Why I Quit the PhD?

Just 6 months ago, I was ashamed whenever I told someone that I quit my PhD. I felt like a loser, not-smart-enough, not-persevering-enough and someone who gave up easily. Because of this stigma, I did not tell many people my story of why I left my PhD programme two-years into the thick of it.

Today, I share my story in the hope that it can help someone who is thinking of doing a PhD or quitting one make a more informed decision.

1. Weak Motivation for Beginning the PhD Programme

I decided to begin my PhD programme in 2016 freshly after I completed my Masters programme in 2015. Why? I did not know what else I could do. I was doing well academically and excelling in my work place as a research associate. It seemed like the most logical decision that I should continue on with my PhD and continuously upgrade my qualifications. To me, the PhD was a chance to become a “Doctor” and to write “a thick book”, both sounded deceivingly appealing to me.

Only that those were extremely weak reasons. Because when things started to get tough, I had no real reason to fall back on to keep me going. Others who did their PhD had stronger and more compelling reasons such as needing the PhD to get a promotion (and a better salary) or needing it to find a job as a professor or simply because they wanted it. But me, I had no such strong and enduring…