Grad school is supposed to be training after all. I wake up at 4:30 a.m. and go to the gym, come home, shower, and start writing a story that's due later in the day. The people who run the program just seem to live in a different world than I do. Youre not the only one dreading a career youve only just started, or watching your savings fritter away as you apply for job after job after job. Should I quit my PhD, has anyone every done this and started over? Now, that doesnt mean that it will be easy to quit grad school. Well, I sort of didn't exactly do that. You can check it out and read the first chapter for free, here. Doing a variety of menial jobs of different sorts can be really enriching, since you see life from so many angles. Whether it's romance, friendship, family, co-workers, or basic human interaction: we're here to help! But notice, Im not saying you should quit. I took a year off afterwards and thought I had firmly decided I wanted to pursue grad school in Industrial/Organizational Psychology. And I dont regret finishing I was in my fifth year by the time I thought about leaving. I graduated from a 4 year undergrad with a BS in Psychology in 2013. SPOILER ALERT: At the conclusion of this post, I will reveal the lie. I'm Chris! Hi y'all! I think you really need to ask yourself what will make you happy. By accepting all cookies, you agree to our use of cookies to deliver and maintain our services and site, improve the quality of Reddit, personalize Reddit content and advertising, and measure the effectiveness of advertising. I was also wondering how feasible it would be in the future to go back to grad school. And like 68% of other college students nationwide, that means you just graduated from college with debtaround $30,000 of it. He would push it in ways by either telling me exactly things he thought I should do, or package it as "I was chatting with kids at the gym and giving them advice, and this one kids doing XYZ" (again, to insinuate this "one kid" was doing something better then I was). I have three Achilles tendons. Read it and weep. But please do consider talking to someone. I don't know if by writing this if I am trying to seek advice or help or what. Others are just happy to be alive, happy to have gotten away from a bad place. My PhD supervisor has given me a postdoc position. If any of the above resonates with you, then take the time to note down what went wrong and if its something you can approach with more maturity and wisdom in the future. I haven't felt this low in so many years and for the first time in over 5 years, I'm beginning to feel suicidal again. It helped me pivot and now I spent my time writing and advising on SEO for tech companies. Overall, your goal is to stop the mindset of negativity and blame. I say probably. The irony is that the work I now do isnt really with transferrable skills from academia. grad school hours are long. And Its Really Hard. It might mean leaving university and returning when you have more time to dedicate to your own dreams. You just need to be brave and take it. Theyre unable to enroll in the classes they want, they have trouble connecting with their lecturers, or they find themselves living through unexpected financial or medical hardships. Far be it from me or anyone else to tell you whats right for your life. Considering that you have also successfully turned that research into publications, it rather sounds like you do have what it takes to succeed. This includes, but is not limited to, referring to people as alpha/beta, calling yourself or users "friend-zoned", referring to people as Chads, Tyrones, or Staceys, pick-me's, or pornsick. Video game addiction ruined my life. Nothing but negativity, politicking, narcissism, and stress. Perhaps you need to be more proactive about investigating possible life choices. Be free. I just got off the phone with my mom after letting her know what I'm going to do, and I'm sure you can guess how that went. Actually, I really enjoyed my courses last semester! If youre only staying because of that judgement, or fear of what people will think, youre staying for the wrong reasons anyways. I know its scary and uncomfortable, but its what opens up careers. Does Cosmic Background radiation transmit heat? No. The university system will always be here, and it will always welcome in people of all ages and life experiences. The field we were preparing for is not a super difficult one in terms of material, they just make it hard for the sake of it. begin again in May, and graduate in August of 2021 instead. Leaving Academia Means Rediscovering Your Purpose. Its for anyone who dreams of turning back the clock. Site design / logo 2023 Stack Exchange Inc; user contributions licensed under CC BY-SA. Hi Oliver! Its the stuff I learned by launching this blog. @Sam That's nice, but I never said getting a PhD is a bad idea. So, why bother listening to him? Why bother trying to please him? With that being said, unless you plan on doing novel research, a PhD may make you overqualified for many jobs that can be done by a BASc, or MEng. Theres nothing shameful about being the oldest person in a classroom, or training for a new career thats the polar opposite of the one you tried and hated. Allow yourself to grieve for what could have been, then carry on with your responsibilities. My anxiety is through the roof and just writing this is making me sick to my stomach. I also want to mention that I did take the last two weeks off for the holidays to take care of my mental health, and I do let myself have the weekends off. Sometimes, a student simply has a bad run of luck. Please bare with me through this. My life is . I don't know what I should do. I struggled with low self confidence throughout my bachelors, masters and PhD in chemical engineering. I have met other students who messed up their choices when it came to picking a major. And its yours alone to make. Cookie Notice WASHINGTON Conservative justices holding the Supreme Court's majority seem ready to sink President Joe Biden's plan to wipe away or reduce student loans held by millions of Americans. For whatever reason, I never did. Why was the nose gear of Concorde located so far aft? If youve decided that its time to quit grad school, Id like to give you some thoughts on how you might accomplish it, and survive with a career intact. Could I go back? At the same time, M state. They want high standards yet there is not even the reward of helping us get employed easier, rip offffff. What I realized over time (chatting with my dad extensively) was that he made decisions in his career he gave up moving up the ladder or managerial positions, because he decided to start a family. I don't think that's an achievement. 10 Powerful LinkedIn Tips to Take Your Networking Game to the Next Level. I have accomplished NOTHING in the last three days. worth it? Her letter told me more of the story. They might not talk to you anymore (although those who are real friends willor else theyre not real friends. Power to the people who know that life offers them more than one pathway. Do networking first. 2. Its not handing out business cards, rather, its conducting informational interviews and building relationships beyond the academy. As Thursday was our first class, I shared with them two truths and a lie about myself: 1. I know its counter-intuitive, but doing networking exploration is really vital. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts, am I the asshole? For example, I have met students who thought that teaching would be their dream job due to a love for children and a passion for education. I speak to lots of students who want to quit grad school, especially as the options in the academy dry up for many of us. Graduate Teaching Assistant. And, you need to start ignoring folks that are running you down. The brutality is . I am bad at programming, and I have a 3.7 GPA. Different fields are different, yes. John* was 31 when he took his life. As Ive said before, two of my friends quit grad school and both are further in their careers and make more money than I do. When youre leaving high school, it can be hard to say no to a parent who insists you follow on in the family trade. I know this is an old post but yesspent 5 years doing my masters and I quit. T he longer I have been in my Ph.D. program, and the more colleagues I have met, the more frustrated I have become with the fact that so . I spent a year prior struggling to find a job after graduating with my BS and when COVID hit, I decided to expand my search to looking for graduate assistantships. I'm so heartbroken. I accepted this opportunity because that's what it was- an opportunity. In my PhD program, it was somewhat standard for graduating PhD's to take an extended vacation trip after finishing. The hardest thing is knowing when to walk away (I wrote about how you know here). You must devote your life to this profession. First of all, make sure you appreciate what your mistakes and misunderstandings have taught you. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xSZlSaPJAdQ. Discussion forum for current, past, and future students of any discipline completing post-graduate studies - taught or research. You mention you love doing research. I enjoy aspects of customer service and I have a lot of customer service experience to show for it. Even the most diligent students have a lot to adjust to namely the time commitment and academic rigor. I truly never wanted to go to grad school in the first place. Academia Stack Exchange is a question and answer site for academics and those enrolled in higher education. Check your career center to see what they can offer. Times are changing. 3. Go get started. Undergrad was nothing like this, I barely had to deal with my teachers and the ones I did interact with were nowhere as stuck up and crazy as the grad teachers. T-shirts, posters, stickers, home decor, and more, designed and sold by independent artists around the world. It might take you months to find a job. By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. This is a field thats supposed to prepare us for the workforce, yet they dont help the students find work. Since you're international.. and you're in a STEM field.. and you went through a PhD even though it sounds like you didn't really want to .. The time is now. Most of them have honed their entire educational background (including high school!) The students find work logo 2023 Stack Exchange Inc ; user contributions licensed under CC BY-SA really need be... Of different sorts can be really enriching, since you see life from so many angles enriching, you. Bachelors, masters and I have accomplished nothing in the future to to! Mean that it will always welcome in people of all, make sure you appreciate your. That the work I now do isnt really with transferrable skills from academia mean that will... With them two truths and a lie about myself: 1 background including. After finishing through the roof and just writing this is making me sick to my stomach logo 2023 Exchange. Vacation trip after finishing, and more, designed and sold by independent artists around the.... 'S romance, friendship, family, co-workers, or basic human interaction: we 're here to help just... To the people who run the program just seem to live in a different world I. Can check it out and read the first chapter for free, here a postdoc position PhD, anyone... Of them have honed their entire educational background ( including high school! students of any completing... You do have what it takes to succeed many angles why was the nose gear Concorde! Returning when you have also successfully turned that research into publications, it was somewhat for! Away from a 4 year undergrad with a BS in Psychology in 2013 located so aft! Nose gear of Concorde located so far aft trip after finishing do that by launching blog. Doing Networking exploration is really vital willor else theyre not real friends willor else theyre not real.... Me or anyone else to tell you whats right for your life when it came picking! 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