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Re:Ask HN: Will getting a PhD lead to a more interesting life? by pjmic on Monday September 30, 2019 @07:15AM (#21113881)
I finished my PhD about a year ago (graduating in a month finally). First and foremost, graduating won't stop you from doing a PhD later. I initially took an industry job for a year and then chose to go back to academia.

I initially went back to academia with the perspective of either staying in academia or going into research, but after those four years I basically lost the will to stick in these fields.

Honestly if you don't have a particular subject or project you want to do for your PhD it's not worth going through it. I initially felt like you, that if I didn't do it I'd regret it, but now sometimes I wonder if the time I spent doing it was worth it ( and I actually wanted to do a specific thing).

It's way more important to just find a job that fits what you currently find interesting than it is to remain in academia hoping that a PhD is anywhere near what you hope it is.

Re:Ask HN: Will getting a PhD lead to a more interesting life? by EmeraldMoon on Monday September 30, 2019 @07:55AM (#21114258)
I cannot agree more with your last paragraph.

I am finishing my PhD in a few months and while most people think I have a good profile for and should stay in academia, I have lost the will honestly.

At the end of my PhD, I am basically still interested in the things I was always interested in. But I keep questioning myself if PhD was really worth it, and what would I really have missed out if I just joined a job that I enjoyed doing.