shm2016

Thank you all for the input. It has been extremely helpful in getting my thoughts lined up. I haven't done any formal informational interviews, but I have been an expert at CV/resume stalking. The majority of the people whose work I admire do typically have a masters degree, a few more have law degrees but I know that would not be the right option for me to pursue. I have talked to a number of people who have completed their MSWs and I feel very excited about the things I can learn through that venue and the skills and perspective I will gain. I have looked at MPA and MPP programs and they tend to be pretty similar to the master's I've already completed, whereas I feel like the focus of the MSW is a nice complement to the studies I've already done and very practical for future work. I don't currently have a permanent, alternative source of income lined up, but I am very fortunate that a number of my extended family run their own businesses so I have a transition plan in place while I search for something more permanent. I think for my mental health, it is better to depart now, than linger around knowing I intend to leave especially since I am confident that I can support myself in the interim. I'm starting to talk to people in the department this week and I'm still definitely nervous about making sure I communicate my thoughts clearly and without burning any bridges, especially as the department has been nothing but supportive so far. Thank you for the advice!

Hello, I'm hoping to get some advice about leaving my PhD after the first semester. A bit of background, I'm currently doing my PhD in public policy at a well ranked university where I have full funding via RA/TA work for 4+ years. This has been something I've said I wanted to do for years. After I completed my MA, I spent 5 years working in the field with low-income individuals to get first-hand experience about the system they need to navigate. My plan was to use that experience to shape my PhD studies in policy to help make that system better. Well, now that I'm here, I've been confronted with the fact that along the way I changed through my work with clients. I have been miserable since the program began, I don't actually want to be in academia, and doing high level research that is disconnected from the individuals whose lives it impacts makes me sad. I have no passion for my classes, excluding the social work elective I’m taking, no excitement for my RA work which should have been exactly what I wanted. It is doing research that is going to be used by a department of human services, but it all feels so completely impersonal to me. I have no desire to stick it out and see if I can make the program work for my goals. I am still interested in doing program evaluation and legislative advocacy to improve the lives of the poor, but do not feel the PhD is needed for me to do those tasks. I realize I need a client centered, bottom up approach as opposed to the top down approach the PhD leads to. I am hoping to apply instead for an MSW program with an administrative/policy concentration, as I believe this will help me further on my career path as opposed to the pure research focus of the PhD. I have not yet talked this over with my advisor, he is pretty hands off and any time I’ve mentioned how unsettled I’ve felt it’s been chalked up to first year transition. I’m sure that is part of my stress, but when I did my MA I moved to a new country and had to learn a new system and felt none of the constant dread I currently have at the thought of continuing to pursue my Phd. I plan on talking to the head of the department (who teaches one of my classes) in a few weeks once we are a bit closer to the end of the semester. Does anyone have any advice about how to tell the department you wish to leave to pursue a different degree? I know that I can walk away, but have no clue what impact that would have for wanting to pursue further schooling in a different field. Any advice you can give would be greatly appreciated.