Stay or go?

[RedPanda]

Another variation on a theme (and sorry for essentially posting this twice, but I put my previous thread under the wrong heading)

 

I'm about halfway through the second semester of my first year of a PhD program in Geoscience. I'm an older student with an MS and a few years of work experience in industry. Last year I quit my decently-paying job to come back to school for my PhD. I do believe that was the right decision for me at the time, but I also think I chose my program poorly and I'm looking for some thoughts about what I should do next.

 

The crux of the problem is that I had to decide between applying for Geoscience or Microbiology programs. I ended up going with Geoscience because I was really interested in extremophiles and it seemed like that was where all the exciting research was happening.

 

Unfortunately now that I'm here I regret not going the Microbiology route. Working in industry spoiled me for pure academia - the things that I'm working on seem completely esoteric and irrelevant. My department is actually pretty decent, all things considered, but I have no enthusiasm for any of my research projects, classes, or even colloquium talks. If I were in a Microbiology department I would at least have the option of focusing on research with some relevance to biotechnology or medical microbiology, but I don't have that option in a Geoscience department. And since I don't have any interest in pure geology I can't just switch advisors to pursue a different area of study.

 

So I'm trying to decide between a few options:

A) I could just leave the department and go back to working in industry. Part of me misses having a real salary and work/life balance so that does have its appeal, but since I want to continue with a career in scientific research I'd rather not abandon grad school altogether. Maybe I can find a job that would fund/allow me to earn a PhD part time, while still being employed?

I do SOMETHING for the next year and a half and apply to grad school from scratch next cycle. Not ideal since I'd then be starting grad school in my 30s, and I'm not sure I have the mental fortitude to be starting grad school over so late. It's already hard to relate to my cohort, being five or six years older than everyone, and it won't get any easier as I get older.

C) See if the one Microbiology program that I was accepted into last year would be willing to (re)admit me to begin this coming fall. This seems extremely unlikely but maybe there's a chance it would work? They seemed to really, really like me last year but I don't know how damaging it will be to admit that I don't want to stay where I am.

D) Stick it out in my current program, even though I'm already feeling apathetic towards the whole thing. Obviously not ideal but I'm already here, and at least I would have my PhD in another four(ish) years. Of course there's no guarantee I'll even make it through, given that I've already lost my zest for the program, and there's also the concern that having a Geoscience PhD will limit my employment options if/when I do graduate. 

 

None of these options sounds ideal and I'm at a loss deciding how to proceed. I should probably discuss this with my advisor but I don't know how to broach the subject. Any thoughts / comments / advice / insights / shared experiences would be extremely welcome!

 

~RedPanda

[wanderingalbatross]

Have you talked with advisers/professors about your desire to have a more "applicable" focus? I don't know what your department's strengths are but I am aware of geochemistry and biogeochemistry groups in Geo departments that do a lot of research in environmental topics -- extremophile microbes as indicators of mining waste, heavy metal toxicity, etc. It might not be quite what you are looking for but at least that area has the "relevance" feeling.

[Usmivka]

I think talking this over with your advisors is a good place to start, they may have good ideas and you may want a letter of rec from them to apply again if that is what you decide to do.  If you don't think this PhD is going to help you towards your goal, then I think there is no reason to waste time. As soon as you have another option, move on.  I do wonder though whether you could make it applicable, as WA suggested above. If you are working on extremeophiles, couldn't you focus on the cell biology or compounds of interest derived from the critters that might ultimately have biomedical or chemical synthesis applications for your thesis? It strikes me that right now you are most likely pre-qualifying exam (since you said it would be a 5 year program, despite already having an MS, and you are still taking classes), so you probably aren't working on "your own" project yet. You will have a lot of flexibility to develop a proposal to do exactly what you want once you advance to candidacy, but you may need to put in a lot of though and time to find your own funding and build a helpful committee if this isn't the current focus of the lab. You may find that your current advisor is very supportive of this, or you may need to switch advisors or choose a co-advisor. Since you are still taking classes, perhaps you should enroll in some extra-departmental classes (eg in a bioengineering or microbiology department) that do hold your interest--your academic committee will probably be supportive if you make a case for why class X is more useful to your education than class Y, or some such.

Edited February 6, 2013 by Usmivka

[Miro]

Does your current school have a microbiology program, if so you can switch departments without switching schools. that way your classes would still count towards your degree ( my school does not care what classes we take).

[juilletmercredi]

Doing a PhD part-time is an option at some programs, and I understand that this is more common in fields that lend themselves to industry, but I would still wager that most programs would be against that.

I don't think it's damaging at all to admit that you tried geoscience for a while and realized that the research you really wanted to do is being done in microbiology, and realizing that you want a micro PhD so that you can do that research.

None of the decisions are going to be ideal, so hopefully you aren't looking for ideals.  You need to look for what will suit your career goals best.  What do you want to do?  You can do research with an MS, but it's going to be more limited and you won't have control over your projects.  Is that what you want?  If not, then you'll need a PhD, so you can rule out abandoning the PhD altogether.  You could take a leave of absence, though, and work in industry and see how you feel.

B and C have the same problem.  You would still be starting graduate school over again from scratch, regardless of whether you got into new programs or the micro program from last year.  So first, you have to evaluate whether you are willing to do that.  Honestly, you're only halfway through one year so you wouldn't be "losing" much, and you are only one year older than when you originally started, so the "starting grad school in my 30s" is a bit curious here.  Really think about whether you are willing to start over, and if you are, there's no harm in contacting the micro program and seeing if they would readmit you.  The worst they can say is no, and then you're right back here.  I also advocate the investigate whether you can switch departments at the same school option, as long as there are people doing the kind of research you want to do in the micro department at your university.

D doesn't sound like a good choice.  You don't seem like you can reach your goals in geoscience, if you really want to work on more applicable research, and it's far easier to detach yourself after 1 year than after 3 or 4.  Why make yourself miserable for another 4-5 years in a program that you dislike and that won't get you the kinds of jobs you like?

[RedPanda]

Thank you all for your insights. You've given me a fair bit to think about. 

 

Sticking it out in my current department is not going to work. That much is very clear. As far as I can tell, my current school doesn't have much presence in the type of research I'd really like to be doing. I'll spend some more time looking into that option, though, on the off chance that there is someone that I have overlooked.

 

If I can't find a way to make it work staying at this school I think I'll contact the micro department at the school I previously turned down to see if there is any chance of being able to reverse my decision one year later. If so, that would be fantastic! If not, that leaves me deciding between choices A and B. Both choices would probably be very similar in the short term, since either one would involve finding a job for the next year and a half. Then it would be a matter of deciding between applying for grad school again, or sticking with work.

 

Either way I'm going to have to bring this up with my advisor in the very near future. Hoo boy. Much to think about.

[Dal PhDer]

Why is it that you want your PhD? I'm just curious! Not that I don't think it's the road you should be taking, but perhaps you should make sure it's what you want to do. It sounds like you were happy with your previous job...will a PhD add onto that? How do you see a PhD impacting your career? Do you want to go into academics?

 

The other option is to see if you can get someone from the other department to come on an do a co-supervisor and change your topic to one that might allow an intersection between the two disciplines...if that's possible.

 

The other option is to find another program/school. That won't look bad on you at all. If a PhD is something you want to do and see it as the career path for you, then the most important thing is that you're doing what you want to do.

 

I would talk to (a) your supervisor and see what your research options are and ( talk to career counselling at your university. Not enough students use this service- at my school it's free, and they're fantastic. They can help you with your decision by providing you with information!

 

Good luck!

[RedPanda]

Oooh, excellent question. Well, I do want to continue doing research in the long run and there are advantages to having a science PhD even in industry (more intellectual input, supervisory positions, greater upward mobility) along with the prestige of having those extra letters after your name. My answer to the classic "where do you see yourself in five years?" question is that I want to be employed as a scientist in industry or at a government lab, and an MS only goes so far. But it is also true that I do plan to leave academia again down the road, and maybe an extra five years of work experience would balance out the advanced degree over the course of a career. Or maybe it won't - it's so hard to tell!

 

I actually have an appointment to speak with a career counselor on campus this Monday. I am eager to receive any information they can provide.

 

Thanks for the well-wishes!

[Dal PhDer]

That makes perfect sense! I'm not in the hard hard sciences, so I hear mixed comments about PhDs - some say it limits you outside of academics, others say it does nothing, and ...well, that's all I've heard! hehe - but this is coming from my small group of science people I know personally.

 

It's great that you're taking advantage of the career counsellor! I hope it really helps you!

 

Another way to look at it, especially if you're not interested in staying in academics but really getting a PhD for the credential aspect, is that it's just a means to an end. I've said it in another thread, but for most, the PhD is just another step in their long career...what they do during the PhD, doesn't necessarily matter. From personal experience, it's much hard to find the motivation and interest in completing a project you're not interested in..but if you have a project, and the support, and feel you can get through it and be done in a good time...it might be worth doing it - especially if it will get you into the career you want!

 

I'm going more on my knowledge of my field and what I've heard from friends...so I apologize if I'm totally off!

 

But we're all here rootin' for ya!