Questions tagged [quitting]
Questions about leaving an academic position. This could apply to quitting an educational program, such as a doctoral program, or quitting a faculty position.
36
questions
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11
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How do I know that I have truly lost interest in research and should drop out of a top CS PhD program? [duplicate]
I am a second-year CS PhD pre-candidate in a top PhD program. During my first year, I published a first-author paper at the best conference in my area, which I know is a big accomplishment. My advisor ...
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101
votes
9
answers
25k
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If I quit my PhD, would it make my advisor look bad?
I am considering quitting my PhD in computer science, because after doing a software engineering internship I realized I enjoy that kind of work much more.
My advisor has been very kind to me, on ...
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65
votes
12
answers
43k
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PhD and postdoc with no first author publications- realistically what are my career prospects?
I am a UK based researcher in life sciences. My research is in neuroscience, mainly involving in vivo electrophysiology. My PhD project was a disaster for a number of reasons (technical difficulties, ...
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43
votes
9
answers
9k
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What advantages do professors have over equivalent industry and government researchers?
Tenure track professors at USA R1s, ideally in STEM, help me understand: in 2021 what advantages do professors have over equivalent industry and government researchers?
I am tenure track at a top 5 ...
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40
votes
3
answers
10k
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Should I quit my PhD? [closed]
This is a canonical question on this topic as per this Meta post. Due to its nature, it is rather broad and not exemplary for a regular question on this site. Please feel free to improve this question....
6
votes
2
answers
866
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I'm unhappy with my PhD [closed]
I started work on my project in January right off the back of losing a very close family member, which didn't give me a very good mindset to begin with.
I had an initial doubt in my mind that the ...
- 1,163
5
votes
2
answers
5k
views
How to tell my advisor that I am quitting my PhD and what to say to an employer about why I am leaving
I got a job offer shortly after starting my PhD. So my question is: What should I say to my advisor about why I am quitting my PhD? Is it fair to tell her that I have accepted a job offer? And What ...
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58
votes
10
answers
23k
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Fifth year of my PhD and I hate my project. What should I do?
I am a PhD student in mechE. After paying the first year tuition out of pocket, I accepted a PhD project due to desperation for funding. However, after an year I realized that I hate the project. Here ...
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55
votes
12
answers
28k
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Quit PhD and find a job
I'm a year and a half into a PhD at a top university in the Uk. Doing some good work but not enjoying academia and I think this is more than second year blues. I have quite a bad advisor which doesn't ...
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32
votes
10
answers
9k
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ls it wrong to not have any research ambitions after PhD and postdoc experience?
I did my PhD and 1 year postdoc in mechanical engineering from a top 20 world ranking school. Though it took me longer than others to get my PhD (5.5 years), I published 5 first authored papers there. ...
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31
votes
6
answers
8k
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Guilt about quitting PhD as first student of the lab
I am a first year PhD student in a lab in Europe. I joined the lab 6 months ago and soon afterwards realized that the topic and institute are not what I had imagined it would be.
It took me quite some ...
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25
votes
5
answers
16k
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Ethics of staying in PhD program with no intention of being an academic, and misleading my advisor about this
My field is extremely competitive for tenure track jobs that I:
will most likely be unable to land after graduation
don't even really desire anymore.
In comparison to my classmates, my research ...
user81856
22
votes
2
answers
19k
views
Proper "notice period" for resigning a tenure track position?
My apologies in advance if this is a duplicate. I did search a bit about this before posting here.
This is related to my previous posts so, briefly: I want to leave my current position and I have ...
- 655
21
votes
4
answers
33k
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Quitting after 5 years - miserable and depressed [closed]
I'm a fifth year graduate student in the life sciences. To cut to the chase, I hate this PhD, I hate research and I hate academia. It didn't used to be this way.
I have been juggling three different ...
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124
votes
19
answers
42k
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Should I quit my PhD - workload, self-esteem and social life [closed]
I don't really want a degree. I just want to get married, and have weekends and evenings off, and chill out and play board games, and have nice conversations with friends, and have time to exercise ...
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102
votes
15
answers
42k
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Just started a postdoc, but it went REALLY bad, REALLY fast. Stay or go?
I just started my 2-yr postdoc, but things have gone sour really fast. So, I really need some career advice as to what to do.
Over several months, I did the interviews with the supervisor and the lab ...
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99
votes
4
answers
21k
views
I'm feeling discouraged after getting tenure; should I quit?
A few months ago, and seven years after I obtained my PhD, I finally got tenure. Hence I have a permanent position in academia.
After a few months in this new position, I find myself thinking of ...
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73
votes
5
answers
16k
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Leaving academia at 39
I am 39 and I have a good position in a European university, on my way to tenure (in the Economics Department). I am miserable in Academia, and I have been saying for many years that I want to do ...
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53
votes
2
answers
8k
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U.S. humanities professors: Can you get back into academia if you leave?
I'm a tenured professor in a humanities department at a second-tier research university in the United States. My Ph.D. is from a top-ten program in my discipline. I have an above-average number of ...
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46
votes
5
answers
14k
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How do I cut ties with a bad supervisor?
I'm a biology PhD student (25, female). I've recently handed in my thesis after a long struggle but I've not defended yet. In short I've had a really bad experience with my supervisor and my PhD and ...
- 1,209
18
votes
6
answers
9k
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Quit a PhD for another PhD
During the last month, I applied for PhD programs in some of the top US Universities in my scientific field. At the same time, I applied also for a PhD position in a very good European University. ...
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17
votes
6
answers
1k
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What steps could universities take to reduce Ph.D. drop-outs?
One of the major issues in universities with respect to PhD is the high dropout factor. Demotivated students cause a big loss to the university - a lot is spent on assistantships, but in the end, the ...
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16
votes
3
answers
2k
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What to do when you hear many bad stories about your supervisor on the first day of your PhD?
Today was the first day of my PhD. It's a very prestigious institution and I was extremely excited to start. However, it seems there is a general feeling of discontentment with people in the group and ...
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13
votes
2
answers
1k
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Is it dishonest to start a PhD with intent to leave it and transfer to another program?
I just finished my master and am about to start a funded PhD in October. Thing is that the reason I am doing this PhD is because I missed the deadlines for the PhDs that I am truly interested in. I ...
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10
votes
3
answers
2k
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Should I give a symbolic "thank you, and goodbye" gift to an abusive supervisor?
Within one week I shall leave my present institution, where I felt severely mistreated around salary payment and work conditions for 2 years, as a postdoctoral fellow.
The PI who signed my contract (...
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9
votes
3
answers
617
views
Advisor's Negativity
How do you deal with the constant flow negativity from an advisor? Examples:
How worthless I am, how I am the worst student he ever had. Absolutely good for nothing.
Whatever I am doing is ...
6
votes
2
answers
2k
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My advisor does not provide any solutions and wants me to work alone
So, my advisor works in a group style, meaning we have these weekly meetings, where all of his PhD students and RAs are present. We plan the work ahead and set aims, but these aims are always very ...
5
votes
3
answers
933
views
Dealing with poor management, lack of supervision, and the desire to move into a different field
I am halfway through the 4th year of my PhD and I have grown to find that I dislike the direction of my dissertation and the project that I am working on. My supervisor is extremely absent as he is ...
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5
votes
3
answers
8k
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Possible to leave a contract academic position shortly after signing new contract? [closed]
I am an assistant professor on a year-to-year contract in academic med (I'm a PhD biostatistician). I just signed a new contract in July. I have been 'head hunted' to join a private company, and I am ...
4
votes
3
answers
857
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Possible to return to a PhD years later (at the same or a different uni?)
Here's my challenge: I took a suspension of studies about a year and a half ago from my UK PhD program (in ancient history) and moved back to the US after my funding ran out, and now have to decide ...
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3
votes
2
answers
2k
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Just started PhD, feel lost and abandoned
I started my PhD some months ago. My advisor was also my Master's advisor. He was impressed by my skills and passion so I enrolled in a PhD program with him.
What happened is that my topic changed ...
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3
votes
1
answer
896
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Is it worth finishing your PhD if your advisor thinks you are not cut out for research? [closed]
I am a fourth year PhD student. My advisor told me I was a bad researcher, and as I understand, I would need his letter of reference if I wanted to do any research in the future.
He advised me to ...
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2
votes
2
answers
1k
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Would leaving my current PhD program ABD be a red flag when applying to other universities?
tl;dr: I am considering leaving my current PhD program ABD, after four years, several publications and a strained relationship with my bully advisor. How, when and do I explain why I'm leaving if I ...
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2
votes
0
answers
269
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Dropping Out And Applying Somewhere Else [closed]
I am a student in a top 10 engineering Ph.D program. After arriving at my current program a month ago, All of my professors of interest were not willing to take me in and I was given the option to ...
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1
vote
1
answer
233
views
Are these good reasons for starting a new PhD project? [closed]
If have just finished the first year of my PhD studies in mathematics at a German university. After my master's, which I have done in representation theory, I had started a PhD in a more applied field,...
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0
votes
3
answers
495
views
I'm thinking about leaving after 6 months as a PhD student [closed]
I started last November but I've been having this gut feeling that this project may not be the one for me
The big picture is that I'm not really happy with the theory- if I'm being totally honest with ...
- 1,163