Struggling to stay motivated

[Tall Chai Latte]

I've finally started working on my thesis projects! Things were fine until recently, I have a strong intention to quit grad school and research altogether.

If you have followed my past postings, I am a student with structural biology background in a lab affiliated with cell biology-oriented department, and being the only person in the lab who perform protein crystallization/NMR. Besides me, there is one other lab (our collaborator) in the department that performs highly similar research from mine. The students (and occasionally the PI if he's around) there are my major go-to group for discussion.

After a while, things start to get dull. Although I have this group I can go to for discussion, it's difficult communicate my science to people in my immediate surroundings, because our backgrounds are just too different. My PI understands enough to generate the big picture for my projects, but when it comes to obstacles, she sometimes doesn't understand why are we wasting this much time and make very little progress, which to me it's just the nature of structural biology. She's good in connecting me to other scientists she knows for advice, but I begin to question what is the purpose of me being here; why am I doing things that's totally different from everyone else? How come nobody gets it, no matter how I explain my science? I can't help feeling awkward... although small progress is being made from time to time..

Given the tough outlook of science PhDs, it's even harder to stay motivated. Sorry to sound whiny, I'm just looking for some moral support in the cyber space. Forum, what would you do in this situation?

[virmundi]

I've finally started working on my thesis projects! Things were fine until recently, I have a strong intention to quit grad school and research altogether.

If you have followed my past postings, I am a student with structural biology background in a lab affiliated with cell biology-oriented department, and being the only person in the lab who perform protein crystallization/NMR. Besides me, there is one other lab (our collaborator) in the department that performs highly similar research from mine. The students (and occasionally the PI if he's around) there are my major go-to group for discussion.

After a while, things start to get dull. Although I have this group I can go to for discussion, it's difficult communicate my science to people in my immediate surroundings, because our backgrounds are just too different. My PI understands enough to generate the big picture for my projects, but when it comes to obstacles, she sometimes doesn't understand why are we wasting this much time and make very little progress, which to me it's just the nature of structural biology. She's good in connecting me to other scientists she knows for advice, but I begin to question what is the purpose of me being here; why am I doing things that's totally different from everyone else? How come nobody gets it, no matter how I explain my science? I can't help feeling awkward... although small progress is being made from time to time..

Given the tough outlook of science PhDs, it's even harder to stay motivated. Sorry to sound whiny, I'm just looking for some moral support in the cyber space. Forum, what would you do in this situation?

Find colleagues somewhere else that are doing work similar to yours and make connections! Get into a graduate student support group (your school hopefully has one) or talk to a school counselor (again -- hopefully your school makes this available to you). It is crucial that you find people to talk to that can support you on a variety of levels -- and it sounds like you could use a boost from others who have been in the doldrums (and everyone gets there at some point) and gotten through them... but also a gut-check from other people in your field who do work similar to yours. I might be wrong, but it sounds like some reassurance from someone whose work is similar to yours that your progress is indeed appropriate given your work might be helpful?

In any case -- my advice would be not to give up yet! Earning a Ph.D. is about perseverance as much as it is anything else and this too will pass... And if it doesn't, then you can move on in good faith that you stuck it out as long as possible.

Just my humble opinion though.

[rising_star]

virmundi's advice is sound. I want to add that you might want to rethink how you're explaining things if you can't explain them in a way that other people in your lab understand. At some point, you'll be speaking to a broader academic community about your research that largely does not have training in structural biology and it will be your responsibility to make your research comprehensible to them. How you do that is up to you but you'll need to figure it out if you plan to write grants, present at conferences, etc.

[SymmetryOfImperfection]

what does PhD stand for? Philosophy doctor? haha probably not. Think pressure hell drudgery.

Just think about it this way: you're doing structural biology which is likely highly quantitative and probably requires math, physics and programming skills. They play around with pipettes. If you graduate your skills transfer to finance, and their skills transfer to uh... ?????. So in the end you might be making millions on Wall Street and they'll be stuck postdocing.

Now what I just said may not be true, but you can convince yourself its true. I mean you can imagine yourself rolling in cash with private airplanes and the like while the others are like the beggars in Oliver Twist saying "please, sir, a bit more porridge?"

If that made you feel better then just convince yourself its true.

[Tall Chai Latte]

what does PhD stand for? Philosophy doctor? haha probably not. Think pressure hell drudgery.

Just think about it this way: you're doing structural biology which is likely highly quantitative and probably requires math, physics and programming skills. They play around with pipettes. If you graduate your skills transfer to finance, and their skills transfer to uh... ?????. So in the end you might be making millions on Wall Street and they'll be stuck postdocing.

Now what I just said may not be true, but you can convince yourself its true. I mean you can imagine yourself rolling in cash with private airplanes and the like while the others are like the beggars in Oliver Twist saying "please, sir, a bit more porridge?"

If that made you feel better then just convince yourself its true.

Lol, I like this! It actually made me feel better.

[juilletmercredi]

Actually thinking about working in the future does ironically keep me motivated to finish my degree, because I imagine myself with more respect and responsibility with those three letters behind my name. I know it's probably not true, but imagining it helps.