the better.

A PhD is no guarantee for a job. You should read about the employability of the people in the area that you want to venture in. I think 29-30 is still young, so age is not an issue, but abundance of job is.

Hi, bigchange,

When you say that you have found another phd chance, do you mean that you have been accepted into that group? If yes, great. Just leave and cite poor fit to project as reason. Your phd superisor is not doing her duties and clearly this is impacting your phd.

Hi, chinnu,

You are only 5 months old and should be alright changing to a different sup since you have not invested too much time in your project.

So, you have decided that you want to ditch Prof B for Prof A? My question is how close are Prof A and B? Do they collaborate? If yes, Prof A may be highly unlikely to take you on as a student so as not to offend prof B. If no, then you may wish to ask Prof A's students if he has funds to take in students. If yes, then you can speak to Prof A detailing the areas of your interest and what you can contribute to his group. If you have scholarship that is transferable to this new group, you stand a good chance of getting an ok from him.

But are you sure that not being able to choose your methods is an acceptable tradeoff for you to learn machine learning techniques? Just want you to think deeply about it so you don't revisit this issue 2 years down the line.

Hi, carolina30,

People switch their PhD project all the time within the first few months when they realise that the project is a poor fit or if they feel that there are problems with supervision.

Do you have scholarship? You may wish to see if the scholarship can transfer to the new project. If yes, normally, supervisors love it if you bring your own fund and this can be seen as a plus when you want to switch. Tell the new supervisor that your current project is a poor fit and you realise that your interests did not align with the project. You could also say that the project description and reality is very different (is this true?) when you started work on it. Just be frank and they normally will understand. You will also need to convince your new supervisor that you will finish the project under him.

Good luck!

Dear iwan,

pm133 has gone into detail of what you should do if you intend to stay in this toxic environment.

My question to you is:do you really want to?

You have only stayed for 1.5 years and it is affecting your mental state. You may have another 3 more years to go. Can you do this? Could things get worse eg. total isolation from group, snatching of ideas, research ripped apart during presentation, being framed for something you did not do? Would you be able to withstand them?

While I know that you have invested 1.5 years, it is not the end of the world to start over in another lab. The worst case scenario would be to work hard till the end and being unable to graduate due to your toxic environment. Do read the posts by many other PhD students on their struggles to see what I mean.

Ultimately, the decision is in your hands.

Being a RA and doing a PhD (hence a student) are two different matters. I am not sure why u have to be enrolled to work. It does't make sense.

Hi, TheNerdyWorkoholic,

You have not spoken about your intended career path. If you are intending to be in academia, I suggest you do a PhD. If not, you are better off getting a job first as you will find the work experience very helpful to pursue a career in industry.

If you decide to pursue a PhD, work as a RA for a year and apply for the internal PhD scholarship. As a MRes student from the same uni you want to do your PhD in, you stand a good chance of getting a PhD full scholarship. Alternatively, you could use your Master to apply for permanent residency (PR) while you work as a RA, if you intend to stay long and contribute to the Aus economy. With the PR you should be able to pay domestic fee and get loan help, etc. You will also be able to apply for many scholarships opportunities for domestic students.

Think carefully. I wish you the very best.

Hi, CharlieC,

You have a lot of important points in your first post. I'll answer as best I can.

On your current job, you mentioned that the job is not enjoyable and has unclear career trajectory, but it is secure. You don't want to be an academic but a PhD in your field can be very helpful
- You have clearly outgrown your job. You could always look for another with more potential for growth. Could you ask your employer to sponsor your PhD, so you have a guaranteed job to return to?

Your PhD is interesting but you are struggling as you have no prior experience and you worry about fit and income reduction.
- No one knows for sure if their PhD is right for them until they start. You can learn, even if you have no prior experience. The important thing is whether you like the topic enough to want to try it and live a little poorly. Only you can answer this.

You want to start a family but worry about your PhD.
-You can always delay your PhD. My friend did hers at 50. It can be done. Having a child during phd can cause additional stress, on top of an already stressful PhD.

I wish you the best in your decision. Good luck!

A PhD student I know delivered her baby 10 months into her PhD, then took a 6 month maternity leave. She only told the supervisor after she was 5 months pregnant. She came back and continued her PhD later. Hers was also a lab-based PhD. She seems ok now. So.... I guess, it all depends on you and your supervisor?

Hi, Cy, this is great! This would definitely work in your favour when you look for jobs later on. On making a decision for your career move to complete your PhD earlier or later, it is possible for you to talk to current lecturers in your uni and ask them directly what they think of it? They may be able to offer more field-specific career advice.