Advice: To continue or not...

[MassiveTit]

Hi, I'm looking for advice on whether to continue my currently suspended PhD studies or whether to look for something else.

I am in psychology. I need one more study to complete my thesis but the nature of my research means it can't move online so I am stuck. Also I know that the academic job market is going to rank.

My options are: wait, give up and make other plans, fiddle the overall argument of my thesis and use data I collected for a couple of side projects.

For context, I was doing quite well. I am employed as a lecturer by two institutions and won a teaching award alongside module evaluations well above departmental average. I have also published 3 first author papers and I have 2 more under review (one theoretical, one empirical) and I am second but corresponding author on two others. I also recently signed a book contract as sole editor on a volume. My research lies at the intersection of two fields and I am being recognised by both as an expert on the other.

So, things were looking rosy until Corona tanked everything. Revising the argument of my PhD seems to be the best option but it is hard to motivate myself when I can't see a job opening up. My supervisor is overly positive and thinks that everything will be fine.

What do you think?

Sounds to me like you are doing great. Just get the thesis finished using whatever data you can. There are still jobs and there will be jobs in 3 or 6 months when you finish the thesis.

So get it done.

Keep going!

Wow!! That's great feedback. I was going positive at the start of this year but this has made everything harder. One institution isn't going to renew my HPL contract and all I read is doom and gloom in the HE sector

also, for a PhD thesis, there is no mark of distinction in the UK system. All you have to do is pass. So sometimes it is strategic to do the basics and pass the thing, just so you have the letters PhD after your name.

In the long term, people look for your publications and your teaching track record, not your PhD thesis. So don't think that you have to put in masses of extra effort to get the best thesis ever. You just need enough to meet the basic standard.

You're doing more than quite well! That's very impressive! You can't be that far from finishing. I'd modify and finish. Even if academia tanks , you might as well emerge from this period in the strongest position you can manage.

Thank you everyone. I have a meeting with my supervisor next week and I am going to run my new proposal through with him. I guess past of the hesitation is because now I will have to actually do some work with three kids around rather than just moaning.

Thank you :)

As someone who thought about giving up frequently but eventually finished, DON'T GIVE UP!

Hi everyone!! I wanted to thank you for the positive words. I reframed the data I had, refocused the argument and submitted last weekend!! Thank you, it really was the push I needed to keep going. Now can you just tell me that the job market is going to open up!!

You sound like a really good student with a great set of publications for where you are pre-PhD finishing, I don't have a crystal ball about the state of the job market, I think the biggest issue for you might be whether you can move/partner's job and that's one of the problems for more mature finishers- that they don't necessarily have the flexibility to go wherever or do whatever- only you know how much that is true to you, or whether you live really near to several great universities. I don't and a couple of my friends have got out of academia recently as they don't want to shift location just to get a lectureship, after a couple of post-docs.

I would definitely finish the thesis, sounds like talking with your supervisor about using side-project data, and being honest and explaining this in the thesis is the way forward, this approach is fine in my branch of social science anyway when I'm sure a lot of PhDs aren't going to look like the ones they started out as come the next few years.

I always think and perhaps this is naive of me, you only need one good job yourself, and even if the market as a whole is dire, you just need to be needed for your niche/skills by one department for the whole thing to work. I am pretty sure I wouldn't fare amazingly well out there, but I had the right skills at the right time for my department, and made it work for me. I hope the same is true for you.

You might also speak with your supervisor about possibly going for post-doc grants/scholarships as that would really make you a very attractive proposition. You've done really well so far though so definitely refocus and see where it takes you, I don't think now is the time to quit unless you have definitely decided against an academic career.

Sorry, I see I have just written an irrelevant reply! Sooooo well done on submitting, that's amazing going in corona year! Crossed fingers that you find a great opportunity work-wise, I think despite the longer term/permanent job market being problematic, there will definitely be work in the shorter term, contract stuff for a good long while, lots of staff are off, or moving, or courses needing redeveloping. I am also seeing post-doc research positions opening up. I know that's not what you need long-term but for a couple of years it will really help you get more publications out and even try for a grant. Really well done!

Congratulations on submitting! Isn't it a wonderful feeling?

I thought I would update in case anyone needs the motivation: Today I accepted a lecturer position So glad I carried on!

That's fantastic news! Very well done!