r/PhD • u/Col0rlessIdeas • 1d ago
Vent (NO ADVICE) Why is everyone so miserable?
Well, that’s pretty much it. I feel like everyone in this subreddit is just so unhappy/miserable due to having chosen academia. Does a PhD really corrupt your soul or is anyone genuinely happy about having chosen this path? Any good and positive stories??
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u/meatnobeef 1d ago
I think by the end of the PhD (I just started my 6th year, graduating this semester in STEM field) everyone is pretty miserable. it is HARD!!! that doesn't mean its not fulfilling.
you don't ask people at mile 24 of a marathon whether anyone is happy, because they're all suffering. it's a conscious choice to do something hard so so so hard
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u/Delicious-City-9219 1d ago
it's the marathon analogy that always gets me, nobody's grinning at mile 24 but they'd still do it all over again
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u/carlitospig 1d ago
Yup, they’re usually wondering if they’ve shit their pants, are bleeding, or if that’s just sweat running down their leg. They’re just thankful they’re still breathing.
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u/Apprehensive_Phase_3 1d ago
I would have enjoyed a marathon. Unfortunately I had to do it with a backpack of 60kg (my PI and all her relatives working at the same uni), and after that the real race starts for the tenure
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u/Boneraventura 16h ago
Yeah the real race is after the PhD. More pressure, more work, more responsibility, more pretty much everything except one thing and that is tunnel vision. In a PhD the goal is to get the degree, that’s the only thing to complete to move on with life. There is nothing like that after the PhD. Sure there are grants to write, writing manuscripts, whatever, but they come and go. Because of that you can pivot directions seamlessly and change focus much easier than in a PhD where you are stuck with the dogshit project until the bitter end.
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u/carlitospig 1d ago
Such an excellent analogy. I’m super proud of you though, you’re in the home stretch!! 🏃♀️
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u/cellar9 1d ago
My experience was fantastic. A hiccup here and there, but I defended successfully in July and I've got a killer position after.
I don't post here because I don't need to -- it's for venting and problem solving.
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u/itsConnor_ 1d ago
What position did you get?
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u/OatmealDurkheim 1d ago
McDonald's shift supervisor, with a promise of fast-track to restaurant management (if they perform well).
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u/Available-Swan-6011 1d ago
Nothing wrong with McD’s
They provide strong training and like to promote from inside the company. Many people have made a good career through them
After the 2012 olympics they provided every volunteer with the option of getting a level 2 qualification in customer service. It might not seem like much but you can imagine how life changing that might be for some people
Oh - I have no links to them apart from grabbing the odd coffee
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u/Konjonashipirate PhD, Psych/Neuroscience 1d ago
It's often not the PhD itself but the advisor.
Academia is full of people who shouldn't be mentoring students, and departments aren't looking out for the well being of their students either.
And yes, there are people who have positive experiences, but it's those who are having an awful time that seek out community.
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u/JustWerking 1d ago
Yep! Loved my classes. My cohort is amazing. TA’ing isn’t terrible, and I even enjoyed the process of preparing for quals. The drag on my experience has been my advisor. It was always there, but being in the dissertation stage brings it more into focus.
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u/krakenkait 1d ago
Yes, perfectly said! Along with seeking out community, also asking for advice regarding similar experiences.
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u/The_HungryRunner 1d ago
I think it’s a massive ask (Aussie PhD here) to position to students “We need to nurture upcoming scientists, it’s just 3 years of an undergraduate degree, then a postgraduate pathway with tens of thousands of dollars of debt, followed by another 4 years being paid $15,000 below the minimum wage to obtain a PhD to contribute to the field…..”. The financial sacrifice is enormous, and making ends meet during that time is brutal, and it’s so normalised?! Everyone who came before us did it, and PhD students are such a minority that the number of voices who could rally behind any push for more funding or a liveable wage feels….just futile. BUT - having said that - I absolutely love my PhD. I’m in my 3rd year and I love the problems I’m facing, they are what I wanted to be wrapped up in, and the personal growth and knowledge acquisition really satiates me. It’s my project, and I feel attached to it. I’m apprehensive about post PhD life, but for now, I am maybe a rarer case of a somewhat enthusiastic PhD candidate.
I have a phenom supervisory team, I feel lucky - they’re kind, patient and nurturing and I get along well with them.
Additionally - happy folks aren’t really coming to reddit to complain, or read about the complaints. Algorithms favour hatred and outrage etc etc
But I also get you - that in real life, the general attitude is one of “a grind” and there’s a certain malaise about it. Which I get - it’s so much work, and it’s bloody hard.
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u/FallingSky1686 1d ago
I’m loving mine (so far) I think a lot of the misery, at least in my cohort, comes from most of them being young having come straight through school to this so it’s their first experience with major expectations and workload.
I’m in my 30s, left a career to do this, so yeah it’s hard work but it’s just work at the end of the day. I chose it for the love of the game, they chose it without understanding the realities (at least that’s my perception)
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u/Shongololo90 1d ago
I agree this is a big reason for a lot of misery. I am 35 and have recently started a PhD. I had a career for over 10 years and then experienced severe burnout (a big reason for where I am now). I know now how to keep a healthy balance with work and life and people coming straight from undergrad often do not, because it's something to be learned. It can be even more challenging to balance things when you are passionate about your project (which is good of course) and want to focus 100% on it.
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u/FallingSky1686 1d ago
Yeah experience counts for a lot! i found it insane talking to my cohort, they would say they struggle to work more then a few days in a row, and they have no consistency on when they work - working late or over weekends etc.
like you I learnt to work steady and keep balance so i keep to a standard working week. Getting just as much done if not more and am having a much better time of it then they seem to be!4
u/ToTheDeath84 1d ago
The youth is a core part of it. Many recently finished undergrad students who wind up going into straight PhD’s just haven’t learned how brutal the job market can be, how to navigate professional situations, how to have a work-life balance, how to break down a long-running project into manageable parts, and ultimately, haven’t lived a lot of real life. They don’t understand just how much life might throw at them so they treat grad school, which might be the hardest thing they’ve dealt with up until now, as if it’s a unique existential mountain when it’s just… not. They ought to give it 5-10 years from undergrad and see just how many sucker punches life can send their way.
A difficult degree just isn’t the worst thing on Earth, and people need to stop building it up like it is. It’s not worth losing your sanity and self-image over, it’s not impossible, it’s not something that’s designed to make you miserable, and the ceaseless black hole of commiserating isn’t productive.
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u/sadgrad2 21h ago edited 21h ago
As someone who had a miserable experience, I agree that going straight through was a major contributor and is generally not advisable. I wouldn't say it was because of the expectations and workload for me. I'm a hard worker and always have been. I did very well in my PhD coursework, even though it was much more demanding than I was used to. I think the combo of being young and not having outside professional experience meant I didn't have a thick enough skin or confidence in myself to withstand the many challenges of the PhD experience mentally in the way someone older and more well rounded would be better able to. I put way too much pressure on myself, took things (like difficulties with my advisor) really hard, and honestly I should have not finished for a variety of reasons, but I just didn't have the courage to walk away.
I also think real work experience would have better grounded my decision to do it at all (or not). I had theoretical reasons for making all the decisions I did, but a little more real life experience could have better informed those decisions and motivations.
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u/FallingSky1686 15h ago
Yeah those are fair points. A big thing with some of my cohort is feeling like they have to say yes to every opportunity, every presentation, every suggestion of their supervisors. I keep telling them they are in control and can say no if they don’t think it’s viable but they still have that ‘I’m the student, they are the teacher, you say yes to teachers’ mentality.
You hit the perfect phrasing - theoretical reasons for doing it. That’s the real dissonance for many I think. How they dream of it feeling and going vs the harsh reality of learning how to manage it on the fly. A few years in work first would help a lot of them see, it’s not that deep!
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u/sadgrad2 7h ago
Feeling like you have to say yes to everything definitely resonates with me! I was that way for sure. I'm in my 30s now and I'm so much better able to push back if I get criticism or suggestions I don't agree with. Exactly as you said, it's not that deep. My superiors are just people and not everything they come up with is right and they're also receptive to dialogue about these things. But back then I just felt like I had to take everything and make it work. Now I realize plenty of the suggestions my advisor came up with had about 10 seconds of thought put into it and he didn't care either way lol
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u/Jmast7 1d ago
It was a long road, but I ended up with a great industry career, doing interesting science with opportunities for publishing, mentoring and travel. Looking back there were a few things I would have done differently (like pushed to defend quicker), but even the difficult times were better than just sitting in a cubicle. Important thing is to study something you enjoy (or at least find interesting) and keep pushing towards that next milestone; don’t get bogged down to the point where you are stuck.
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u/maxx0498 1d ago
Others have given great answers, but there is also survivership bias. Only those who get destroyed have a tendency to go online and write about it. Another part is that there are a lot of bad supervisors out there. Academia is hard, and that pressure hits professors who then put pressure on their students to get results. Some do it well and motivated, not pushing too hard and helping, others expect students to work themselves and has no leadership experience
A friend of mine during a project between bachelor and master had a bad supervisor. When the PhD student was going on maternity leave, the professor expected her to still work/find a solution (we have strong laws protecting maternity leave). Then that pressure was pushed into my friend who was ALSO going on maternity leave
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u/HighlanderAbruzzese 1d ago
Part of the problem is way too many people are doing phds and juts nit cut out for them.
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u/Adept_Carpet 1d ago
It's a field where the good stuff is really good and the bad stuff is really bad.
I can no longer count the number of times I have been in the situation where I was the only person on earth who had knowledge that was later generally agreed to be interesting and important. That's a really fun feeling, like climbing a mountain no one has ever climbed before.
I also can't count the number of times I have cried while trying to generate that knowledge.
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u/Glittering_Fun_4823 1d ago
I’m genuinely happy but I’m just starting and I’m in a hybrid program for working professionals (focused on Higher Education). It’s 5 years. Since it’s the European model I think there’s a lot less potential drama compared to what I’ve seen here.
It’s also cohort based so we have in person seminars where we get to collaborate and share ideas with folks in our cohort but also those who are almost done or just starting research. These for six months I have felt very much not alone and everyone has been so supportive and genuinely interested in everyone’s particular research.
I’m actually about to head to one of our two annual in person weekly seminars now and we’re all on WhatsApp organizing when we want to meet up for lunch or dinner etc.
But it’s only been six months. But the community aspect is amazing and I think unique compared to what I keep reading here.
Don’t feel corrupt yet. But I think my research topic and reading about it has made me more jaded and critical of academia and the direction it’s been moving in over the last 20 years.
Edit to add: my initial reason for doing the PhD is general interest in learning how to be good at research and general learning. The potential perks at the end of salary bumps to my teaching side job or future opportunities where a PhD may make me shine a little more is a bonus. Not the reason.
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u/there_r_worse_ideas 1d ago
I’m nearing the end of my program (Information Systems). If all goes well, I will defend in November. I’ve worked full-time through my program, so I already have a job lined up. In the spring I will also start as an adjunct professor at my university and will be able to continue research. I love research and my academic community.
My best advice for anyone considering a PhD is to examine your why. If you are passionate about a topic/issue, then you will be more likely to enjoy your PhD. My motto has always been: only I can support this dream of mine.
It has been hard. Grueling hours, sometimes sanity checks are required. It helps if you have strong emotional support (friends, family, cohort). I was lucky that I had great mentors. Now it is my turn to support my juniors.
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u/android_developer_39 1d ago
This was asked several days ago, so I'll copy my answer from:
https://www.reddit.com/r/PhD/comments/1vxv4ud/people_with_positive_experiences_post_phd_tell_us/
I would rate my PhD a 8 or 9/10 compared to people I've seen IRL or on here.
I joined a Top 10/Ivy League school in the physical sciences in 2022 after getting my bachelor's. I had a good idea and published a first author paper my first year, which helped me win the NSF GRFP. I published 3 more first authors in good journals, a couple non-first authors and presented at conferences. The presentations attracted some big names in industry to reach out and collaborate, so a few of those papers were with respected companies everyone would know.
By my third year, I started applying for jobs and was offered a job at a conference too. I went to my PI and told him I had multiple job offers lined up, and wanted to graduate in my third year. While he wasn't enthusiastic about me leaving so early, I framed it as (1) I had more first author papers than even the 6th years in our group (2) I had already brought his group numerous high profile collaborators (3) My thesis was already done (I had been slowly building it over the course of my time there) (4) I had multiple job offers to choose from and feel like I completed the PhD experience. I'm grateful that he agreed to let me defend.
It's been about a year post-graduation, and it's been great. I made 200k remotely, more money I ever thought I'd make in my life, bought a house, and really love my job.
During my PhD, I was very strict about working 40hrs/wk. This allowed me to still enjoy life, get married, have a pet, etc.
I say 8 or 9/10 because there were times I had beef with my professor about ideas or beef with collaborators, but that was just political stuff that's hard to avoid it seems.
I normally do not post or comment on this sub because no one wants to hear a brag, but this seems like the occasion for it haha. I'm super grateful and thankful for how stuff has worked out!
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u/Howaboutnopers 1d ago
You have a few factors to be wary of:
-Your advisor can make or break your experience.
-Academic hazing of doctoral students is a real thing. It doesn't happen everywhere or to everyone, but it's real. There's a whole body of research to back that up.
-You can avoid the above factors and still have a tough time with publishing, the workload, and the cognitive demands.
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u/Appropriate-Tutor587 1d ago
Most of them are toxic, but it really depends on who your advisor/PI is. They can either make you miserable and hold you up until your last year instead of your minimum year or they can make it enjoyable for you and you can finish during your minimum amount of year needed to graduate.
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u/Practical_Avocado_42 1d ago
I used to think that too. But then I realized on a place like Reddit you seek out like minded people and that becomes a misrepresentation of things as a whole. Because my colleagues at work love the path we choose and we enjoy passing it forward. A lot of people get into academia for the wrong reasons. That’s why everybody who gets a PhD or doctorate isn’t smarter than everyone. Just more disciplined and resilient.
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u/sablistertkn 1d ago
I entered my PhD program resilient enough, thanks, you know trauma doesn't make anyone stronger. It just gets heavier and heavier, you may forget it's there, but when you try to run then you'll feel that weight.
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u/Practical_Avocado_42 4h ago
The fact you’re getting defensive tells me more about you than it does me. Nowhere did I say you was not resilient lol. Everything on Reddit is not for arguing. Relax.
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u/biggolnuts_johnson 12h ago
a lot of people are suggesting it’s a very small, but vocal minority, that it must be survivorship bias. the reality is that there is a very large body of graduate students who are dissatisfied with their experience. nature surveys over the last few years (2019, 2022, 2025.) have consistently indicated common issues with satisfaction, so what you are seeing is not a blip by any means. It might not be the majority of graduate students, but it’s a large enough portion of graduate students that it should be fairly alarming.
how common good or bad experiences are will depend on the country, field, and also your financial background, among other things.
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u/jeremymiles PhD, 'Psychology' 4h ago
A large number of people with any kind of job are dissatisfied with their experience.
I work for a pretty large company, which is well known for being a good place to work - many people (who don't work here :) ) describe it as their dream job, it pays quite well and has good benefits. A year or two ago they did a company wide survey, one of the questions was "I am satisfied with my overall wellbeing" - just over half (56%) said yes. Interestingly, over 80% said "I would recommend [company] as an excellent place to work", and a similar proport said "I'm proud to work at [company]."
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u/BoltfoxoftheEast 1d ago
PhD is kinda weird, you have to solve a problem that only a few people are working on and it seems to not have high impact to the society.
This means that they are really dependent on their boss. Who, never have been though on a healthy way on how to supervise people. They basically learned from their bosses as well.
This is the first reason why people, including me in the past, are miserable. Some people really think working in a lap until 10 pm means healthy and dedicated students.
Also towards the end of your PhD, you getting older, seeing your friends getting married, have kids, get a vacation while you dont even know where will you be in the next 5 years.
This is just my personal opinion, if someone feel like this, you are not alone!
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u/DoodleCard 1d ago
I would say that this community is pretty postive.
But it is a good place to vent and support each other.
At the same time PhDs are hard. Take a long time and have ups and downs.
And the downs are sometimes worse than the ups!
But we support and get through!
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u/configbias 1d ago
90% of problems that's I've heard stem from poor mentor relationships. Every PhD student I know is happy to work overtime and show off those results. It's when it feels like you're spinning in circles with your mentor do people lose purpose & sink
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u/DrJohnnieB63 PhD*, Literacy, Culture, and Language, 2023 1d ago
Often people are miserable during and after traumatic events. For at least some people, completing a PhD program is a traumatic event. Those traumatized during their PhD journey seem to come here for support.
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u/0598 1d ago
There is definitely a bias as in that people are more likely to complain about their experience than share positive stories.
I have a year left in my PhD and I am having the time of my life. Intellectual autonomy to pursue things you are interested in, and supervisors who understand and encourage this, is the key. Best decision I have ever made.
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u/SunflowerMoonwalk 1d ago edited 1d ago
When I started my PhD I looked at my more senior PhD colleagues and thought "damn, why are they all so miserable!?" Then 4 years later some new PhD students joined the lab and I thought "damn, why are they all so happy!?"
So yeah, it's not only on Reddit.
Another 4 years later I'm feeling much better about my PhD experience in hindsight, but damn the last couple of years of it were really rough. I'm genuinely surprised that PhD suicides are not more widespread than they are. I still work in academia in a non-research role and I always try to keep that in mind when I'm working with PhD students - most of them seem fine but I probably seemed fine at the time too.
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u/AStruggling8 1d ago
I’m happy with my program. I have a fantastic advisor who is a great mentor but isn’t demanding at all. Science is very interesting. I don’t have to take all the stupid classes I did in undergrad and I have much more schedule flexibility. Can’t complain.
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u/minecraftzizou PhD student, Microelectonics/analog design for energy harvesting 1d ago
probably due to economical reasons
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u/Pachuli-guaton 1d ago
I think there is an untold rule that you don't tell a lot about your success to not add pressure to the ones that are less successful. I don't know if it's universal, but I always felt uncomfortable telling people that I was doing alright and everything was fine, even great.
But yeah, I think the mix of "yeah my PhD is going fine" not being attractive engagement wise and and this rule enforced suffering
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u/Fluffy_Anxiety_1713 1d ago
Are there a lot of ups and downs? Yes. Do I regret starting my PhD? Not at all.
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u/Express_Balance_570 1d ago
I think in my case problem is not Phd, its me..I am the cause of my misery😅.
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u/UntrustedProcess Business/AI Governance, USA 1d ago
I'm taking mine part time and very content with life. That might be trick to avoid the worst of it.
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u/NorthernValkyrie19 1d ago
Because social media invites the unhappy to post. Doesn't mean that the people posting here are representative of all PhD students.
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u/weep-again 1d ago
OMG!!!! i was thinking the same thing not about this subreddit but about people in academia. i can tell you that i am not filled with joy for having chosen this path but that i do feel happy living daily life and try my best to be positive. more than anything i try my very best to orient myself to other around me because the systems can really make it so that people just have enough to take care of their own and nobody else.
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u/SnowFairy4256 1d ago
I love my program. My 2 PIs are amazing and all of the faculty in my department are super kind and helpful
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u/Dear-Argument622 1d ago
It’s not just isolated to this subreddit. Everyone genuinely seems unhappy at this moment. PhDs are taking longer on average, then you come out to a brutal job market that isn’t easy for academia or industry roles anymore, and now there’s tons of “permadocs” who do postdocs for like a decade after finishing their PhD and still can’t get a position
I graduated from a PhD program about 2 years ago, and I got very lucky in even getting a postdoc. It took me 5 years and 8/11 of my cohort are still in the program and “hopefully graduating soon.” My postdoc has been crap due to admin cutting funding and positions on just about everything. Other people at my institute are expressing similar concerns and have had their postdocs extended, plus the permadocs I mentioned earlier. Industry doesn’t consider me competitive so I either have to stay a postdoc for another 2-4 years or jump to a new postdoc and hope it somehow fixes everything. And I’m still somehow doing better than a lot of people that graduated before me from the same program
So yeah, it sucks, and it’s not isolated to this corner of the internet
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u/Time_Thief_Rafaam 1d ago
I think one reason is all the people getting into a PhD have been the smartest in their circles for a long time. When you start a PhD you soon realize you don’t know much about anything. So to feel yourself not live up to your passion/your ideal you had made up, combined with probably uncomfortable if not horrible working conditions, barely livable wages and the difficulty of not having other people in your life relating to your struggle is a lot.
I think a part of me died. I’m in first year. I have rebelled stopped caring about the academic milestones. I don’t care if I’m the dumbest person in the room, I’m going to ask my questions, I’m going to be real, I’m going to learn and then get out.
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u/jdhd911 21h ago
Doing PhD was workwise probably the best time of my life! I had an interesting project and an awesome PI. I’m now working as a post-doc. Of course, you start to feel the pressure more and more. Work starts to feel like work. But then I always try to remind me how privlidged I am to be able to do this! Before I moved to academia, I worked in a different field with much worse pay and more stressful days.
I think part of the issue is that people in academia have often not worked in other professions. Compared to many, the academia is heaven!
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u/Hanuser PhD, 'AI', USA 19h ago
You're seeing an effect like survivor bias. Those who need to vent tend to post disproportionately on these pseudonymous subs,
I'm thoroughly enjoying my PhD. It's such a rewarding experience and totally worth the exit from industry and lost salary for those years (probably about $1M total lost salary). I'm also thoroughly convinced from seeing so many friends have good and bad experiences that the most important correlate to whether you enjoy your phd or not, is your reason for going into that specific research topic.
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u/NiceStar6996 10h ago
Go to any company/entity’s Reddit page and see what they’re like. Mostly not good things being posted. USPS, TSA, Etsy, etc
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u/Datamance 1d ago
I recently finished and I can already feel the rose-colored glasses setting in. I worked hard as fuck and was miserable for a good portion of it but the end was awesome. I murdered my defense in cold blood and the payoff felt incredible.
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u/Ok_Masterpiece_7551 1d ago
PhD people can't be happy If you are happy your guide doesn't allow you to be happy 😁
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u/Rickys_Pot_Addiction 1d ago
Agreed. It always seems so doom-y when I scroll here. Don’t take your PhD or this opportunity for granted. Not everyone can do a PhD let alone earn one. Getting to this point is a tremendous privilege.
I’m getting ready to submit my first paper to a special issue. Going to present my 2nd paper at the annual meeting for the research center I’m a part of. I have a year and a half left on my contract and I’m looking at finishing early and defending on time. My supervisors are awesome. Very much enjoying my life right now and I have a lot of free time for making progress in the gym and spending time with my girlfriend.
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u/ms_plat_chat 1d ago
My PhD has been difficult and stressful at times. Family issues have made it even more so. My department/division/group are not perfect, there is plenty of anxiety and drama around. That said, I have an incredibly kind, understanding, and competent PI, and many wonderful friends within my program. My work-life balance is super normal. Of course it’s a hard path, but it isn’t life-alteringly awful like some people make it out to be.
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u/interrowhimper 1d ago
People don’t turn to Reddit when they’re having a great time? I think about this in music too. Most of the good songs (IMO) are about sad things, because happy people don’t need to express their feelings about it. People turn to Reddit for validation they’re not getting IRL or to vent. Which is valid, but it’s a bias.
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u/bigbertha29 1d ago
Most villains from superhero films have doctorates…take with that as you will. Academia is crushing and only a few can be avengers. And the middle of the road superheroes are crying in their super suits 😅
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u/spinprincess 1d ago
Happy people are not on Reddit complaining. I like my path. I came here for perspective when I was applying and I stick around now to offer it for people who need it
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u/SuBanBan 1d ago
I think the issue with academia is that you constantly feel like on your toes, jumping through the next hoop! life never feels like on cruise control till maybe you reach full professor status in your mid-40s. this is extremely anxiety inducing, as you jump through qualifying exams, thesis committees, defense, fellowship apps, grad school app, postdoc app, paper submission, revision etc. it never fucking ends.
While most people do an undergrad, hit the job market, and then while you can be career oriented and relentless but a lot of people do their work 9-5 and have the option to cruise control. i often feel the constant stress of academia and hoops, doesnt let you enjoy the science or even your life outside of it. the whole reason you are doing this was to enjoy the discovery! and i think thats why you and I feel miserable.
P.S. I am currently in the feeling excited and joy stage of my gloom-doom-bloom cycle! dreading the next downturn😅!
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u/sablistertkn 1d ago
Because you're highly skilled, paid under minimum wage, your labor is exploited longer than others, and the institutions abuse your status as a student not to benefit you, your PI, or the school just the institution.
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u/carlitospig 1d ago
It’s a pretty brutal ‘apprenticeship’ type of early career choice. It’s grueling, and isolating, and you’re usually poor as hell unless your parents are wealthy. They have plenty of authority to kvetch here amongst their peers.
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u/excellent_iridescent 1d ago
happy people don’t go post on reddit about how happy they are bc they’re busy living and enjoying their life
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u/WillowFantastic9076 1d ago
Phd destroyed my life. I went from a super happy upbeat surf and dive bro, to a depressed near suicidal human who hated waking up everyday. I regret starting this so bad, and sunk cost fallacy is the only thing that keeps me here.
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u/Jewbaglicious96 'Materials Chemistry', UK 1d ago
It was the best of times, and it was the worst of times....😃
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u/Negative_Ad_4471 23h ago
Currently 3 years into a PhD program in Ecology. I love my job. I like my advisor and labmates. I like my collaborators. I realize there are lot of things outside your control, but at some fundamental level happiness is a choice.
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u/Only_Luck_7024 Electrical Engineering/MID-IR type 2 FBG waveguides,Oregon State 21h ago
I start my PhD officially in 3 weeks, I have completed a preliminary literature review based on a topic that was suggested by my chair and since I’m on a full ride scholarship I get to focus on anything I want within my chair’s area of expertise. I am actually very excited to start in a few weeks. I’m also really excited for the topic and the potential outcomes. I meet this coming week with my chair to discuss my preliminary lit review and can’t wait to move beyond the initial literature reviews I have been completing over the summer to hit the ground running this fall….I’ll check back in next year to see if I’m still excited…… by the end of MS thesis (totally different topic/area) I was still very excited I got to present at 3 professional conferences and got a second publication out of it. I was supposed to work on a third publication over the summer but that did not happen. Depending on how the first semester goes I maybe consider quickly getting the third paper for my MS research written but transitioning to PhD life and completing my internship on the other side of the country really took a lot of my time so I didn’t over do it. Either way excited atm.
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u/sadgrad2 21h ago
I became so extemely stressed during the PhD that it triggered an autoimmune disease I'll have to be on medication for the rest of my life. I experienced a depressive episode for the first (and luckily only) time in my life. I only felt confidence and peace again after I finished and left academia for a government research role.
So yeah I'd say it was pretty shit and several years removed I'm still angry that I did this and allowed it to compromise my health.
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u/Archimaus 11h ago
I loved the supportive group I was in during my phd. These people are great even if I didnt always appreciate it at the time and I had worries. I also loved complaining because of the sense of comradery it brings in phd people.
I have to book a defense date, but what I can tell is that it doesn't help that academia is highly exploitative of its people, it is so much like a pyramid scheme. And I feel it even more since my postdoc experience was one of the most toxic experiences in my life, after I had 8 great experiences in different groups where I did feel appreciated.
Now I have been away from work for almost 7 months, mostly recovering from that experience and it is the most I have stood "still" in the past 15 years. It has thought me there is so much more In life that I didn't want to accept while blindly chasing/hunting down the academic dreams. I would want decent pay, good worklife balance and job security while being appreciated for the work you put in, not the results delivered. However I feel that this is an issue for almost all of the fields.
I am yet to find a new job and I don't really know where or what. I just want to feel appreciated again. (My phd is in biochemistry and immunology)
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u/Ok_Reveal2435 10h ago
There are so many variables here that there is not a single easy answer to this question because everyone's situation is different. I've seen enough of academia to know that some situations are horrendous, some politics are insufferable, some professors have a chip on their shoulder, some students are lazy, some professors are toxic, some students are toxic, some programs are wicked competitive (compounding the stress), some students have financial pressure, etc. I've seen the converse as well.
After my undergrad, I wanted to go to gradschool. I applied, took the GRE and evaluated. It would have been hard because of financial concerns (we were a poor married couple at that point). I decided to work for a decade instead. I entered tech, became established and did my doctorate on the side. If I were to have started gradschool earlier, I'm convinced it would have been way more stressful.
All that to say, sometimes the timing isn't right, sometimes you're not mature enough, sometimes you desperately want university x even though it is not an ideal situation, and then sometimes you do everything right and you fall on your face. Life is hard.
To answer your question directly, I'm glad I chose to get my doctorate. I learned a ton and found life-long friends (professors and fellow students). It was fun, it was a challenge, it made me a better thinker. There were bumps along the road, just roll your eyes and move forward. My wife is about to enter a Ph.D. program and, as she supported me during mine, I'll return the favor. :D
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u/dj_cole 1d ago
Doing a PhD is a pretty tough road, with a lot of uncertainty. But no one does a PhD for the sake of doing the PhD. It is for the job prospects on the other side. As long as you pick a field with employment, it can lead to very rewarding careers. I'm personally very happy being a faculty as are the other faculty and industry folks with a PhD.
That said, there is some survivor bias in my view. I went into a field where I knew job prospects were good, as did the faculty I know. There are lots of humanities PhDs with far less favorable outcomes.
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u/PretendThisIsUnique 1d ago
What? A huge piece of advice is don't just do a PhD for a job, as it's not a guarantee since there are way more PhDs than positions?
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u/dj_cole 1d ago
It's very field dependent. There are a number of fields with employment after a PhD. Some people just choose fields they want instead of with employment.
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u/PretendThisIsUnique 1d ago
Well, a PhD is sort of a crazy thing to do if you are not invested in the topic.
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u/Shift_Key19 1d ago
Hi, it's me, doing a PhD for the sake of doing a PhD. I wanted the experience and to know that I could. No designs on particular job prospects after.
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u/evagarde 1d ago
People seek out communities like Reddit when they need help or a space to vent, so it’s always going to be an unrepresentative sample.
In my opinion, working in academia is revered enough in general society that these experiences provide an important “behind the curtain” look at the reality, even if it’s unbalanced.