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I'm quitting my PhD

blog.derhagen.eu

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Re: I'm quitting my PhD

#3
Probably for the best. Usually “I quit my PhD” stories are people who spent 6 years and got fed up, but if if the author can’t last 6 months it sounds like they had the wrong expectations going in.

Re: I'm quitting my PhD

#5
Good for you! A PhD is neither a necessary nor sufficient condition in most career paths these days. It certainly isn't a ticket to guaranteed prosperity. The opportunity cost can be very high.

Especially with a major research mismatch in available advisors and personal interests like the author describe in the article, it can be especially daunting.

I wish them luck in their next steps. I remember how difficult it was at that stage in my PhD to find the right mix -- especially with potential advisors who left the school.

Re: I'm quitting my PhD

#7

Probably for the best. Usually “I quit my PhD” stories are people who spent 6 years and got fed up, but if if the author can’t last 6 months it sounds like they had the wrong expectations going in.

Having a supervisor roughly in the field seems like a reasonable expectation though? The complaint is not having anyone to discuss the topic with...

Re: I'm quitting my PhD

#9
Not for a PhD, but I had similar feelings about supervision for my internship. When I was starting off, it was hard for me to tell how much initiative I need to take versus how much my mentor should guide me. He was always busy and at times I felt like there was no need for the role I was hired for.

In hindsight, I feel like my mentor should have guided me a lot more than he did. But it's hard to know that when you're just starting off, and you tend to blame yourself for not taking enough initiative (even if you are).

Re: I'm quitting my PhD

#10

> I started my PhD in Quantum Computing. Even though I basically didn’t have any previous knowledge about it How does this happen?

PHDs are more about idealism for most than practical outcomes.

Would be cool if colleges were required to estimate number of job openings relevant to each PHD program vs current cohort sizes. Or some central body could

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