Hey all, I hope I'm posting this in the right sub-forum! It may be a bit of an unconventional question and I wasn't sure where to put it.
To keep a long story short, I'm currently doing a PhD program in a field that I love very much, but my research interests have shifted beyond it into another area. I've been feeling stuck and passionless, and like I'm squeezing my research into a box it doesn't really fit into anymore. I've been doing a lot of investigating into what my options are, and there is another PhD program at my university that I think would be a much better fit for me both research-wise and career-wise (I'm not interested in pursuing a tenure-stream job after graduation, and my current program largely prepares me just for that; this other program is much more widely applicable).
I was recently awarded a CGS, and since the award allows you to change supervisors, programs, or institutions as long as the research remains in SSHRC's mandate, I'm feeling empowered to just go for it and see if I can actually make a change that I've been dreaming of for the past year. No more wondering "what if"! So my questions are: Has anybody ever switched graduate programs? How did you do it? Who should I contact at this other department, and what should I say? I'm usually okay with professional emails, but on this I feel a bit tongue-tied.
Sorry if the details are vague – I've told a few close friends, but I have been playing it pretty close to the vest for the time being, since my department is really small. Any advice would be much appreciated.