Lost

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Hello everyone!  Quick background: I'm currently in my fourth year in a STEM field Ph.D. program, currently in my last semester of "Dissertation Research" credits and ABD.

 

On one hand, it has been a very productive three and a half years.  My advisor is ESL, so I've been actively involved in many grant applications and have 14 total publications in print with others at different stages in the preparation/publishing process.  In addition, I also spend a considerable amount of time proofreading correspondence and updating my advisor's website that I developed and launched.

 

That said, none of these efforts directly apply to my dissertation, which I would say is barely off the ground.  One manuscript that I am currently working on would serve as the first experimental paper for the dissertation (of most likely 3 total to graduate, in addition to a lit review that is not written yet).  Unfortunately, these side projects frequently take top priority over my own, which has become increasingly frustrating.  In addition, I have little confidence in my abilities in terms of the techniques used in the lab, due to little or no prior guidance/demonstrations, and this I feel is also hindering my own progress.

 

With no end to this extra work in sight, I have been feeling very discouraged, lost, and a bit taken advantage of.  My advisor and I are not the best at communicating, and I have not felt comfortable bringing this up with him.  I have been considering leaving the program altogether when I consider how much time I have left.  I'm curious.  Is this supplementary work [grant application prep (beyond student fellowships, e.g. NIH R01/R21), manuscript prep (figure preparation, significant writing contributions, etc.)] typical?  Where's the line between being a helpful assistant, adding lines to the CV along the way, and becoming your advisor's b*tch?  If this is normal and expected of me, please let me know as I was unaware and I'm sorry for whining and moaning.  Thank you for your help, folks!