Has anyone dropped out of a PhD program (or contemplated it)?

[saheckler]

Just curious because I'm having some thoughts about quitting and not sure whether or not I should push through. What did you do instead when you dropped out? Or alternately, what made you stay? Do you ultimately feel good about your decision, and why/why not? Struggling a bit over here and would love to hear from others who've maybe been in the same place. 

Thank you!

[TiffyRN, BSN, PhD]

@saheckler

I haven't been on this site for a while for reasons. I'm glad you are sticking it out and about to finish. My advisor was a perfect fit for me, but not for a couple of my classmates. So it is hard to help people know how to pick an advisor because I think the MOST important thing is to find an advisor that believes in you.

Having said that, one of my advisor's personal axioms was that the main thing one needs to complete a PhD is persistence. I also have an incredible stubborn streak so my biggest motivation was my husband, on hearing that I was beyond frustrated with school, would say: "Then go ahead and quit!" He did this because he knew that was my strongest motivation.

But, if any school is harming you, take a break, find another program. It's not worth the trouble/damage. Also, know what you want to do with that degree. I didn't when I started my program, but the stars/planets/vibrations were aligned and I found a job well suited to my strengths and preferences.

[Dyson]

Hey! Very curious about what your "nontraditional" post doc was. I am in the middle of a PhD right now and not sure what to do afterward but I am not really interested in academia. 

[saheckler, PhD, RN]

It's the National Clinician Scholars Program. It's an interdisciplinary program with physicians and doctorally-prepared nurses that focuses on getting people with clinical expertise into the research space, in particular related to health equity. It heavily emphases community-engaged research, leadership, policy, and advocacy, rather than just churning out journal articles that sit behind paywalls and are only ever read by other academics and don't actually improve anything.

Many NCSP alumni go on to academic roles, but there are also many that do really interesting things outside of academia and actually use their training to make those real world changes to make the world better. I think it'll be a good transition point to learn more about what careers are possible and where I want to go. Take a look at it! They're in the midst of an admissions cycle, so there are lots of info sessions going on this month and I think applications are due in July (double check that though -- I may be mistaken on the deadline). Here's their website: https://nationalcsp.org/