Difference between a slump and calling it quits

[Cosmojo]

Most of us at one time or another will go through a really tough time in grad school and really struggle, and maybe think about quitting. Maybe you will get so far as to apply for jobs or tell others you are leaving- but you end up staying (or not). How do you tell the difference between it being just a rough period and knowing it should be done?

 

This is both a general question and a personal one. I've come to the start of my 3rd year and although I feel I am successful in my research and that I really do love what I research, I feel that it is just so much harder than it should be. I have hit a point with my PI that he isn't really being helpful, he isn't mean or rude, just absent. There is no one in my research area really at my university besides him and a few other profs who are absolutely never around, and I'm the only student in my research group right now. Its just so hard to know if I could leave and be happy and never regret it, or if this is just a phase and I just need to get motivated again.

[Crafter]

You are on your 3rd year!! Just hold on to it a bit more (I hope you are not too behind in your research) and finish your degree! At the end it will end up being a well paid effort and you will get to be eligible to jobs that need a PhD (not just academy, but many others).

[Cosmojo]

You are on your 3rd year!! Just hold on to it a bit more (I hope you are not too behind in your research) and finish your degree! At the end it will end up being a well paid effort and you will get to be eligible to jobs that need a PhD (not just academy, but many others).

Thanks, I do WANT to, and plan on it, I think this has just been a rough summer. I'm not far behind in my research, I'm actually very successful....which is why this feeling is hard for me. Need to find that source of motivation. 

[ERR_Alpha]

To me. it's all about time and overall quality of life.

 

I struggled A LOT my first semester adjusting- I questioned a lot if I was cut out for it, etc.

 

My second semester got better, but then my advisor told me he was leaving and my health took a turn for the worse again. I had a few really rough weeks, but eventually I remembered why I started and got my motivation back.

 

If these feelings had lasted months and it was negatively affecting my life as a whole (family, friends, boyfriend, hobbies, etc) then I would seriously consider quitting. If I went a whole semester dreading going into work and feeling horrible about myself, I wouldn't call that a slump. I guess fulfillment comes into play too. Are you proud that you made it through the slump and you're still in school? Or do you still have lingering thoughts about how its only going to happen again and how its not worth it? That would draw the line for me also.

[Cheshire_Cat]

As someone who has been through slumps both in my academic life and my corporate career, one thing I can tell you is that they are unavoidable.  The difference being, for most people, they can't just quit their job, whereas in academia there always seems to be that option.

 

So I think the real question you have to ask yourself is, do you think you can do this long term?  What are your goals in life?  There will come a point when you will regret every good decision you ever made in life, even ones that have defined futures.  Everything feels harder than it should be at some point.  What is the cost of continuing vs. the benifits.  Can you be misrable for another 2-4 years if it means doing what you love for the rest of your life?  Or maybe you don't love it that much and it just seemed like the next step out of college... these are some questions I think you have to ask yourself.

[BeKind]

Hi Cosmojo, 

 

I hope you're feeling better about your situation. I was in a similar situation when I was doing my masters, the reason I started my masters was because I didn't know what to do after graduation and I've worked with that professor before. I wasn't particularly interested in the topic but went with it anyways. That was a huge mistake, the first semester was a huge struggle for me and I constantly questioned whether or not I was cut out for it, I went through a slump for a while and finally made up my mind to quit. Like you I wasn't doing badly, but I was struggling a lot both with the work and internally.  It was affecting my life so much that nothing else mattered around me and I was hurting the people who cared about me.  Leaving was a really hard decision for me because I felt like I failed and I let people down.  Looking back,  I don't regret my decision to leave as I feel like even if I finished my masters in biomechanics I wouldn't know what to do after. 

 

I completely agree with Chesire_Cat regarding the questions that you have to ask yourself.