Thinking of quitting

woodchuck

I'm about 6 months into my PhD and keep thinking about quitting lately. I have a good relationship with my supervisor, I have an interesting project and the people are nice enough, but nothing seems to be going right for me in the lab. I'm not sure if I'm just having a bad few weeks or if I'm just not cut out for it. I'm very tempted by the idea of just sticking it out long enough to get a masters (if I manage to earn even that). How am I supposed to know if this is just a phase that everyone goes through though or whether I should really leave?

Could you talk to someone who has completed a PhD in your department? It's possible it's simply a phase everyone goes through.

H2G2

woodchuck wrote: »

How am I supposed to know if this is just a phase that everyone goes through though or whether I should really leave?

IMHO its just a phase…

My advice (for what its worth!)… Stick it out and don’t quit too easy. I went through a rough patch (with developing some software as part of my PhD) which lasted 6 months… hated it. But now I can look back and see its was all part of the normal emotional highs and lows associated with doing research, especially a PhD.
If you are really serious about quitting, then think about hanging around to get an MSc

Tom Dunne

I went through the same on my MSc, so I would say it is quite normal. On two particular occasions I had the phone in my hand to ring my supervisor to tell him I was quitting. But I didn't and I was glad I didn't.

Have you considered taking a week off? Just to clear your mind.

As everybody else says, at least hang in there for the MSc.

newestUser

woodchuck wrote: »

I'm about 6 months into my PhD and keep thinking about quitting lately. I have a good relationship with my supervisor, I have an interesting project and the people are nice enough, but nothing seems to be going right for me in the lab. I'm not sure if I'm just having a bad few weeks or if I'm just not cut out for it. I'm very tempted by the idea of just sticking it out long enough to get a masters (if I manage to earn even that). How am I supposed to know if this is just a phase that everyone goes through though or whether I should really leave?

It's a phase. As I've said several times on this forum, if you were 6 months into a PhD and thought everything was going swimmingly, I'd be worried. A PhD by research is a completely different challenge than anything you have probably encountered before. The first year (at least) is spent scratching your head.

You're having a bad couple of weeks. It's just a bad patch. You'll have more of them. You'll learn to deal with them.

I can't say whether you should or shouldn't quit (I don't know the bigger picture of your life) but I know for a fact that you shouldn't quit on the basis of the last few weeks, or because you're 6 months in and don't feel comfortable in your studies.

jw297

Im going through a similar phase - Im 9 months in to a phd. After the first 5 months my project had to be drastically changed, so have given it another few months to see if things start working out ok. Im still feeling a bit lost, and despite reassurance from colleagues that this is normal and will pass, Im not sure that Im cut out for it. So far the things Ive enjoyed most in college are actually not related to my phd, but did gain a lot of transferrable skills and experience. Ive discovered that I dont really enjoy the activities involved in my PhD as much as I thought I would (based on undergrad and MSc experience). The other factor is that it would make a lot more financial sense to quit, as well as make things a lot easier in my personal life as I now have to live away from my partner. Ive thought it through a lot and there are a lot of pros to quitting but Im just very afraid that I would be burning my bridges with the department Im in, as well as damaging future career options. It would be really good to hear from someone who has made the decision to quit, as Ive only heard from people who have stuck it out!

IvyTheTerrible

jw297 wrote: »

Im going through a similar phase - Im 9 months in to a phd. After the first 5 months my project had to be drastically changed, so have given it another few months to see if things start working out ok. Im still feeling a bit lost, and despite reassurance from colleagues that this is normal and will pass, Im not sure that Im cut out for it. So far the things Ive enjoyed most in college are actually not related to my phd, but did gain a lot of transferrable skills and experience. Ive discovered that I dont really enjoy the activities involved in my PhD as much as I thought I would (based on undergrad and MSc experience). The other factor is that it would make a lot more financial sense to quit, as well as make things a lot easier in my personal life as I now have to live away from my partner. Ive thought it through a lot and there are a lot of pros to quitting but Im just very afraid that I would be burning my bridges with the department Im in, as well as damaging future career options. It would be really good to hear from someone who has made the decision to quit, as Ive only heard from people who have stuck it out!

I think if you have seriously thought through quitting, the first thing you should do is talk to your supervisor. Explain where you are having problems with your work, ask him/her for advice, maybe ask for some time out? Maybe they could give you some more help in the areas where you are less familiar. Also, by being upfront with your supervisor, you are less likely to be burning your bridges, as if you decide to quit, it won't be a bolt out of the blue.

Also, as someone who just recently submitted, I should say that it is very very normal to feel like you are not cut out for phd work..it's not easy, or else everyone would be doing one! I would be very surprised if anyone just sailed through the three years without doubts or having a rough patch in the lab. All those problems make you think in a different way, learn how to problem solve, make you a better researcher.

Anyway whatever you decide, best of luck!

jw297

Thanks for the response, ivytheterrible. I'm lucky to have quite open communication with my supervisor, who is aware of a lot of my doubts and worries, and is usually quite understanding. I wont be making any drastic decisions just yet, will give it until the one-year mark and re-assess. Its good to hear that others feel they aren't cut out for it either. At the moment it feels like the research side of things might possible work out ok, and its the other factors in my life that are making me want to quit. It can quite hard to separate the different things and think about them objectively! Congratulations on submitting, and all the best!

randomname2005

I would also stay to stick with it. I had a very indifferent relationship with my supervisor but after going through the whole process it was worth sticking with it and persevering with the bad times.

Keep the chin up and don't forget that there are other people - your supervisor, other phd students and recent graduates who can help you out!