Quitting my PhD

Mr Jack said:
Our OP has made clear that he got into his PhD without properly knowing what he was getting into for pretty ropey reasons. His eventual dissatisfaction was entirely predictable.

No, biggy, we all make mistakes.
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Not really. At some level, we all get induced or incentivised to do things we wouldn't think about doing otherwise.

I wonder if the reason why most people are deriding the OP for making a decision that hasn't worked out for him is because they themselves wouldn't stand a hope in hell of getting the opportunity to make such a decision.
 
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Castiel said:
I think you are confusing clinical depression with just feeling a bit under the weather or a bit stressed.....

Depression is really not "meh" to those that suffer from it. I am surprised at your attitude to what can be a pretty crippling mental illness.
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Of course depression is serious, my meh was based at the idea of undue scrutiny whereby everyone who quits or changes their job should check to see whether they are depressed.
 
Nitefly said:
Of course depression is serious, my meh was based at the idea of undue scrutiny whereby everyone who quits or changes their job should check to see whether they are depressed.
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Most people do not and would not....just like most people have not actually got Asbergers despite what they calim...but if there is reason to suspect Clinical Depression then taking life-changing decisions should really be thought through with that in mind.
 
I feel there is a need to clear a few points up:
1) I have not been happy since I started the PhD but felt trapped. Each day that I did it made me more and more unhappy and I need to get out before I go crazy.
2) The suspected Arpergers has come from my ex-girlfriend making me go to see a councellor regarding unrelated issues to my past. One thing led to another and I was given a referral to a local place, which rejected it and said I need to see a specialist. I am making no claims to being depressed, but I am sure that I am extremely unhappy with my life right now. I am a very self-critical person who tends to be a loner in life. I disliked the PhD before this all started.
3) Me and my supervisor do no get along, but if that was all the problem was I would have changed supervisor.

The post claiming 'What a disaster' made me laugh out loud. Yes I have made an enourmous mistake here, but in the grand scheme of life this is just a hickup.
I made threads on here over the last few months with issues about my PhD. I ignored the advice given by some posters (who I should have listened to because they actually had a PhD) and the inevitable happened.
I will no longer be wondering "what-if?". I got a fully funded PhD offer. I tried it. It made me extremely unhappy. I decided to leave to do something that makes me want to exist on this planet.

olivier renault said:
You need to talk to someone close to you within the university. See what is exactly wrong (The research? The supervisor? The lack of material? Lack of results? Personal circumstances?).

Surely there must be some 'PhD Anonymous' organisation that can help you. My brother and also my brother in Law did their PhDs, and it certainly didn't go smooth. Most people struggle at some point.
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It is called counselling :p Done that too!

Amleto said:
sorry for skimming this, and only vaguely recollecting previous thread, but aren't OP's issues with his supervisor. And he has decided to quit without talking to anybody about his supervisor.

Yeah, that's sensible.
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I did post that I have issues with him. He is just one of my issues.
I have spoken to various people with PhDs and some people without. Some of these are in industry and some are in academia.
I am in this bad situation. My only options are stick it out and fail after 3 years because I truely dislike it, or leave now. The latter is a better option. A PhD can only be achieved by thinking of it every single waking hour - It becomes your life.

I would assume most people making prattish comments (i.e. What a disaster) haven't been through the PhD process! Perhaps I should have expected a few considering this is GD :p.
 
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To be honest, it sounds to me like you've made the right decision for the right reasons, and the way you've been able to justify those reasons in the face of some (fairly harsh) comments just underlines that. I particularly like your comment:

OpenToSuggestions said:
...but in the grand scheme of life this is just a hickup.
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I think that's a great attitude, one I always try to have whenever something goes wrong. Stop doing what makes you unhappy, and go forth and get whatever it is you want from life that will make you happy. I have a good friend who talks a lot like you do, but he thinks he'd be a failure to quit. I think the opposite - to up sticks and leave like that when you know it's no longer what you want shows a good deal of courage. I applaud your conviction, and wish you the best of luck in what you go on to do instead.
 
OpenToSuggestions said:
To all those who helped me, and those who just posted crap.

I have been offered a design engineering job and have accepted it :).
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Congrats, I am sure this was the right decision for you.

Don't think that you failed to do complete a PhD but instead have chosen a more optimal path with more favorable outcomes.It is also extremely common, PHD attrition rates are around 30-40%, I've had several friends quit for various reasons, rarely was it a case in inability.

Where I did my PhD there was a special counselor for depressive and suicidal PhD candidates because there had been so many incidents. It really is important o let go of the PhD and move your life on. I'm glad I have my PhD but think I probably should have quit at the end of my first year.
 
Good luck with the new job and I hope it works out better for you than the PhD did. Given that you've not been sure about it for a long time I've no doubt this will be a weight off your mind.
 
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