| My PhD contract ends today. I'll defend by the end of the year. I'm leaving academia. I'm happy to have "tried" a PhD. I didn't know whether I wanted to do research. During my PhD, I advised several interns on a software project I started as a student during an internship. I could teach, which I liked to do. But it was exhausting. It was hard to even start working these days. It didn't work out, because I didn't get to grips with my subject, and didn't enjoy my advisors. My father is a researcher and sees research and writing paper as I game. He enjoys doing it. If you don't particularly like doing research and don't plan to become a researcher, it's a big no. Don't do a PhD. Also don't start a PhD at a place you know you don't like. What kept me enjoying life is my friends, my family, enjoying the place where I live and the club I'm part of. > It seems very lonely, and I don't find much enjoyment from, say, sitting in my office reading papers all day It's not quite like that. There is paper reading, and there is sitting at a desk, behind a computer, writing. But a PhD is also about learning and having interesting discussion with your advisors and your colleagues (I didn't especially experience that but I now former and current PhD students who do/did). It's also solving problems and modeling things using a sheet of paper or a big whiteboard. It's also implementing proof of concepts. My experience as a PhD student was not so great, but loneliness was not part of this. I had an active social life and loved these years as a PhD student just for that. Being alone during the day in such a life is a feature at times, but if you have a nice team, you may enjoy coffee breaks and meals with your colleagues, who may become your friends. You are not really alone. There are nice people around you you can enjoy and have interesting conversations with every day. If you do a PhD, don't stay alone. You will most likely need support from your friends and your family. Either by just doing something else with them, or by talking about your difficulties. |