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u4be7z | askacademia_train | 0.97 | How can I stay professional and calm while meeting with my toxic Ph.D. supervisor after I've graduated? I am a Postdoc now, and I graduated back in 2019. My Ph.D. lab environment was toxic ( sabotaging experiments, favoritism, disputes about authorship, reagent hoarding, etc..), and my PI was extremely narcissistic and manipulative. I somehow fought my way through the years, got my degree, and shifted to the US for a postdoc. I even avoided getting a Postdoc in a lab that my PI recommended because he knew the professor personally, and I did not want to be under his umbrella anymore. I still kept an amicable relationship with him, but I am in touch with very few of my previous colleagues and avoid the rest, as I had a rather unpleasant experience with them. Recently, he personally invited me to join a get-together of his lab, which will consist of past lab members, but I really want to avoid it. My wife (who was in academia too) says not attending might come across as unprofessional and can have repercussions later (if we decide to move back) since he (the PI) is well connected and influential in the academic circles in my home country. Any suggestions? | i4uj5ao | i4vb71w | 1,650,039,522 | 1,650,050,958 | 3 | 163 | Suck it up and go. | It sounds like you would need to travel to attend? So I would just tell PI I cannot travel at that time, but I appreciate the invitation and wish I could come as he’s a big part of how I got to this point in my career and wish him the best. Something that’s a no, but still makes a narcissist feel good so next time I ask for a favor he has positive feelings | 0 | 11,436 | 54.333333 |
u4be7z | askacademia_train | 0.97 | How can I stay professional and calm while meeting with my toxic Ph.D. supervisor after I've graduated? I am a Postdoc now, and I graduated back in 2019. My Ph.D. lab environment was toxic ( sabotaging experiments, favoritism, disputes about authorship, reagent hoarding, etc..), and my PI was extremely narcissistic and manipulative. I somehow fought my way through the years, got my degree, and shifted to the US for a postdoc. I even avoided getting a Postdoc in a lab that my PI recommended because he knew the professor personally, and I did not want to be under his umbrella anymore. I still kept an amicable relationship with him, but I am in touch with very few of my previous colleagues and avoid the rest, as I had a rather unpleasant experience with them. Recently, he personally invited me to join a get-together of his lab, which will consist of past lab members, but I really want to avoid it. My wife (who was in academia too) says not attending might come across as unprofessional and can have repercussions later (if we decide to move back) since he (the PI) is well connected and influential in the academic circles in my home country. Any suggestions? | i4vgl14 | i4ul99c | 1,650,053,290 | 1,650,040,365 | 130 | 46 | Well, you're in the US now. Are you actually going to pay for an expensive plane ticket and go on a 7h+ flight to meet some former colleagues? I wouldn't even do that for colleagues I adored | I suggest going as well, but don't stay long. One way to get through it is to just let other people talk about themselves until it's time to leave. | 1 | 12,925 | 2.826087 |
u4be7z | askacademia_train | 0.97 | How can I stay professional and calm while meeting with my toxic Ph.D. supervisor after I've graduated? I am a Postdoc now, and I graduated back in 2019. My Ph.D. lab environment was toxic ( sabotaging experiments, favoritism, disputes about authorship, reagent hoarding, etc..), and my PI was extremely narcissistic and manipulative. I somehow fought my way through the years, got my degree, and shifted to the US for a postdoc. I even avoided getting a Postdoc in a lab that my PI recommended because he knew the professor personally, and I did not want to be under his umbrella anymore. I still kept an amicable relationship with him, but I am in touch with very few of my previous colleagues and avoid the rest, as I had a rather unpleasant experience with them. Recently, he personally invited me to join a get-together of his lab, which will consist of past lab members, but I really want to avoid it. My wife (who was in academia too) says not attending might come across as unprofessional and can have repercussions later (if we decide to move back) since he (the PI) is well connected and influential in the academic circles in my home country. Any suggestions? | i4v90gv | i4vgl14 | 1,650,050,034 | 1,650,053,290 | 47 | 130 | >Recently, he personally invited me to join a get-together of his lab, which will consist of past lab members, but I really want to avoid it. Then don't go. ​ >My wife (who was in academia too) says not attending might come across as unprofessional and can have repercussions later (if we decide to move back) since he (the PI) is well connected and influential in the academic circles in my home country. I am assuming you are in your mid-20s - do you plan to spend decades bending the knee to people ? Is that worth your sense of self-worth? | Well, you're in the US now. Are you actually going to pay for an expensive plane ticket and go on a 7h+ flight to meet some former colleagues? I wouldn't even do that for colleagues I adored | 0 | 3,256 | 2.765957 |
u4be7z | askacademia_train | 0.97 | How can I stay professional and calm while meeting with my toxic Ph.D. supervisor after I've graduated? I am a Postdoc now, and I graduated back in 2019. My Ph.D. lab environment was toxic ( sabotaging experiments, favoritism, disputes about authorship, reagent hoarding, etc..), and my PI was extremely narcissistic and manipulative. I somehow fought my way through the years, got my degree, and shifted to the US for a postdoc. I even avoided getting a Postdoc in a lab that my PI recommended because he knew the professor personally, and I did not want to be under his umbrella anymore. I still kept an amicable relationship with him, but I am in touch with very few of my previous colleagues and avoid the rest, as I had a rather unpleasant experience with them. Recently, he personally invited me to join a get-together of his lab, which will consist of past lab members, but I really want to avoid it. My wife (who was in academia too) says not attending might come across as unprofessional and can have repercussions later (if we decide to move back) since he (the PI) is well connected and influential in the academic circles in my home country. Any suggestions? | i4vgl14 | i4uvwtk | 1,650,053,290 | 1,650,044,625 | 130 | 33 | Well, you're in the US now. Are you actually going to pay for an expensive plane ticket and go on a 7h+ flight to meet some former colleagues? I wouldn't even do that for colleagues I adored | I would come up with an excuse and not go. A family issue or other commitment. You don't owe anyone a long explanation. Just say you are happy for the invitation but are not available to attend and wish everyone the best. That stays professional but gets you out of attending the event. | 1 | 8,665 | 3.939394 |
u4be7z | askacademia_train | 0.97 | How can I stay professional and calm while meeting with my toxic Ph.D. supervisor after I've graduated? I am a Postdoc now, and I graduated back in 2019. My Ph.D. lab environment was toxic ( sabotaging experiments, favoritism, disputes about authorship, reagent hoarding, etc..), and my PI was extremely narcissistic and manipulative. I somehow fought my way through the years, got my degree, and shifted to the US for a postdoc. I even avoided getting a Postdoc in a lab that my PI recommended because he knew the professor personally, and I did not want to be under his umbrella anymore. I still kept an amicable relationship with him, but I am in touch with very few of my previous colleagues and avoid the rest, as I had a rather unpleasant experience with them. Recently, he personally invited me to join a get-together of his lab, which will consist of past lab members, but I really want to avoid it. My wife (who was in academia too) says not attending might come across as unprofessional and can have repercussions later (if we decide to move back) since he (the PI) is well connected and influential in the academic circles in my home country. Any suggestions? | i4vfjg7 | i4vgl14 | 1,650,052,847 | 1,650,053,290 | 14 | 130 | "Sorry, I can't make it! You guys have fun!" | Well, you're in the US now. Are you actually going to pay for an expensive plane ticket and go on a 7h+ flight to meet some former colleagues? I wouldn't even do that for colleagues I adored | 0 | 443 | 9.285714 |
u4be7z | askacademia_train | 0.97 | How can I stay professional and calm while meeting with my toxic Ph.D. supervisor after I've graduated? I am a Postdoc now, and I graduated back in 2019. My Ph.D. lab environment was toxic ( sabotaging experiments, favoritism, disputes about authorship, reagent hoarding, etc..), and my PI was extremely narcissistic and manipulative. I somehow fought my way through the years, got my degree, and shifted to the US for a postdoc. I even avoided getting a Postdoc in a lab that my PI recommended because he knew the professor personally, and I did not want to be under his umbrella anymore. I still kept an amicable relationship with him, but I am in touch with very few of my previous colleagues and avoid the rest, as I had a rather unpleasant experience with them. Recently, he personally invited me to join a get-together of his lab, which will consist of past lab members, but I really want to avoid it. My wife (who was in academia too) says not attending might come across as unprofessional and can have repercussions later (if we decide to move back) since he (the PI) is well connected and influential in the academic circles in my home country. Any suggestions? | i4uj5ao | i4vgl14 | 1,650,039,522 | 1,650,053,290 | 3 | 130 | Suck it up and go. | Well, you're in the US now. Are you actually going to pay for an expensive plane ticket and go on a 7h+ flight to meet some former colleagues? I wouldn't even do that for colleagues I adored | 0 | 13,768 | 43.333333 |
u4be7z | askacademia_train | 0.97 | How can I stay professional and calm while meeting with my toxic Ph.D. supervisor after I've graduated? I am a Postdoc now, and I graduated back in 2019. My Ph.D. lab environment was toxic ( sabotaging experiments, favoritism, disputes about authorship, reagent hoarding, etc..), and my PI was extremely narcissistic and manipulative. I somehow fought my way through the years, got my degree, and shifted to the US for a postdoc. I even avoided getting a Postdoc in a lab that my PI recommended because he knew the professor personally, and I did not want to be under his umbrella anymore. I still kept an amicable relationship with him, but I am in touch with very few of my previous colleagues and avoid the rest, as I had a rather unpleasant experience with them. Recently, he personally invited me to join a get-together of his lab, which will consist of past lab members, but I really want to avoid it. My wife (who was in academia too) says not attending might come across as unprofessional and can have repercussions later (if we decide to move back) since he (the PI) is well connected and influential in the academic circles in my home country. Any suggestions? | i4ul99c | i4vhlb3 | 1,650,040,365 | 1,650,053,724 | 46 | 53 | I suggest going as well, but don't stay long. One way to get through it is to just let other people talk about themselves until it's time to leave. | There's nothing unprofessional about having other plans/responsibilities that conflict therefore you cannot attend. | 0 | 13,359 | 1.152174 |
u4be7z | askacademia_train | 0.97 | How can I stay professional and calm while meeting with my toxic Ph.D. supervisor after I've graduated? I am a Postdoc now, and I graduated back in 2019. My Ph.D. lab environment was toxic ( sabotaging experiments, favoritism, disputes about authorship, reagent hoarding, etc..), and my PI was extremely narcissistic and manipulative. I somehow fought my way through the years, got my degree, and shifted to the US for a postdoc. I even avoided getting a Postdoc in a lab that my PI recommended because he knew the professor personally, and I did not want to be under his umbrella anymore. I still kept an amicable relationship with him, but I am in touch with very few of my previous colleagues and avoid the rest, as I had a rather unpleasant experience with them. Recently, he personally invited me to join a get-together of his lab, which will consist of past lab members, but I really want to avoid it. My wife (who was in academia too) says not attending might come across as unprofessional and can have repercussions later (if we decide to move back) since he (the PI) is well connected and influential in the academic circles in my home country. Any suggestions? | i4v90gv | i4vhlb3 | 1,650,050,034 | 1,650,053,724 | 47 | 53 | >Recently, he personally invited me to join a get-together of his lab, which will consist of past lab members, but I really want to avoid it. Then don't go. ​ >My wife (who was in academia too) says not attending might come across as unprofessional and can have repercussions later (if we decide to move back) since he (the PI) is well connected and influential in the academic circles in my home country. I am assuming you are in your mid-20s - do you plan to spend decades bending the knee to people ? Is that worth your sense of self-worth? | There's nothing unprofessional about having other plans/responsibilities that conflict therefore you cannot attend. | 0 | 3,690 | 1.12766 |
u4be7z | askacademia_train | 0.97 | How can I stay professional and calm while meeting with my toxic Ph.D. supervisor after I've graduated? I am a Postdoc now, and I graduated back in 2019. My Ph.D. lab environment was toxic ( sabotaging experiments, favoritism, disputes about authorship, reagent hoarding, etc..), and my PI was extremely narcissistic and manipulative. I somehow fought my way through the years, got my degree, and shifted to the US for a postdoc. I even avoided getting a Postdoc in a lab that my PI recommended because he knew the professor personally, and I did not want to be under his umbrella anymore. I still kept an amicable relationship with him, but I am in touch with very few of my previous colleagues and avoid the rest, as I had a rather unpleasant experience with them. Recently, he personally invited me to join a get-together of his lab, which will consist of past lab members, but I really want to avoid it. My wife (who was in academia too) says not attending might come across as unprofessional and can have repercussions later (if we decide to move back) since he (the PI) is well connected and influential in the academic circles in my home country. Any suggestions? | i4vhlb3 | i4uvwtk | 1,650,053,724 | 1,650,044,625 | 53 | 33 | There's nothing unprofessional about having other plans/responsibilities that conflict therefore you cannot attend. | I would come up with an excuse and not go. A family issue or other commitment. You don't owe anyone a long explanation. Just say you are happy for the invitation but are not available to attend and wish everyone the best. That stays professional but gets you out of attending the event. | 1 | 9,099 | 1.606061 |
u4be7z | askacademia_train | 0.97 | How can I stay professional and calm while meeting with my toxic Ph.D. supervisor after I've graduated? I am a Postdoc now, and I graduated back in 2019. My Ph.D. lab environment was toxic ( sabotaging experiments, favoritism, disputes about authorship, reagent hoarding, etc..), and my PI was extremely narcissistic and manipulative. I somehow fought my way through the years, got my degree, and shifted to the US for a postdoc. I even avoided getting a Postdoc in a lab that my PI recommended because he knew the professor personally, and I did not want to be under his umbrella anymore. I still kept an amicable relationship with him, but I am in touch with very few of my previous colleagues and avoid the rest, as I had a rather unpleasant experience with them. Recently, he personally invited me to join a get-together of his lab, which will consist of past lab members, but I really want to avoid it. My wife (who was in academia too) says not attending might come across as unprofessional and can have repercussions later (if we decide to move back) since he (the PI) is well connected and influential in the academic circles in my home country. Any suggestions? | i4vhlb3 | i4vh653 | 1,650,053,724 | 1,650,053,541 | 53 | 19 | There's nothing unprofessional about having other plans/responsibilities that conflict therefore you cannot attend. | Your wife is wrong. If this is a manipulative narc, he's trying to get you into his sphere of influence again so he can manipulate you more. Do the "no contact" thing that is often the only way with narcissists( google it). Your instincts to stay away were correct. Don't be "polite" and "nice." Yikes. Run for the hills. If you attend, you'll likely be accused of something -- like "being unfriendly," or "giving dirty looks" (even if you don't -- it's all projection with narcs). You'll be assessed negatively: "Boy he seems depleted. Guess he's not happy without me." Attorneys say this all the time: "The more you talk, the more you lose." Don't open up a can of worms, man. No. | 1 | 183 | 2.789474 |
u4be7z | askacademia_train | 0.97 | How can I stay professional and calm while meeting with my toxic Ph.D. supervisor after I've graduated? I am a Postdoc now, and I graduated back in 2019. My Ph.D. lab environment was toxic ( sabotaging experiments, favoritism, disputes about authorship, reagent hoarding, etc..), and my PI was extremely narcissistic and manipulative. I somehow fought my way through the years, got my degree, and shifted to the US for a postdoc. I even avoided getting a Postdoc in a lab that my PI recommended because he knew the professor personally, and I did not want to be under his umbrella anymore. I still kept an amicable relationship with him, but I am in touch with very few of my previous colleagues and avoid the rest, as I had a rather unpleasant experience with them. Recently, he personally invited me to join a get-together of his lab, which will consist of past lab members, but I really want to avoid it. My wife (who was in academia too) says not attending might come across as unprofessional and can have repercussions later (if we decide to move back) since he (the PI) is well connected and influential in the academic circles in my home country. Any suggestions? | i4vfjg7 | i4vhlb3 | 1,650,052,847 | 1,650,053,724 | 14 | 53 | "Sorry, I can't make it! You guys have fun!" | There's nothing unprofessional about having other plans/responsibilities that conflict therefore you cannot attend. | 0 | 877 | 3.785714 |
u4be7z | askacademia_train | 0.97 | How can I stay professional and calm while meeting with my toxic Ph.D. supervisor after I've graduated? I am a Postdoc now, and I graduated back in 2019. My Ph.D. lab environment was toxic ( sabotaging experiments, favoritism, disputes about authorship, reagent hoarding, etc..), and my PI was extremely narcissistic and manipulative. I somehow fought my way through the years, got my degree, and shifted to the US for a postdoc. I even avoided getting a Postdoc in a lab that my PI recommended because he knew the professor personally, and I did not want to be under his umbrella anymore. I still kept an amicable relationship with him, but I am in touch with very few of my previous colleagues and avoid the rest, as I had a rather unpleasant experience with them. Recently, he personally invited me to join a get-together of his lab, which will consist of past lab members, but I really want to avoid it. My wife (who was in academia too) says not attending might come across as unprofessional and can have repercussions later (if we decide to move back) since he (the PI) is well connected and influential in the academic circles in my home country. Any suggestions? | i4vhlb3 | i4uj5ao | 1,650,053,724 | 1,650,039,522 | 53 | 3 | There's nothing unprofessional about having other plans/responsibilities that conflict therefore you cannot attend. | Suck it up and go. | 1 | 14,202 | 17.666667 |
u4be7z | askacademia_train | 0.97 | How can I stay professional and calm while meeting with my toxic Ph.D. supervisor after I've graduated? I am a Postdoc now, and I graduated back in 2019. My Ph.D. lab environment was toxic ( sabotaging experiments, favoritism, disputes about authorship, reagent hoarding, etc..), and my PI was extremely narcissistic and manipulative. I somehow fought my way through the years, got my degree, and shifted to the US for a postdoc. I even avoided getting a Postdoc in a lab that my PI recommended because he knew the professor personally, and I did not want to be under his umbrella anymore. I still kept an amicable relationship with him, but I am in touch with very few of my previous colleagues and avoid the rest, as I had a rather unpleasant experience with them. Recently, he personally invited me to join a get-together of his lab, which will consist of past lab members, but I really want to avoid it. My wife (who was in academia too) says not attending might come across as unprofessional and can have repercussions later (if we decide to move back) since he (the PI) is well connected and influential in the academic circles in my home country. Any suggestions? | i4viwjy | i4ul99c | 1,650,054,288 | 1,650,040,365 | 52 | 46 | I'll definitely attend! Oh no, I've been exposed to COVID19. So sad, next time! Better safe than sorry.. | I suggest going as well, but don't stay long. One way to get through it is to just let other people talk about themselves until it's time to leave. | 1 | 13,923 | 1.130435 |
u4be7z | askacademia_train | 0.97 | How can I stay professional and calm while meeting with my toxic Ph.D. supervisor after I've graduated? I am a Postdoc now, and I graduated back in 2019. My Ph.D. lab environment was toxic ( sabotaging experiments, favoritism, disputes about authorship, reagent hoarding, etc..), and my PI was extremely narcissistic and manipulative. I somehow fought my way through the years, got my degree, and shifted to the US for a postdoc. I even avoided getting a Postdoc in a lab that my PI recommended because he knew the professor personally, and I did not want to be under his umbrella anymore. I still kept an amicable relationship with him, but I am in touch with very few of my previous colleagues and avoid the rest, as I had a rather unpleasant experience with them. Recently, he personally invited me to join a get-together of his lab, which will consist of past lab members, but I really want to avoid it. My wife (who was in academia too) says not attending might come across as unprofessional and can have repercussions later (if we decide to move back) since he (the PI) is well connected and influential in the academic circles in my home country. Any suggestions? | i4v90gv | i4viwjy | 1,650,050,034 | 1,650,054,288 | 47 | 52 | >Recently, he personally invited me to join a get-together of his lab, which will consist of past lab members, but I really want to avoid it. Then don't go. ​ >My wife (who was in academia too) says not attending might come across as unprofessional and can have repercussions later (if we decide to move back) since he (the PI) is well connected and influential in the academic circles in my home country. I am assuming you are in your mid-20s - do you plan to spend decades bending the knee to people ? Is that worth your sense of self-worth? | I'll definitely attend! Oh no, I've been exposed to COVID19. So sad, next time! Better safe than sorry.. | 0 | 4,254 | 1.106383 |
u4be7z | askacademia_train | 0.97 | How can I stay professional and calm while meeting with my toxic Ph.D. supervisor after I've graduated? I am a Postdoc now, and I graduated back in 2019. My Ph.D. lab environment was toxic ( sabotaging experiments, favoritism, disputes about authorship, reagent hoarding, etc..), and my PI was extremely narcissistic and manipulative. I somehow fought my way through the years, got my degree, and shifted to the US for a postdoc. I even avoided getting a Postdoc in a lab that my PI recommended because he knew the professor personally, and I did not want to be under his umbrella anymore. I still kept an amicable relationship with him, but I am in touch with very few of my previous colleagues and avoid the rest, as I had a rather unpleasant experience with them. Recently, he personally invited me to join a get-together of his lab, which will consist of past lab members, but I really want to avoid it. My wife (who was in academia too) says not attending might come across as unprofessional and can have repercussions later (if we decide to move back) since he (the PI) is well connected and influential in the academic circles in my home country. Any suggestions? | i4uvwtk | i4viwjy | 1,650,044,625 | 1,650,054,288 | 33 | 52 | I would come up with an excuse and not go. A family issue or other commitment. You don't owe anyone a long explanation. Just say you are happy for the invitation but are not available to attend and wish everyone the best. That stays professional but gets you out of attending the event. | I'll definitely attend! Oh no, I've been exposed to COVID19. So sad, next time! Better safe than sorry.. | 0 | 9,663 | 1.575758 |
u4be7z | askacademia_train | 0.97 | How can I stay professional and calm while meeting with my toxic Ph.D. supervisor after I've graduated? I am a Postdoc now, and I graduated back in 2019. My Ph.D. lab environment was toxic ( sabotaging experiments, favoritism, disputes about authorship, reagent hoarding, etc..), and my PI was extremely narcissistic and manipulative. I somehow fought my way through the years, got my degree, and shifted to the US for a postdoc. I even avoided getting a Postdoc in a lab that my PI recommended because he knew the professor personally, and I did not want to be under his umbrella anymore. I still kept an amicable relationship with him, but I am in touch with very few of my previous colleagues and avoid the rest, as I had a rather unpleasant experience with them. Recently, he personally invited me to join a get-together of his lab, which will consist of past lab members, but I really want to avoid it. My wife (who was in academia too) says not attending might come across as unprofessional and can have repercussions later (if we decide to move back) since he (the PI) is well connected and influential in the academic circles in my home country. Any suggestions? | i4vh653 | i4viwjy | 1,650,053,541 | 1,650,054,288 | 19 | 52 | Your wife is wrong. If this is a manipulative narc, he's trying to get you into his sphere of influence again so he can manipulate you more. Do the "no contact" thing that is often the only way with narcissists( google it). Your instincts to stay away were correct. Don't be "polite" and "nice." Yikes. Run for the hills. If you attend, you'll likely be accused of something -- like "being unfriendly," or "giving dirty looks" (even if you don't -- it's all projection with narcs). You'll be assessed negatively: "Boy he seems depleted. Guess he's not happy without me." Attorneys say this all the time: "The more you talk, the more you lose." Don't open up a can of worms, man. No. | I'll definitely attend! Oh no, I've been exposed to COVID19. So sad, next time! Better safe than sorry.. | 0 | 747 | 2.736842 |
u4be7z | askacademia_train | 0.97 | How can I stay professional and calm while meeting with my toxic Ph.D. supervisor after I've graduated? I am a Postdoc now, and I graduated back in 2019. My Ph.D. lab environment was toxic ( sabotaging experiments, favoritism, disputes about authorship, reagent hoarding, etc..), and my PI was extremely narcissistic and manipulative. I somehow fought my way through the years, got my degree, and shifted to the US for a postdoc. I even avoided getting a Postdoc in a lab that my PI recommended because he knew the professor personally, and I did not want to be under his umbrella anymore. I still kept an amicable relationship with him, but I am in touch with very few of my previous colleagues and avoid the rest, as I had a rather unpleasant experience with them. Recently, he personally invited me to join a get-together of his lab, which will consist of past lab members, but I really want to avoid it. My wife (who was in academia too) says not attending might come across as unprofessional and can have repercussions later (if we decide to move back) since he (the PI) is well connected and influential in the academic circles in my home country. Any suggestions? | i4vfjg7 | i4viwjy | 1,650,052,847 | 1,650,054,288 | 14 | 52 | "Sorry, I can't make it! You guys have fun!" | I'll definitely attend! Oh no, I've been exposed to COVID19. So sad, next time! Better safe than sorry.. | 0 | 1,441 | 3.714286 |
u4be7z | askacademia_train | 0.97 | How can I stay professional and calm while meeting with my toxic Ph.D. supervisor after I've graduated? I am a Postdoc now, and I graduated back in 2019. My Ph.D. lab environment was toxic ( sabotaging experiments, favoritism, disputes about authorship, reagent hoarding, etc..), and my PI was extremely narcissistic and manipulative. I somehow fought my way through the years, got my degree, and shifted to the US for a postdoc. I even avoided getting a Postdoc in a lab that my PI recommended because he knew the professor personally, and I did not want to be under his umbrella anymore. I still kept an amicable relationship with him, but I am in touch with very few of my previous colleagues and avoid the rest, as I had a rather unpleasant experience with them. Recently, he personally invited me to join a get-together of his lab, which will consist of past lab members, but I really want to avoid it. My wife (who was in academia too) says not attending might come across as unprofessional and can have repercussions later (if we decide to move back) since he (the PI) is well connected and influential in the academic circles in my home country. Any suggestions? | i4viwjy | i4viuql | 1,650,054,288 | 1,650,054,266 | 52 | 12 | I'll definitely attend! Oh no, I've been exposed to COVID19. So sad, next time! Better safe than sorry.. | I once saw my PhD supervisor at a conference 10 years after I graduated and I still broke out into hives and hid in the bathroom | 1 | 22 | 4.333333 |
u4be7z | askacademia_train | 0.97 | How can I stay professional and calm while meeting with my toxic Ph.D. supervisor after I've graduated? I am a Postdoc now, and I graduated back in 2019. My Ph.D. lab environment was toxic ( sabotaging experiments, favoritism, disputes about authorship, reagent hoarding, etc..), and my PI was extremely narcissistic and manipulative. I somehow fought my way through the years, got my degree, and shifted to the US for a postdoc. I even avoided getting a Postdoc in a lab that my PI recommended because he knew the professor personally, and I did not want to be under his umbrella anymore. I still kept an amicable relationship with him, but I am in touch with very few of my previous colleagues and avoid the rest, as I had a rather unpleasant experience with them. Recently, he personally invited me to join a get-together of his lab, which will consist of past lab members, but I really want to avoid it. My wife (who was in academia too) says not attending might come across as unprofessional and can have repercussions later (if we decide to move back) since he (the PI) is well connected and influential in the academic circles in my home country. Any suggestions? | i4vi07b | i4viwjy | 1,650,053,903 | 1,650,054,288 | 10 | 52 | Just send a professional, polite rejection of the invite. No details necessary, even. | I'll definitely attend! Oh no, I've been exposed to COVID19. So sad, next time! Better safe than sorry.. | 0 | 385 | 5.2 |
u4be7z | askacademia_train | 0.97 | How can I stay professional and calm while meeting with my toxic Ph.D. supervisor after I've graduated? I am a Postdoc now, and I graduated back in 2019. My Ph.D. lab environment was toxic ( sabotaging experiments, favoritism, disputes about authorship, reagent hoarding, etc..), and my PI was extremely narcissistic and manipulative. I somehow fought my way through the years, got my degree, and shifted to the US for a postdoc. I even avoided getting a Postdoc in a lab that my PI recommended because he knew the professor personally, and I did not want to be under his umbrella anymore. I still kept an amicable relationship with him, but I am in touch with very few of my previous colleagues and avoid the rest, as I had a rather unpleasant experience with them. Recently, he personally invited me to join a get-together of his lab, which will consist of past lab members, but I really want to avoid it. My wife (who was in academia too) says not attending might come across as unprofessional and can have repercussions later (if we decide to move back) since he (the PI) is well connected and influential in the academic circles in my home country. Any suggestions? | i4uj5ao | i4viwjy | 1,650,039,522 | 1,650,054,288 | 3 | 52 | Suck it up and go. | I'll definitely attend! Oh no, I've been exposed to COVID19. So sad, next time! Better safe than sorry.. | 0 | 14,766 | 17.333333 |
u4be7z | askacademia_train | 0.97 | How can I stay professional and calm while meeting with my toxic Ph.D. supervisor after I've graduated? I am a Postdoc now, and I graduated back in 2019. My Ph.D. lab environment was toxic ( sabotaging experiments, favoritism, disputes about authorship, reagent hoarding, etc..), and my PI was extremely narcissistic and manipulative. I somehow fought my way through the years, got my degree, and shifted to the US for a postdoc. I even avoided getting a Postdoc in a lab that my PI recommended because he knew the professor personally, and I did not want to be under his umbrella anymore. I still kept an amicable relationship with him, but I am in touch with very few of my previous colleagues and avoid the rest, as I had a rather unpleasant experience with them. Recently, he personally invited me to join a get-together of his lab, which will consist of past lab members, but I really want to avoid it. My wife (who was in academia too) says not attending might come across as unprofessional and can have repercussions later (if we decide to move back) since he (the PI) is well connected and influential in the academic circles in my home country. Any suggestions? | i4ul99c | i4v90gv | 1,650,040,365 | 1,650,050,034 | 46 | 47 | I suggest going as well, but don't stay long. One way to get through it is to just let other people talk about themselves until it's time to leave. | >Recently, he personally invited me to join a get-together of his lab, which will consist of past lab members, but I really want to avoid it. Then don't go. ​ >My wife (who was in academia too) says not attending might come across as unprofessional and can have repercussions later (if we decide to move back) since he (the PI) is well connected and influential in the academic circles in my home country. I am assuming you are in your mid-20s - do you plan to spend decades bending the knee to people ? Is that worth your sense of self-worth? | 0 | 9,669 | 1.021739 |
u4be7z | askacademia_train | 0.97 | How can I stay professional and calm while meeting with my toxic Ph.D. supervisor after I've graduated? I am a Postdoc now, and I graduated back in 2019. My Ph.D. lab environment was toxic ( sabotaging experiments, favoritism, disputes about authorship, reagent hoarding, etc..), and my PI was extremely narcissistic and manipulative. I somehow fought my way through the years, got my degree, and shifted to the US for a postdoc. I even avoided getting a Postdoc in a lab that my PI recommended because he knew the professor personally, and I did not want to be under his umbrella anymore. I still kept an amicable relationship with him, but I am in touch with very few of my previous colleagues and avoid the rest, as I had a rather unpleasant experience with them. Recently, he personally invited me to join a get-together of his lab, which will consist of past lab members, but I really want to avoid it. My wife (who was in academia too) says not attending might come across as unprofessional and can have repercussions later (if we decide to move back) since he (the PI) is well connected and influential in the academic circles in my home country. Any suggestions? | i4uj5ao | i4ul99c | 1,650,039,522 | 1,650,040,365 | 3 | 46 | Suck it up and go. | I suggest going as well, but don't stay long. One way to get through it is to just let other people talk about themselves until it's time to leave. | 0 | 843 | 15.333333 |
u4be7z | askacademia_train | 0.97 | How can I stay professional and calm while meeting with my toxic Ph.D. supervisor after I've graduated? I am a Postdoc now, and I graduated back in 2019. My Ph.D. lab environment was toxic ( sabotaging experiments, favoritism, disputes about authorship, reagent hoarding, etc..), and my PI was extremely narcissistic and manipulative. I somehow fought my way through the years, got my degree, and shifted to the US for a postdoc. I even avoided getting a Postdoc in a lab that my PI recommended because he knew the professor personally, and I did not want to be under his umbrella anymore. I still kept an amicable relationship with him, but I am in touch with very few of my previous colleagues and avoid the rest, as I had a rather unpleasant experience with them. Recently, he personally invited me to join a get-together of his lab, which will consist of past lab members, but I really want to avoid it. My wife (who was in academia too) says not attending might come across as unprofessional and can have repercussions later (if we decide to move back) since he (the PI) is well connected and influential in the academic circles in my home country. Any suggestions? | i4v90gv | i4uvwtk | 1,650,050,034 | 1,650,044,625 | 47 | 33 | >Recently, he personally invited me to join a get-together of his lab, which will consist of past lab members, but I really want to avoid it. Then don't go. ​ >My wife (who was in academia too) says not attending might come across as unprofessional and can have repercussions later (if we decide to move back) since he (the PI) is well connected and influential in the academic circles in my home country. I am assuming you are in your mid-20s - do you plan to spend decades bending the knee to people ? Is that worth your sense of self-worth? | I would come up with an excuse and not go. A family issue or other commitment. You don't owe anyone a long explanation. Just say you are happy for the invitation but are not available to attend and wish everyone the best. That stays professional but gets you out of attending the event. | 1 | 5,409 | 1.424242 |
u4be7z | askacademia_train | 0.97 | How can I stay professional and calm while meeting with my toxic Ph.D. supervisor after I've graduated? I am a Postdoc now, and I graduated back in 2019. My Ph.D. lab environment was toxic ( sabotaging experiments, favoritism, disputes about authorship, reagent hoarding, etc..), and my PI was extremely narcissistic and manipulative. I somehow fought my way through the years, got my degree, and shifted to the US for a postdoc. I even avoided getting a Postdoc in a lab that my PI recommended because he knew the professor personally, and I did not want to be under his umbrella anymore. I still kept an amicable relationship with him, but I am in touch with very few of my previous colleagues and avoid the rest, as I had a rather unpleasant experience with them. Recently, he personally invited me to join a get-together of his lab, which will consist of past lab members, but I really want to avoid it. My wife (who was in academia too) says not attending might come across as unprofessional and can have repercussions later (if we decide to move back) since he (the PI) is well connected and influential in the academic circles in my home country. Any suggestions? | i4v90gv | i4uj5ao | 1,650,050,034 | 1,650,039,522 | 47 | 3 | >Recently, he personally invited me to join a get-together of his lab, which will consist of past lab members, but I really want to avoid it. Then don't go. ​ >My wife (who was in academia too) says not attending might come across as unprofessional and can have repercussions later (if we decide to move back) since he (the PI) is well connected and influential in the academic circles in my home country. I am assuming you are in your mid-20s - do you plan to spend decades bending the knee to people ? Is that worth your sense of self-worth? | Suck it up and go. | 1 | 10,512 | 15.666667 |
u4be7z | askacademia_train | 0.97 | How can I stay professional and calm while meeting with my toxic Ph.D. supervisor after I've graduated? I am a Postdoc now, and I graduated back in 2019. My Ph.D. lab environment was toxic ( sabotaging experiments, favoritism, disputes about authorship, reagent hoarding, etc..), and my PI was extremely narcissistic and manipulative. I somehow fought my way through the years, got my degree, and shifted to the US for a postdoc. I even avoided getting a Postdoc in a lab that my PI recommended because he knew the professor personally, and I did not want to be under his umbrella anymore. I still kept an amicable relationship with him, but I am in touch with very few of my previous colleagues and avoid the rest, as I had a rather unpleasant experience with them. Recently, he personally invited me to join a get-together of his lab, which will consist of past lab members, but I really want to avoid it. My wife (who was in academia too) says not attending might come across as unprofessional and can have repercussions later (if we decide to move back) since he (the PI) is well connected and influential in the academic circles in my home country. Any suggestions? | i4vqe05 | i4uvwtk | 1,650,057,637 | 1,650,044,625 | 39 | 33 | I’m still talking about my advisor in therapy. I see her once or twice a year and I know it’s trite but I absolutely kill her with kindness. She knows what she did to me, she knows it cost her tenure at that school and therefore any other prestigious program, and she knows that I stuck through it to complete the program with uncompromising support from my committee. I’m not comfortable in her presence but I focus on what I’ve achieved in my career, adversity I’ve endured, and most importantly that I’ll be going home afterward where I’ll get to see my best friend, my true love, my fiancée. After suffering through major depression in grad school, I take nothing for granted, and I’ve been able to reconcile within myself that I got a great education from my advisor (both as a scientist and in the form of life lessons). I can summon the strength to smile, look her in the eyes, remain confident and jovial; from there it only gets easier as she sinks into herself. TL; DR Live your life with contentment and appreciation. Every time you have the opportunity, give people what your advisor never gave you. It’s not easy, but it’s worth it. You’re worth it. | I would come up with an excuse and not go. A family issue or other commitment. You don't owe anyone a long explanation. Just say you are happy for the invitation but are not available to attend and wish everyone the best. That stays professional but gets you out of attending the event. | 1 | 13,012 | 1.181818 |
u4be7z | askacademia_train | 0.97 | How can I stay professional and calm while meeting with my toxic Ph.D. supervisor after I've graduated? I am a Postdoc now, and I graduated back in 2019. My Ph.D. lab environment was toxic ( sabotaging experiments, favoritism, disputes about authorship, reagent hoarding, etc..), and my PI was extremely narcissistic and manipulative. I somehow fought my way through the years, got my degree, and shifted to the US for a postdoc. I even avoided getting a Postdoc in a lab that my PI recommended because he knew the professor personally, and I did not want to be under his umbrella anymore. I still kept an amicable relationship with him, but I am in touch with very few of my previous colleagues and avoid the rest, as I had a rather unpleasant experience with them. Recently, he personally invited me to join a get-together of his lab, which will consist of past lab members, but I really want to avoid it. My wife (who was in academia too) says not attending might come across as unprofessional and can have repercussions later (if we decide to move back) since he (the PI) is well connected and influential in the academic circles in my home country. Any suggestions? | i4vh653 | i4vqe05 | 1,650,053,541 | 1,650,057,637 | 19 | 39 | Your wife is wrong. If this is a manipulative narc, he's trying to get you into his sphere of influence again so he can manipulate you more. Do the "no contact" thing that is often the only way with narcissists( google it). Your instincts to stay away were correct. Don't be "polite" and "nice." Yikes. Run for the hills. If you attend, you'll likely be accused of something -- like "being unfriendly," or "giving dirty looks" (even if you don't -- it's all projection with narcs). You'll be assessed negatively: "Boy he seems depleted. Guess he's not happy without me." Attorneys say this all the time: "The more you talk, the more you lose." Don't open up a can of worms, man. No. | I’m still talking about my advisor in therapy. I see her once or twice a year and I know it’s trite but I absolutely kill her with kindness. She knows what she did to me, she knows it cost her tenure at that school and therefore any other prestigious program, and she knows that I stuck through it to complete the program with uncompromising support from my committee. I’m not comfortable in her presence but I focus on what I’ve achieved in my career, adversity I’ve endured, and most importantly that I’ll be going home afterward where I’ll get to see my best friend, my true love, my fiancée. After suffering through major depression in grad school, I take nothing for granted, and I’ve been able to reconcile within myself that I got a great education from my advisor (both as a scientist and in the form of life lessons). I can summon the strength to smile, look her in the eyes, remain confident and jovial; from there it only gets easier as she sinks into herself. TL; DR Live your life with contentment and appreciation. Every time you have the opportunity, give people what your advisor never gave you. It’s not easy, but it’s worth it. You’re worth it. | 0 | 4,096 | 2.052632 |
u4be7z | askacademia_train | 0.97 | How can I stay professional and calm while meeting with my toxic Ph.D. supervisor after I've graduated? I am a Postdoc now, and I graduated back in 2019. My Ph.D. lab environment was toxic ( sabotaging experiments, favoritism, disputes about authorship, reagent hoarding, etc..), and my PI was extremely narcissistic and manipulative. I somehow fought my way through the years, got my degree, and shifted to the US for a postdoc. I even avoided getting a Postdoc in a lab that my PI recommended because he knew the professor personally, and I did not want to be under his umbrella anymore. I still kept an amicable relationship with him, but I am in touch with very few of my previous colleagues and avoid the rest, as I had a rather unpleasant experience with them. Recently, he personally invited me to join a get-together of his lab, which will consist of past lab members, but I really want to avoid it. My wife (who was in academia too) says not attending might come across as unprofessional and can have repercussions later (if we decide to move back) since he (the PI) is well connected and influential in the academic circles in my home country. Any suggestions? | i4vqe05 | i4vfjg7 | 1,650,057,637 | 1,650,052,847 | 39 | 14 | I’m still talking about my advisor in therapy. I see her once or twice a year and I know it’s trite but I absolutely kill her with kindness. She knows what she did to me, she knows it cost her tenure at that school and therefore any other prestigious program, and she knows that I stuck through it to complete the program with uncompromising support from my committee. I’m not comfortable in her presence but I focus on what I’ve achieved in my career, adversity I’ve endured, and most importantly that I’ll be going home afterward where I’ll get to see my best friend, my true love, my fiancée. After suffering through major depression in grad school, I take nothing for granted, and I’ve been able to reconcile within myself that I got a great education from my advisor (both as a scientist and in the form of life lessons). I can summon the strength to smile, look her in the eyes, remain confident and jovial; from there it only gets easier as she sinks into herself. TL; DR Live your life with contentment and appreciation. Every time you have the opportunity, give people what your advisor never gave you. It’s not easy, but it’s worth it. You’re worth it. | "Sorry, I can't make it! You guys have fun!" | 1 | 4,790 | 2.785714 |
u4be7z | askacademia_train | 0.97 | How can I stay professional and calm while meeting with my toxic Ph.D. supervisor after I've graduated? I am a Postdoc now, and I graduated back in 2019. My Ph.D. lab environment was toxic ( sabotaging experiments, favoritism, disputes about authorship, reagent hoarding, etc..), and my PI was extremely narcissistic and manipulative. I somehow fought my way through the years, got my degree, and shifted to the US for a postdoc. I even avoided getting a Postdoc in a lab that my PI recommended because he knew the professor personally, and I did not want to be under his umbrella anymore. I still kept an amicable relationship with him, but I am in touch with very few of my previous colleagues and avoid the rest, as I had a rather unpleasant experience with them. Recently, he personally invited me to join a get-together of his lab, which will consist of past lab members, but I really want to avoid it. My wife (who was in academia too) says not attending might come across as unprofessional and can have repercussions later (if we decide to move back) since he (the PI) is well connected and influential in the academic circles in my home country. Any suggestions? | i4viuql | i4vqe05 | 1,650,054,266 | 1,650,057,637 | 12 | 39 | I once saw my PhD supervisor at a conference 10 years after I graduated and I still broke out into hives and hid in the bathroom | I’m still talking about my advisor in therapy. I see her once or twice a year and I know it’s trite but I absolutely kill her with kindness. She knows what she did to me, she knows it cost her tenure at that school and therefore any other prestigious program, and she knows that I stuck through it to complete the program with uncompromising support from my committee. I’m not comfortable in her presence but I focus on what I’ve achieved in my career, adversity I’ve endured, and most importantly that I’ll be going home afterward where I’ll get to see my best friend, my true love, my fiancée. After suffering through major depression in grad school, I take nothing for granted, and I’ve been able to reconcile within myself that I got a great education from my advisor (both as a scientist and in the form of life lessons). I can summon the strength to smile, look her in the eyes, remain confident and jovial; from there it only gets easier as she sinks into herself. TL; DR Live your life with contentment and appreciation. Every time you have the opportunity, give people what your advisor never gave you. It’s not easy, but it’s worth it. You’re worth it. | 0 | 3,371 | 3.25 |
u4be7z | askacademia_train | 0.97 | How can I stay professional and calm while meeting with my toxic Ph.D. supervisor after I've graduated? I am a Postdoc now, and I graduated back in 2019. My Ph.D. lab environment was toxic ( sabotaging experiments, favoritism, disputes about authorship, reagent hoarding, etc..), and my PI was extremely narcissistic and manipulative. I somehow fought my way through the years, got my degree, and shifted to the US for a postdoc. I even avoided getting a Postdoc in a lab that my PI recommended because he knew the professor personally, and I did not want to be under his umbrella anymore. I still kept an amicable relationship with him, but I am in touch with very few of my previous colleagues and avoid the rest, as I had a rather unpleasant experience with them. Recently, he personally invited me to join a get-together of his lab, which will consist of past lab members, but I really want to avoid it. My wife (who was in academia too) says not attending might come across as unprofessional and can have repercussions later (if we decide to move back) since he (the PI) is well connected and influential in the academic circles in my home country. Any suggestions? | i4vi07b | i4vqe05 | 1,650,053,903 | 1,650,057,637 | 10 | 39 | Just send a professional, polite rejection of the invite. No details necessary, even. | I’m still talking about my advisor in therapy. I see her once or twice a year and I know it’s trite but I absolutely kill her with kindness. She knows what she did to me, she knows it cost her tenure at that school and therefore any other prestigious program, and she knows that I stuck through it to complete the program with uncompromising support from my committee. I’m not comfortable in her presence but I focus on what I’ve achieved in my career, adversity I’ve endured, and most importantly that I’ll be going home afterward where I’ll get to see my best friend, my true love, my fiancée. After suffering through major depression in grad school, I take nothing for granted, and I’ve been able to reconcile within myself that I got a great education from my advisor (both as a scientist and in the form of life lessons). I can summon the strength to smile, look her in the eyes, remain confident and jovial; from there it only gets easier as she sinks into herself. TL; DR Live your life with contentment and appreciation. Every time you have the opportunity, give people what your advisor never gave you. It’s not easy, but it’s worth it. You’re worth it. | 0 | 3,734 | 3.9 |
u4be7z | askacademia_train | 0.97 | How can I stay professional and calm while meeting with my toxic Ph.D. supervisor after I've graduated? I am a Postdoc now, and I graduated back in 2019. My Ph.D. lab environment was toxic ( sabotaging experiments, favoritism, disputes about authorship, reagent hoarding, etc..), and my PI was extremely narcissistic and manipulative. I somehow fought my way through the years, got my degree, and shifted to the US for a postdoc. I even avoided getting a Postdoc in a lab that my PI recommended because he knew the professor personally, and I did not want to be under his umbrella anymore. I still kept an amicable relationship with him, but I am in touch with very few of my previous colleagues and avoid the rest, as I had a rather unpleasant experience with them. Recently, he personally invited me to join a get-together of his lab, which will consist of past lab members, but I really want to avoid it. My wife (who was in academia too) says not attending might come across as unprofessional and can have repercussions later (if we decide to move back) since he (the PI) is well connected and influential in the academic circles in my home country. Any suggestions? | i4vqe05 | i4uj5ao | 1,650,057,637 | 1,650,039,522 | 39 | 3 | I’m still talking about my advisor in therapy. I see her once or twice a year and I know it’s trite but I absolutely kill her with kindness. She knows what she did to me, she knows it cost her tenure at that school and therefore any other prestigious program, and she knows that I stuck through it to complete the program with uncompromising support from my committee. I’m not comfortable in her presence but I focus on what I’ve achieved in my career, adversity I’ve endured, and most importantly that I’ll be going home afterward where I’ll get to see my best friend, my true love, my fiancée. After suffering through major depression in grad school, I take nothing for granted, and I’ve been able to reconcile within myself that I got a great education from my advisor (both as a scientist and in the form of life lessons). I can summon the strength to smile, look her in the eyes, remain confident and jovial; from there it only gets easier as she sinks into herself. TL; DR Live your life with contentment and appreciation. Every time you have the opportunity, give people what your advisor never gave you. It’s not easy, but it’s worth it. You’re worth it. | Suck it up and go. | 1 | 18,115 | 13 |
u4be7z | askacademia_train | 0.97 | How can I stay professional and calm while meeting with my toxic Ph.D. supervisor after I've graduated? I am a Postdoc now, and I graduated back in 2019. My Ph.D. lab environment was toxic ( sabotaging experiments, favoritism, disputes about authorship, reagent hoarding, etc..), and my PI was extremely narcissistic and manipulative. I somehow fought my way through the years, got my degree, and shifted to the US for a postdoc. I even avoided getting a Postdoc in a lab that my PI recommended because he knew the professor personally, and I did not want to be under his umbrella anymore. I still kept an amicable relationship with him, but I am in touch with very few of my previous colleagues and avoid the rest, as I had a rather unpleasant experience with them. Recently, he personally invited me to join a get-together of his lab, which will consist of past lab members, but I really want to avoid it. My wife (who was in academia too) says not attending might come across as unprofessional and can have repercussions later (if we decide to move back) since he (the PI) is well connected and influential in the academic circles in my home country. Any suggestions? | i4vqe05 | i4vnh96 | 1,650,057,637 | 1,650,056,339 | 39 | 4 | I’m still talking about my advisor in therapy. I see her once or twice a year and I know it’s trite but I absolutely kill her with kindness. She knows what she did to me, she knows it cost her tenure at that school and therefore any other prestigious program, and she knows that I stuck through it to complete the program with uncompromising support from my committee. I’m not comfortable in her presence but I focus on what I’ve achieved in my career, adversity I’ve endured, and most importantly that I’ll be going home afterward where I’ll get to see my best friend, my true love, my fiancée. After suffering through major depression in grad school, I take nothing for granted, and I’ve been able to reconcile within myself that I got a great education from my advisor (both as a scientist and in the form of life lessons). I can summon the strength to smile, look her in the eyes, remain confident and jovial; from there it only gets easier as she sinks into herself. TL; DR Live your life with contentment and appreciation. Every time you have the opportunity, give people what your advisor never gave you. It’s not easy, but it’s worth it. You’re worth it. | I would not go. Cite covid. | 1 | 1,298 | 9.75 |
u4be7z | askacademia_train | 0.97 | How can I stay professional and calm while meeting with my toxic Ph.D. supervisor after I've graduated? I am a Postdoc now, and I graduated back in 2019. My Ph.D. lab environment was toxic ( sabotaging experiments, favoritism, disputes about authorship, reagent hoarding, etc..), and my PI was extremely narcissistic and manipulative. I somehow fought my way through the years, got my degree, and shifted to the US for a postdoc. I even avoided getting a Postdoc in a lab that my PI recommended because he knew the professor personally, and I did not want to be under his umbrella anymore. I still kept an amicable relationship with him, but I am in touch with very few of my previous colleagues and avoid the rest, as I had a rather unpleasant experience with them. Recently, he personally invited me to join a get-together of his lab, which will consist of past lab members, but I really want to avoid it. My wife (who was in academia too) says not attending might come across as unprofessional and can have repercussions later (if we decide to move back) since he (the PI) is well connected and influential in the academic circles in my home country. Any suggestions? | i4uj5ao | i4uvwtk | 1,650,039,522 | 1,650,044,625 | 3 | 33 | Suck it up and go. | I would come up with an excuse and not go. A family issue or other commitment. You don't owe anyone a long explanation. Just say you are happy for the invitation but are not available to attend and wish everyone the best. That stays professional but gets you out of attending the event. | 0 | 5,103 | 11 |
u4be7z | askacademia_train | 0.97 | How can I stay professional and calm while meeting with my toxic Ph.D. supervisor after I've graduated? I am a Postdoc now, and I graduated back in 2019. My Ph.D. lab environment was toxic ( sabotaging experiments, favoritism, disputes about authorship, reagent hoarding, etc..), and my PI was extremely narcissistic and manipulative. I somehow fought my way through the years, got my degree, and shifted to the US for a postdoc. I even avoided getting a Postdoc in a lab that my PI recommended because he knew the professor personally, and I did not want to be under his umbrella anymore. I still kept an amicable relationship with him, but I am in touch with very few of my previous colleagues and avoid the rest, as I had a rather unpleasant experience with them. Recently, he personally invited me to join a get-together of his lab, which will consist of past lab members, but I really want to avoid it. My wife (who was in academia too) says not attending might come across as unprofessional and can have repercussions later (if we decide to move back) since he (the PI) is well connected and influential in the academic circles in my home country. Any suggestions? | i4vh653 | i4vfjg7 | 1,650,053,541 | 1,650,052,847 | 19 | 14 | Your wife is wrong. If this is a manipulative narc, he's trying to get you into his sphere of influence again so he can manipulate you more. Do the "no contact" thing that is often the only way with narcissists( google it). Your instincts to stay away were correct. Don't be "polite" and "nice." Yikes. Run for the hills. If you attend, you'll likely be accused of something -- like "being unfriendly," or "giving dirty looks" (even if you don't -- it's all projection with narcs). You'll be assessed negatively: "Boy he seems depleted. Guess he's not happy without me." Attorneys say this all the time: "The more you talk, the more you lose." Don't open up a can of worms, man. No. | "Sorry, I can't make it! You guys have fun!" | 1 | 694 | 1.357143 |
u4be7z | askacademia_train | 0.97 | How can I stay professional and calm while meeting with my toxic Ph.D. supervisor after I've graduated? I am a Postdoc now, and I graduated back in 2019. My Ph.D. lab environment was toxic ( sabotaging experiments, favoritism, disputes about authorship, reagent hoarding, etc..), and my PI was extremely narcissistic and manipulative. I somehow fought my way through the years, got my degree, and shifted to the US for a postdoc. I even avoided getting a Postdoc in a lab that my PI recommended because he knew the professor personally, and I did not want to be under his umbrella anymore. I still kept an amicable relationship with him, but I am in touch with very few of my previous colleagues and avoid the rest, as I had a rather unpleasant experience with them. Recently, he personally invited me to join a get-together of his lab, which will consist of past lab members, but I really want to avoid it. My wife (who was in academia too) says not attending might come across as unprofessional and can have repercussions later (if we decide to move back) since he (the PI) is well connected and influential in the academic circles in my home country. Any suggestions? | i4uj5ao | i4vh653 | 1,650,039,522 | 1,650,053,541 | 3 | 19 | Suck it up and go. | Your wife is wrong. If this is a manipulative narc, he's trying to get you into his sphere of influence again so he can manipulate you more. Do the "no contact" thing that is often the only way with narcissists( google it). Your instincts to stay away were correct. Don't be "polite" and "nice." Yikes. Run for the hills. If you attend, you'll likely be accused of something -- like "being unfriendly," or "giving dirty looks" (even if you don't -- it's all projection with narcs). You'll be assessed negatively: "Boy he seems depleted. Guess he's not happy without me." Attorneys say this all the time: "The more you talk, the more you lose." Don't open up a can of worms, man. No. | 0 | 14,019 | 6.333333 |
u4be7z | askacademia_train | 0.97 | How can I stay professional and calm while meeting with my toxic Ph.D. supervisor after I've graduated? I am a Postdoc now, and I graduated back in 2019. My Ph.D. lab environment was toxic ( sabotaging experiments, favoritism, disputes about authorship, reagent hoarding, etc..), and my PI was extremely narcissistic and manipulative. I somehow fought my way through the years, got my degree, and shifted to the US for a postdoc. I even avoided getting a Postdoc in a lab that my PI recommended because he knew the professor personally, and I did not want to be under his umbrella anymore. I still kept an amicable relationship with him, but I am in touch with very few of my previous colleagues and avoid the rest, as I had a rather unpleasant experience with them. Recently, he personally invited me to join a get-together of his lab, which will consist of past lab members, but I really want to avoid it. My wife (who was in academia too) says not attending might come across as unprofessional and can have repercussions later (if we decide to move back) since he (the PI) is well connected and influential in the academic circles in my home country. Any suggestions? | i4uj5ao | i4vfjg7 | 1,650,039,522 | 1,650,052,847 | 3 | 14 | Suck it up and go. | "Sorry, I can't make it! You guys have fun!" | 0 | 13,325 | 4.666667 |
u4be7z | askacademia_train | 0.97 | How can I stay professional and calm while meeting with my toxic Ph.D. supervisor after I've graduated? I am a Postdoc now, and I graduated back in 2019. My Ph.D. lab environment was toxic ( sabotaging experiments, favoritism, disputes about authorship, reagent hoarding, etc..), and my PI was extremely narcissistic and manipulative. I somehow fought my way through the years, got my degree, and shifted to the US for a postdoc. I even avoided getting a Postdoc in a lab that my PI recommended because he knew the professor personally, and I did not want to be under his umbrella anymore. I still kept an amicable relationship with him, but I am in touch with very few of my previous colleagues and avoid the rest, as I had a rather unpleasant experience with them. Recently, he personally invited me to join a get-together of his lab, which will consist of past lab members, but I really want to avoid it. My wife (who was in academia too) says not attending might come across as unprofessional and can have repercussions later (if we decide to move back) since he (the PI) is well connected and influential in the academic circles in my home country. Any suggestions? | i4vi07b | i4viuql | 1,650,053,903 | 1,650,054,266 | 10 | 12 | Just send a professional, polite rejection of the invite. No details necessary, even. | I once saw my PhD supervisor at a conference 10 years after I graduated and I still broke out into hives and hid in the bathroom | 0 | 363 | 1.2 |
u4be7z | askacademia_train | 0.97 | How can I stay professional and calm while meeting with my toxic Ph.D. supervisor after I've graduated? I am a Postdoc now, and I graduated back in 2019. My Ph.D. lab environment was toxic ( sabotaging experiments, favoritism, disputes about authorship, reagent hoarding, etc..), and my PI was extremely narcissistic and manipulative. I somehow fought my way through the years, got my degree, and shifted to the US for a postdoc. I even avoided getting a Postdoc in a lab that my PI recommended because he knew the professor personally, and I did not want to be under his umbrella anymore. I still kept an amicable relationship with him, but I am in touch with very few of my previous colleagues and avoid the rest, as I had a rather unpleasant experience with them. Recently, he personally invited me to join a get-together of his lab, which will consist of past lab members, but I really want to avoid it. My wife (who was in academia too) says not attending might come across as unprofessional and can have repercussions later (if we decide to move back) since he (the PI) is well connected and influential in the academic circles in my home country. Any suggestions? | i4viuql | i4uj5ao | 1,650,054,266 | 1,650,039,522 | 12 | 3 | I once saw my PhD supervisor at a conference 10 years after I graduated and I still broke out into hives and hid in the bathroom | Suck it up and go. | 1 | 14,744 | 4 |
u4be7z | askacademia_train | 0.97 | How can I stay professional and calm while meeting with my toxic Ph.D. supervisor after I've graduated? I am a Postdoc now, and I graduated back in 2019. My Ph.D. lab environment was toxic ( sabotaging experiments, favoritism, disputes about authorship, reagent hoarding, etc..), and my PI was extremely narcissistic and manipulative. I somehow fought my way through the years, got my degree, and shifted to the US for a postdoc. I even avoided getting a Postdoc in a lab that my PI recommended because he knew the professor personally, and I did not want to be under his umbrella anymore. I still kept an amicable relationship with him, but I am in touch with very few of my previous colleagues and avoid the rest, as I had a rather unpleasant experience with them. Recently, he personally invited me to join a get-together of his lab, which will consist of past lab members, but I really want to avoid it. My wife (who was in academia too) says not attending might come across as unprofessional and can have repercussions later (if we decide to move back) since he (the PI) is well connected and influential in the academic circles in my home country. Any suggestions? | i4uj5ao | i4vi07b | 1,650,039,522 | 1,650,053,903 | 3 | 10 | Suck it up and go. | Just send a professional, polite rejection of the invite. No details necessary, even. | 0 | 14,381 | 3.333333 |
u4be7z | askacademia_train | 0.97 | How can I stay professional and calm while meeting with my toxic Ph.D. supervisor after I've graduated? I am a Postdoc now, and I graduated back in 2019. My Ph.D. lab environment was toxic ( sabotaging experiments, favoritism, disputes about authorship, reagent hoarding, etc..), and my PI was extremely narcissistic and manipulative. I somehow fought my way through the years, got my degree, and shifted to the US for a postdoc. I even avoided getting a Postdoc in a lab that my PI recommended because he knew the professor personally, and I did not want to be under his umbrella anymore. I still kept an amicable relationship with him, but I am in touch with very few of my previous colleagues and avoid the rest, as I had a rather unpleasant experience with them. Recently, he personally invited me to join a get-together of his lab, which will consist of past lab members, but I really want to avoid it. My wife (who was in academia too) says not attending might come across as unprofessional and can have repercussions later (if we decide to move back) since he (the PI) is well connected and influential in the academic circles in my home country. Any suggestions? | i4vnh96 | i4uj5ao | 1,650,056,339 | 1,650,039,522 | 4 | 3 | I would not go. Cite covid. | Suck it up and go. | 1 | 16,817 | 1.333333 |
nlbc03 | askacademia_train | 0.96 | How to leave without screwing yourself over Straight to the point: I'm really not enjoying academia as much as I thought I would. I'm currently in a postdoc position many would dream. The only caveat to the position is that you must publish as much as possible in 2 years. I'm now 1.5 years into it and have not published enough to my standard and likely the uni (1 journal 3 submitted - under review). I have many days of anxiety fuelled thoughts and have had thoughts of depression which were mostly addressed in therapy. However the underlying pressure is obviously still there. I just want out. The thought of applying for grants for the rest of my life with the added pressure of writing papers is just silly to me. I don't think this is a lifestyle for me. I'm pretty entrenched in the faculty now. How do I leave without pissing off my chain of command and without saying I wasn't grateful for this opportunity. I'm sorry I couldn't be a better academic. | gzhquuy | gzhpvev | 1,622,018,768 | 1,622,017,892 | 272 | 114 | I'm not sure I understand the problem. You have a 2-year position which has almost ended, and you say you don't enjoy the work. So just apply to jobs elsewhere and leave academia. A majority of postdocs don't continue in academia so nobody will be surprised or outraged by this kind of career decision. | Yo just go this is a working relationship you do not owe the people anything. I left academia too after my postdoctoral and my PI totally understood. If they don’t it’s still not your problem. I have now an industry job and no one cares about who I did my postdoc with and why I left. Be polite but firm do not let yourself be guilt tripped into staying. Edit: plus not staying (surviving) in academia does make you second class scientist or anything like that! Do not let yourself being told that. | 1 | 876 | 2.385965 |
nlbc03 | askacademia_train | 0.96 | How to leave without screwing yourself over Straight to the point: I'm really not enjoying academia as much as I thought I would. I'm currently in a postdoc position many would dream. The only caveat to the position is that you must publish as much as possible in 2 years. I'm now 1.5 years into it and have not published enough to my standard and likely the uni (1 journal 3 submitted - under review). I have many days of anxiety fuelled thoughts and have had thoughts of depression which were mostly addressed in therapy. However the underlying pressure is obviously still there. I just want out. The thought of applying for grants for the rest of my life with the added pressure of writing papers is just silly to me. I don't think this is a lifestyle for me. I'm pretty entrenched in the faculty now. How do I leave without pissing off my chain of command and without saying I wasn't grateful for this opportunity. I'm sorry I couldn't be a better academic. | gzhpsgj | gzhquuy | 1,622,017,820 | 1,622,018,768 | 16 | 272 | I’m in a similar position but at an earlier stage than you. The post doc rouge made me realise these things. Upon reflection I realised that sometimes ties are severed but this does not mean anything negative. There’s a lot of personal growth and positivity in being elegant about your goodbyes. Hard factual truth makes a reality worth living. Be open, be honest, and stand by your words - that you have enjoyed building relationships around those you find yourself with, but for now, your navigating your life toward another direction. This isn’t offensive, it’s powerful. There are far too many academics I interact with who are miserable and you can simply tell they didn’t want to end up where they are. I don’t want to be like that. Also there’s an inherent toxic side to how it works in academia so I don’t find any confusion to how you feel. | I'm not sure I understand the problem. You have a 2-year position which has almost ended, and you say you don't enjoy the work. So just apply to jobs elsewhere and leave academia. A majority of postdocs don't continue in academia so nobody will be surprised or outraged by this kind of career decision. | 0 | 948 | 17 |
nlbc03 | askacademia_train | 0.96 | How to leave without screwing yourself over Straight to the point: I'm really not enjoying academia as much as I thought I would. I'm currently in a postdoc position many would dream. The only caveat to the position is that you must publish as much as possible in 2 years. I'm now 1.5 years into it and have not published enough to my standard and likely the uni (1 journal 3 submitted - under review). I have many days of anxiety fuelled thoughts and have had thoughts of depression which were mostly addressed in therapy. However the underlying pressure is obviously still there. I just want out. The thought of applying for grants for the rest of my life with the added pressure of writing papers is just silly to me. I don't think this is a lifestyle for me. I'm pretty entrenched in the faculty now. How do I leave without pissing off my chain of command and without saying I wasn't grateful for this opportunity. I'm sorry I couldn't be a better academic. | gzhpsgj | gzhpvev | 1,622,017,820 | 1,622,017,892 | 16 | 114 | I’m in a similar position but at an earlier stage than you. The post doc rouge made me realise these things. Upon reflection I realised that sometimes ties are severed but this does not mean anything negative. There’s a lot of personal growth and positivity in being elegant about your goodbyes. Hard factual truth makes a reality worth living. Be open, be honest, and stand by your words - that you have enjoyed building relationships around those you find yourself with, but for now, your navigating your life toward another direction. This isn’t offensive, it’s powerful. There are far too many academics I interact with who are miserable and you can simply tell they didn’t want to end up where they are. I don’t want to be like that. Also there’s an inherent toxic side to how it works in academia so I don’t find any confusion to how you feel. | Yo just go this is a working relationship you do not owe the people anything. I left academia too after my postdoctoral and my PI totally understood. If they don’t it’s still not your problem. I have now an industry job and no one cares about who I did my postdoc with and why I left. Be polite but firm do not let yourself be guilt tripped into staying. Edit: plus not staying (surviving) in academia does make you second class scientist or anything like that! Do not let yourself being told that. | 0 | 72 | 7.125 |
nlbc03 | askacademia_train | 0.96 | How to leave without screwing yourself over Straight to the point: I'm really not enjoying academia as much as I thought I would. I'm currently in a postdoc position many would dream. The only caveat to the position is that you must publish as much as possible in 2 years. I'm now 1.5 years into it and have not published enough to my standard and likely the uni (1 journal 3 submitted - under review). I have many days of anxiety fuelled thoughts and have had thoughts of depression which were mostly addressed in therapy. However the underlying pressure is obviously still there. I just want out. The thought of applying for grants for the rest of my life with the added pressure of writing papers is just silly to me. I don't think this is a lifestyle for me. I'm pretty entrenched in the faculty now. How do I leave without pissing off my chain of command and without saying I wasn't grateful for this opportunity. I'm sorry I couldn't be a better academic. | gzhpsgj | gzi0r6z | 1,622,017,820 | 1,622,027,269 | 16 | 99 | I’m in a similar position but at an earlier stage than you. The post doc rouge made me realise these things. Upon reflection I realised that sometimes ties are severed but this does not mean anything negative. There’s a lot of personal growth and positivity in being elegant about your goodbyes. Hard factual truth makes a reality worth living. Be open, be honest, and stand by your words - that you have enjoyed building relationships around those you find yourself with, but for now, your navigating your life toward another direction. This isn’t offensive, it’s powerful. There are far too many academics I interact with who are miserable and you can simply tell they didn’t want to end up where they are. I don’t want to be like that. Also there’s an inherent toxic side to how it works in academia so I don’t find any confusion to how you feel. | You've got six months paid to cover you while you look for a new job. :) | 0 | 9,449 | 6.1875 |
nlbc03 | askacademia_train | 0.96 | How to leave without screwing yourself over Straight to the point: I'm really not enjoying academia as much as I thought I would. I'm currently in a postdoc position many would dream. The only caveat to the position is that you must publish as much as possible in 2 years. I'm now 1.5 years into it and have not published enough to my standard and likely the uni (1 journal 3 submitted - under review). I have many days of anxiety fuelled thoughts and have had thoughts of depression which were mostly addressed in therapy. However the underlying pressure is obviously still there. I just want out. The thought of applying for grants for the rest of my life with the added pressure of writing papers is just silly to me. I don't think this is a lifestyle for me. I'm pretty entrenched in the faculty now. How do I leave without pissing off my chain of command and without saying I wasn't grateful for this opportunity. I'm sorry I couldn't be a better academic. | gzhpsgj | gzi2cte | 1,622,017,820 | 1,622,028,428 | 16 | 51 | I’m in a similar position but at an earlier stage than you. The post doc rouge made me realise these things. Upon reflection I realised that sometimes ties are severed but this does not mean anything negative. There’s a lot of personal growth and positivity in being elegant about your goodbyes. Hard factual truth makes a reality worth living. Be open, be honest, and stand by your words - that you have enjoyed building relationships around those you find yourself with, but for now, your navigating your life toward another direction. This isn’t offensive, it’s powerful. There are far too many academics I interact with who are miserable and you can simply tell they didn’t want to end up where they are. I don’t want to be like that. Also there’s an inherent toxic side to how it works in academia so I don’t find any confusion to how you feel. | > How do I leave without pissing off my chain of command and without saying I wasn't grateful for this opportunity. By doing it politely and professionally. Start applying for other jobs now. Then when you get one and hand in your notice, tell them you were very grateful for the opportunity, enjoyed working with them, you've learned a lot, etc., but have decided that it's a better fit for you to take your career in a different direction. People leave jobs all the time; they'll understand. | 0 | 10,608 | 3.1875 |
nlbc03 | askacademia_train | 0.96 | How to leave without screwing yourself over Straight to the point: I'm really not enjoying academia as much as I thought I would. I'm currently in a postdoc position many would dream. The only caveat to the position is that you must publish as much as possible in 2 years. I'm now 1.5 years into it and have not published enough to my standard and likely the uni (1 journal 3 submitted - under review). I have many days of anxiety fuelled thoughts and have had thoughts of depression which were mostly addressed in therapy. However the underlying pressure is obviously still there. I just want out. The thought of applying for grants for the rest of my life with the added pressure of writing papers is just silly to me. I don't think this is a lifestyle for me. I'm pretty entrenched in the faculty now. How do I leave without pissing off my chain of command and without saying I wasn't grateful for this opportunity. I'm sorry I couldn't be a better academic. | gzi2a1o | gzi2cte | 1,622,028,374 | 1,622,028,428 | 15 | 51 | you don't need to apologise for not liking a cut-throat and toxic industry; sounds like you have made a really good decision, because it's truly reflective of what you want. good luck with everything and take care. | > How do I leave without pissing off my chain of command and without saying I wasn't grateful for this opportunity. By doing it politely and professionally. Start applying for other jobs now. Then when you get one and hand in your notice, tell them you were very grateful for the opportunity, enjoyed working with them, you've learned a lot, etc., but have decided that it's a better fit for you to take your career in a different direction. People leave jobs all the time; they'll understand. | 0 | 54 | 3.4 |
nlbc03 | askacademia_train | 0.96 | How to leave without screwing yourself over Straight to the point: I'm really not enjoying academia as much as I thought I would. I'm currently in a postdoc position many would dream. The only caveat to the position is that you must publish as much as possible in 2 years. I'm now 1.5 years into it and have not published enough to my standard and likely the uni (1 journal 3 submitted - under review). I have many days of anxiety fuelled thoughts and have had thoughts of depression which were mostly addressed in therapy. However the underlying pressure is obviously still there. I just want out. The thought of applying for grants for the rest of my life with the added pressure of writing papers is just silly to me. I don't think this is a lifestyle for me. I'm pretty entrenched in the faculty now. How do I leave without pissing off my chain of command and without saying I wasn't grateful for this opportunity. I'm sorry I couldn't be a better academic. | gzi4m1n | gzi6ood | 1,622,029,959 | 1,622,031,255 | 10 | 12 | It's okay to leave. It took me about two years after academia to kinda detox, but it's lighter being away from it for me. Good luck and listen to your gut. | I'm not sure why you think your "chain of command" is going to care a lick about what happens to you the moment your contract is over. Nobody cares about performative gratefulness-for-this-opportunity as long as you do the work and don't leave people in the lurch. You're a junior contract employee, not the president. Come on. | 0 | 1,296 | 1.2 |
nlbc03 | askacademia_train | 0.96 | How to leave without screwing yourself over Straight to the point: I'm really not enjoying academia as much as I thought I would. I'm currently in a postdoc position many would dream. The only caveat to the position is that you must publish as much as possible in 2 years. I'm now 1.5 years into it and have not published enough to my standard and likely the uni (1 journal 3 submitted - under review). I have many days of anxiety fuelled thoughts and have had thoughts of depression which were mostly addressed in therapy. However the underlying pressure is obviously still there. I just want out. The thought of applying for grants for the rest of my life with the added pressure of writing papers is just silly to me. I don't think this is a lifestyle for me. I'm pretty entrenched in the faculty now. How do I leave without pissing off my chain of command and without saying I wasn't grateful for this opportunity. I'm sorry I couldn't be a better academic. | gzij4x1 | gzi4m1n | 1,622,037,671 | 1,622,029,959 | 12 | 10 | 3 submitted papers and that’s not good enough? The problem is not you it’s the expectations that are clearly unreasonable. First of all any paper expectation that is hard and not specific to a project is indicating unreasonable expectations to me. It doesn’t matter if she/he’s a hot shot PI if you’re unhappy then it’s not a dream lab. | It's okay to leave. It took me about two years after academia to kinda detox, but it's lighter being away from it for me. Good luck and listen to your gut. | 1 | 7,712 | 1.2 |
nlbc03 | askacademia_train | 0.96 | How to leave without screwing yourself over Straight to the point: I'm really not enjoying academia as much as I thought I would. I'm currently in a postdoc position many would dream. The only caveat to the position is that you must publish as much as possible in 2 years. I'm now 1.5 years into it and have not published enough to my standard and likely the uni (1 journal 3 submitted - under review). I have many days of anxiety fuelled thoughts and have had thoughts of depression which were mostly addressed in therapy. However the underlying pressure is obviously still there. I just want out. The thought of applying for grants for the rest of my life with the added pressure of writing papers is just silly to me. I don't think this is a lifestyle for me. I'm pretty entrenched in the faculty now. How do I leave without pissing off my chain of command and without saying I wasn't grateful for this opportunity. I'm sorry I couldn't be a better academic. | gzicrpf | gzij4x1 | 1,622,034,599 | 1,622,037,671 | 8 | 12 | Seconding those who've said it's totally normal just to find a job elsewhere when your position ends. That said, I understand your worries about "screwing yourself over," but it looks like you're mostly concerned about your relationships with those closest to you/your work, which makes perfect sense. I imagine you'll look for jobs that relate to your PhD, so it's probably important to maintain positive relationships with others in your field (your PI, faculty with shared interests, even fellow students). As such, I'd focus on those relationships and not worry about what others in your department/college/university think. Those folks are also the ones who know you best, so they'll be more likely to understand your decision and legitimately wish you well. Don't make a big deal out of it (discuss it only with those you think should know, and/or with your closest colleagues and friends in the department), but don't think it's something to hide either. Academia isn't for everyone, and most people understand that and accept it. | 3 submitted papers and that’s not good enough? The problem is not you it’s the expectations that are clearly unreasonable. First of all any paper expectation that is hard and not specific to a project is indicating unreasonable expectations to me. It doesn’t matter if she/he’s a hot shot PI if you’re unhappy then it’s not a dream lab. | 0 | 3,072 | 1.5 |
nlbc03 | askacademia_train | 0.96 | How to leave without screwing yourself over Straight to the point: I'm really not enjoying academia as much as I thought I would. I'm currently in a postdoc position many would dream. The only caveat to the position is that you must publish as much as possible in 2 years. I'm now 1.5 years into it and have not published enough to my standard and likely the uni (1 journal 3 submitted - under review). I have many days of anxiety fuelled thoughts and have had thoughts of depression which were mostly addressed in therapy. However the underlying pressure is obviously still there. I just want out. The thought of applying for grants for the rest of my life with the added pressure of writing papers is just silly to me. I don't think this is a lifestyle for me. I'm pretty entrenched in the faculty now. How do I leave without pissing off my chain of command and without saying I wasn't grateful for this opportunity. I'm sorry I couldn't be a better academic. | gzij4x1 | gziepld | 1,622,037,671 | 1,622,035,566 | 12 | 7 | 3 submitted papers and that’s not good enough? The problem is not you it’s the expectations that are clearly unreasonable. First of all any paper expectation that is hard and not specific to a project is indicating unreasonable expectations to me. It doesn’t matter if she/he’s a hot shot PI if you’re unhappy then it’s not a dream lab. | I left academia for industry 3 years ago. I did what I could to help those I was working with on my way out, and made sure papers in the pipeline were revised, etc. afterwards. No hard feelings on either end. Enjoy the pay bump when you leave! | 1 | 2,105 | 1.714286 |
nlbc03 | askacademia_train | 0.96 | How to leave without screwing yourself over Straight to the point: I'm really not enjoying academia as much as I thought I would. I'm currently in a postdoc position many would dream. The only caveat to the position is that you must publish as much as possible in 2 years. I'm now 1.5 years into it and have not published enough to my standard and likely the uni (1 journal 3 submitted - under review). I have many days of anxiety fuelled thoughts and have had thoughts of depression which were mostly addressed in therapy. However the underlying pressure is obviously still there. I just want out. The thought of applying for grants for the rest of my life with the added pressure of writing papers is just silly to me. I don't think this is a lifestyle for me. I'm pretty entrenched in the faculty now. How do I leave without pissing off my chain of command and without saying I wasn't grateful for this opportunity. I'm sorry I couldn't be a better academic. | gzk5icr | gzisbw8 | 1,622,061,884 | 1,622,041,485 | 4 | 3 | Is academia a cult?🧐 | You have an end date. Use you last months to figure out what you want to switch into, and apply for jobs. When I finished my post doc and was applying for teaching positions, I was worried about switching careers and how it would be perceived. Turns out switching is totally normal, especially from a post doc. They are designed to be temporary and to help you decide if it’s the correct fit for you. It’s not, so time to move on! | 1 | 20,399 | 1.333333 |
lnt6ry | askacademia_train | 0.96 | Enjoyable PhD/academia success stories I hear so many graduate school horror stories and I feel like those are the majority. Are there people who enjoyed their PhD experience? Had a good work life balance ? Did not overwork themselves to exhaustion? Took most weekends off ? Had good, supportive PIs ? I started a PhD in 2014 but quit after 2 years and left with my masters because of mental health problems. I’ve been working in industry/ government since then, and I love it but I realized that my true passion is research and I am happiest doing experiments, and want to get back to grad school and apply to PhD programs. I sorely miss being in the lab doing experiments. I’ll be quite a bit older (30-31 when I start) but I’m not too concerned about that, in fact I think my experiences and perspective will help. My scientific skills are better than they were too so I feel ready. However, I’m concerned about the transition to life back in academia, in terms of the lifestyle. Also long term, I’m more inclined to an academic career although most don’t recommend it - I have an open mind for sure but I’ve realised in the 4 years of working in industry that it’s not my thing. I’m in USA and my field is biophysics/biochemistry. Many of my friends in Europe enjoyed their PhD experience but I know it’s different in USA. I’d love to hear about some good experiences! TLDR: looking to go back to get my PhD after 4 years in industry, want to hear about positive PhD experiences. | go2fnli | go2lega | 1,613,781,157 | 1,613,784,145 | 76 | 109 | I did a Mol Bio PhD in the US. I absolutely loved my PhD years. I loved the research, enjoyed the company of my labmates, liked my advisors, and was close to my classmates. I don't think I had good work/life balance. I worked 6 days/week, I generally worked 10-12 hours/day. However, the 'pressure' or motivation to work was entirely self impossed. My advisors constantly told me to take time off and relax. I think the element that contributed most to 'my success' was that my advisors were extremely supportive of my research, while having virtually no expectations for me (I think my main advisor could afford this mentality due to being a tenured professor). This set the tone for a fun, stressless situation. I was pretty much a kid in a candy store. Regarding work/life balance, it helpeeld that I took 1 month off for the Holidays and 2 weeks off in the summer. Advisors supported that and knew not to bother emailing me while I was on vacation. | 90% of the time I worked 10am-4pm. I graduated on time despite taking leave to have a baby and am about to be TT faculty at a university you have certainly heard of. Most of grad school was good. The hard times were REALLY hard though. | 0 | 2,988 | 1.434211 |
lnt6ry | askacademia_train | 0.96 | Enjoyable PhD/academia success stories I hear so many graduate school horror stories and I feel like those are the majority. Are there people who enjoyed their PhD experience? Had a good work life balance ? Did not overwork themselves to exhaustion? Took most weekends off ? Had good, supportive PIs ? I started a PhD in 2014 but quit after 2 years and left with my masters because of mental health problems. I’ve been working in industry/ government since then, and I love it but I realized that my true passion is research and I am happiest doing experiments, and want to get back to grad school and apply to PhD programs. I sorely miss being in the lab doing experiments. I’ll be quite a bit older (30-31 when I start) but I’m not too concerned about that, in fact I think my experiences and perspective will help. My scientific skills are better than they were too so I feel ready. However, I’m concerned about the transition to life back in academia, in terms of the lifestyle. Also long term, I’m more inclined to an academic career although most don’t recommend it - I have an open mind for sure but I’ve realised in the 4 years of working in industry that it’s not my thing. I’m in USA and my field is biophysics/biochemistry. Many of my friends in Europe enjoyed their PhD experience but I know it’s different in USA. I’d love to hear about some good experiences! TLDR: looking to go back to get my PhD after 4 years in industry, want to hear about positive PhD experiences. | go2f5pd | go2lega | 1,613,780,901 | 1,613,784,145 | 51 | 109 | I had a wonderful PhD experience. I did really cool science that helps makes the world a better place, I lived somewhere beautiful with lots of things to do plus I got to travel pretty often to wonderful places. My lab was full of fun and brilliant people that I loved spending time with and my advisor is someone I really look up to. I would repeat those years in a heartbeat. | 90% of the time I worked 10am-4pm. I graduated on time despite taking leave to have a baby and am about to be TT faculty at a university you have certainly heard of. Most of grad school was good. The hard times were REALLY hard though. | 0 | 3,244 | 2.137255 |
lnt6ry | askacademia_train | 0.96 | Enjoyable PhD/academia success stories I hear so many graduate school horror stories and I feel like those are the majority. Are there people who enjoyed their PhD experience? Had a good work life balance ? Did not overwork themselves to exhaustion? Took most weekends off ? Had good, supportive PIs ? I started a PhD in 2014 but quit after 2 years and left with my masters because of mental health problems. I’ve been working in industry/ government since then, and I love it but I realized that my true passion is research and I am happiest doing experiments, and want to get back to grad school and apply to PhD programs. I sorely miss being in the lab doing experiments. I’ll be quite a bit older (30-31 when I start) but I’m not too concerned about that, in fact I think my experiences and perspective will help. My scientific skills are better than they were too so I feel ready. However, I’m concerned about the transition to life back in academia, in terms of the lifestyle. Also long term, I’m more inclined to an academic career although most don’t recommend it - I have an open mind for sure but I’ve realised in the 4 years of working in industry that it’s not my thing. I’m in USA and my field is biophysics/biochemistry. Many of my friends in Europe enjoyed their PhD experience but I know it’s different in USA. I’d love to hear about some good experiences! TLDR: looking to go back to get my PhD after 4 years in industry, want to hear about positive PhD experiences. | go2e17l | go2lega | 1,613,780,322 | 1,613,784,145 | 44 | 109 | I had a great PhD experience! Four of the best years of my life. | 90% of the time I worked 10am-4pm. I graduated on time despite taking leave to have a baby and am about to be TT faculty at a university you have certainly heard of. Most of grad school was good. The hard times were REALLY hard though. | 0 | 3,823 | 2.477273 |
lnt6ry | askacademia_train | 0.96 | Enjoyable PhD/academia success stories I hear so many graduate school horror stories and I feel like those are the majority. Are there people who enjoyed their PhD experience? Had a good work life balance ? Did not overwork themselves to exhaustion? Took most weekends off ? Had good, supportive PIs ? I started a PhD in 2014 but quit after 2 years and left with my masters because of mental health problems. I’ve been working in industry/ government since then, and I love it but I realized that my true passion is research and I am happiest doing experiments, and want to get back to grad school and apply to PhD programs. I sorely miss being in the lab doing experiments. I’ll be quite a bit older (30-31 when I start) but I’m not too concerned about that, in fact I think my experiences and perspective will help. My scientific skills are better than they were too so I feel ready. However, I’m concerned about the transition to life back in academia, in terms of the lifestyle. Also long term, I’m more inclined to an academic career although most don’t recommend it - I have an open mind for sure but I’ve realised in the 4 years of working in industry that it’s not my thing. I’m in USA and my field is biophysics/biochemistry. Many of my friends in Europe enjoyed their PhD experience but I know it’s different in USA. I’d love to hear about some good experiences! TLDR: looking to go back to get my PhD after 4 years in industry, want to hear about positive PhD experiences. | go2lega | go2i157 | 1,613,784,145 | 1,613,782,396 | 109 | 40 | 90% of the time I worked 10am-4pm. I graduated on time despite taking leave to have a baby and am about to be TT faculty at a university you have certainly heard of. Most of grad school was good. The hard times were REALLY hard though. | I just finished mine and had the time of my life. I met so many incredible people - colleagues and mentors - who I now call my friends. I truly feel like I’ve found my calling. I started grad school at 32 and was very sure of what I wanted, even though I had no idea how much I’d grow throughout the period of my studies. I had an incredible supervisor who treated me with respect and shared his networks and knowledge with me. I know others who also had a great experience. It’s important to hear the positive stories too. | 1 | 1,749 | 2.725 |
lnt6ry | askacademia_train | 0.96 | Enjoyable PhD/academia success stories I hear so many graduate school horror stories and I feel like those are the majority. Are there people who enjoyed their PhD experience? Had a good work life balance ? Did not overwork themselves to exhaustion? Took most weekends off ? Had good, supportive PIs ? I started a PhD in 2014 but quit after 2 years and left with my masters because of mental health problems. I’ve been working in industry/ government since then, and I love it but I realized that my true passion is research and I am happiest doing experiments, and want to get back to grad school and apply to PhD programs. I sorely miss being in the lab doing experiments. I’ll be quite a bit older (30-31 when I start) but I’m not too concerned about that, in fact I think my experiences and perspective will help. My scientific skills are better than they were too so I feel ready. However, I’m concerned about the transition to life back in academia, in terms of the lifestyle. Also long term, I’m more inclined to an academic career although most don’t recommend it - I have an open mind for sure but I’ve realised in the 4 years of working in industry that it’s not my thing. I’m in USA and my field is biophysics/biochemistry. Many of my friends in Europe enjoyed their PhD experience but I know it’s different in USA. I’d love to hear about some good experiences! TLDR: looking to go back to get my PhD after 4 years in industry, want to hear about positive PhD experiences. | go2de4e | go2lega | 1,613,779,991 | 1,613,784,145 | 26 | 109 | Hi! I'm currently a final year PhD student in the UK and, as much as I do complain sometimes, I do really enjoy it. I think the most important thing is a good, understanding and experienced supervisor who you can be open with. My supervisor has been great and although she pushes us to succeed, there are no crazy deadlines or expectations as she recognises that our mental health is important. She often says that in the end we are here to learn, so it's natural to make mistakes. I personally keep a work life balance by doing the same hours as my partner. He also has a job with long hours so it works. I'm working longer now as I am writing up but exercise is keeping me sane through lockdowns! Also (sounds obvious) but do something you love! It makes it so much easier to self motivate. I've met a lot of PhDs that slog through 4 years because they think the topic is important but the people that are genuinely excited by the area seem to happiest! Good luck, wish you all the best on your PhD journey! | 90% of the time I worked 10am-4pm. I graduated on time despite taking leave to have a baby and am about to be TT faculty at a university you have certainly heard of. Most of grad school was good. The hard times were REALLY hard though. | 0 | 4,154 | 4.192308 |
lnt6ry | askacademia_train | 0.96 | Enjoyable PhD/academia success stories I hear so many graduate school horror stories and I feel like those are the majority. Are there people who enjoyed their PhD experience? Had a good work life balance ? Did not overwork themselves to exhaustion? Took most weekends off ? Had good, supportive PIs ? I started a PhD in 2014 but quit after 2 years and left with my masters because of mental health problems. I’ve been working in industry/ government since then, and I love it but I realized that my true passion is research and I am happiest doing experiments, and want to get back to grad school and apply to PhD programs. I sorely miss being in the lab doing experiments. I’ll be quite a bit older (30-31 when I start) but I’m not too concerned about that, in fact I think my experiences and perspective will help. My scientific skills are better than they were too so I feel ready. However, I’m concerned about the transition to life back in academia, in terms of the lifestyle. Also long term, I’m more inclined to an academic career although most don’t recommend it - I have an open mind for sure but I’ve realised in the 4 years of working in industry that it’s not my thing. I’m in USA and my field is biophysics/biochemistry. Many of my friends in Europe enjoyed their PhD experience but I know it’s different in USA. I’d love to hear about some good experiences! TLDR: looking to go back to get my PhD after 4 years in industry, want to hear about positive PhD experiences. | go2fot0 | go2lega | 1,613,781,174 | 1,613,784,145 | 13 | 109 | I'm doing my PhD in the UK, year 2 of 3, and I love it! I actually am not looking forward to graduating because it will mean leaving, though I'm sure a postdoc will be fun too. I take most weekends off, my supervisors are wonderful and supportive, the culture is positive, the city is quaint and adorable, and my department actively encourages us to take time off. Things are a bit different with covid but I would always make evening and weekend time for non academic things, and have a non academic friendship group which keeps me sane and grounded. | 90% of the time I worked 10am-4pm. I graduated on time despite taking leave to have a baby and am about to be TT faculty at a university you have certainly heard of. Most of grad school was good. The hard times were REALLY hard though. | 0 | 2,971 | 8.384615 |
lnt6ry | askacademia_train | 0.96 | Enjoyable PhD/academia success stories I hear so many graduate school horror stories and I feel like those are the majority. Are there people who enjoyed their PhD experience? Had a good work life balance ? Did not overwork themselves to exhaustion? Took most weekends off ? Had good, supportive PIs ? I started a PhD in 2014 but quit after 2 years and left with my masters because of mental health problems. I’ve been working in industry/ government since then, and I love it but I realized that my true passion is research and I am happiest doing experiments, and want to get back to grad school and apply to PhD programs. I sorely miss being in the lab doing experiments. I’ll be quite a bit older (30-31 when I start) but I’m not too concerned about that, in fact I think my experiences and perspective will help. My scientific skills are better than they were too so I feel ready. However, I’m concerned about the transition to life back in academia, in terms of the lifestyle. Also long term, I’m more inclined to an academic career although most don’t recommend it - I have an open mind for sure but I’ve realised in the 4 years of working in industry that it’s not my thing. I’m in USA and my field is biophysics/biochemistry. Many of my friends in Europe enjoyed their PhD experience but I know it’s different in USA. I’d love to hear about some good experiences! TLDR: looking to go back to get my PhD after 4 years in industry, want to hear about positive PhD experiences. | go2lega | go2g4ql | 1,613,784,145 | 1,613,781,405 | 109 | 7 | 90% of the time I worked 10am-4pm. I graduated on time despite taking leave to have a baby and am about to be TT faculty at a university you have certainly heard of. Most of grad school was good. The hard times were REALLY hard though. | I survived and grew from it. :) Also solidified my love for science. | 1 | 2,740 | 15.571429 |
lnt6ry | askacademia_train | 0.96 | Enjoyable PhD/academia success stories I hear so many graduate school horror stories and I feel like those are the majority. Are there people who enjoyed their PhD experience? Had a good work life balance ? Did not overwork themselves to exhaustion? Took most weekends off ? Had good, supportive PIs ? I started a PhD in 2014 but quit after 2 years and left with my masters because of mental health problems. I’ve been working in industry/ government since then, and I love it but I realized that my true passion is research and I am happiest doing experiments, and want to get back to grad school and apply to PhD programs. I sorely miss being in the lab doing experiments. I’ll be quite a bit older (30-31 when I start) but I’m not too concerned about that, in fact I think my experiences and perspective will help. My scientific skills are better than they were too so I feel ready. However, I’m concerned about the transition to life back in academia, in terms of the lifestyle. Also long term, I’m more inclined to an academic career although most don’t recommend it - I have an open mind for sure but I’ve realised in the 4 years of working in industry that it’s not my thing. I’m in USA and my field is biophysics/biochemistry. Many of my friends in Europe enjoyed their PhD experience but I know it’s different in USA. I’d love to hear about some good experiences! TLDR: looking to go back to get my PhD after 4 years in industry, want to hear about positive PhD experiences. | go2lega | go2hfvk | 1,613,784,145 | 1,613,782,087 | 109 | 8 | 90% of the time I worked 10am-4pm. I graduated on time despite taking leave to have a baby and am about to be TT faculty at a university you have certainly heard of. Most of grad school was good. The hard times were REALLY hard though. | I'm in the US and I'm on my 3rd year and I love my work and my team. I have very supportive supervisors and honestly I'm so grateful for my experience | 1 | 2,058 | 13.625 |
lnt6ry | askacademia_train | 0.96 | Enjoyable PhD/academia success stories I hear so many graduate school horror stories and I feel like those are the majority. Are there people who enjoyed their PhD experience? Had a good work life balance ? Did not overwork themselves to exhaustion? Took most weekends off ? Had good, supportive PIs ? I started a PhD in 2014 but quit after 2 years and left with my masters because of mental health problems. I’ve been working in industry/ government since then, and I love it but I realized that my true passion is research and I am happiest doing experiments, and want to get back to grad school and apply to PhD programs. I sorely miss being in the lab doing experiments. I’ll be quite a bit older (30-31 when I start) but I’m not too concerned about that, in fact I think my experiences and perspective will help. My scientific skills are better than they were too so I feel ready. However, I’m concerned about the transition to life back in academia, in terms of the lifestyle. Also long term, I’m more inclined to an academic career although most don’t recommend it - I have an open mind for sure but I’ve realised in the 4 years of working in industry that it’s not my thing. I’m in USA and my field is biophysics/biochemistry. Many of my friends in Europe enjoyed their PhD experience but I know it’s different in USA. I’d love to hear about some good experiences! TLDR: looking to go back to get my PhD after 4 years in industry, want to hear about positive PhD experiences. | go2f5pd | go2fnli | 1,613,780,901 | 1,613,781,157 | 51 | 76 | I had a wonderful PhD experience. I did really cool science that helps makes the world a better place, I lived somewhere beautiful with lots of things to do plus I got to travel pretty often to wonderful places. My lab was full of fun and brilliant people that I loved spending time with and my advisor is someone I really look up to. I would repeat those years in a heartbeat. | I did a Mol Bio PhD in the US. I absolutely loved my PhD years. I loved the research, enjoyed the company of my labmates, liked my advisors, and was close to my classmates. I don't think I had good work/life balance. I worked 6 days/week, I generally worked 10-12 hours/day. However, the 'pressure' or motivation to work was entirely self impossed. My advisors constantly told me to take time off and relax. I think the element that contributed most to 'my success' was that my advisors were extremely supportive of my research, while having virtually no expectations for me (I think my main advisor could afford this mentality due to being a tenured professor). This set the tone for a fun, stressless situation. I was pretty much a kid in a candy store. Regarding work/life balance, it helpeeld that I took 1 month off for the Holidays and 2 weeks off in the summer. Advisors supported that and knew not to bother emailing me while I was on vacation. | 0 | 256 | 1.490196 |
lnt6ry | askacademia_train | 0.96 | Enjoyable PhD/academia success stories I hear so many graduate school horror stories and I feel like those are the majority. Are there people who enjoyed their PhD experience? Had a good work life balance ? Did not overwork themselves to exhaustion? Took most weekends off ? Had good, supportive PIs ? I started a PhD in 2014 but quit after 2 years and left with my masters because of mental health problems. I’ve been working in industry/ government since then, and I love it but I realized that my true passion is research and I am happiest doing experiments, and want to get back to grad school and apply to PhD programs. I sorely miss being in the lab doing experiments. I’ll be quite a bit older (30-31 when I start) but I’m not too concerned about that, in fact I think my experiences and perspective will help. My scientific skills are better than they were too so I feel ready. However, I’m concerned about the transition to life back in academia, in terms of the lifestyle. Also long term, I’m more inclined to an academic career although most don’t recommend it - I have an open mind for sure but I’ve realised in the 4 years of working in industry that it’s not my thing. I’m in USA and my field is biophysics/biochemistry. Many of my friends in Europe enjoyed their PhD experience but I know it’s different in USA. I’d love to hear about some good experiences! TLDR: looking to go back to get my PhD after 4 years in industry, want to hear about positive PhD experiences. | go2e17l | go2fnli | 1,613,780,322 | 1,613,781,157 | 44 | 76 | I had a great PhD experience! Four of the best years of my life. | I did a Mol Bio PhD in the US. I absolutely loved my PhD years. I loved the research, enjoyed the company of my labmates, liked my advisors, and was close to my classmates. I don't think I had good work/life balance. I worked 6 days/week, I generally worked 10-12 hours/day. However, the 'pressure' or motivation to work was entirely self impossed. My advisors constantly told me to take time off and relax. I think the element that contributed most to 'my success' was that my advisors were extremely supportive of my research, while having virtually no expectations for me (I think my main advisor could afford this mentality due to being a tenured professor). This set the tone for a fun, stressless situation. I was pretty much a kid in a candy store. Regarding work/life balance, it helpeeld that I took 1 month off for the Holidays and 2 weeks off in the summer. Advisors supported that and knew not to bother emailing me while I was on vacation. | 0 | 835 | 1.727273 |
lnt6ry | askacademia_train | 0.96 | Enjoyable PhD/academia success stories I hear so many graduate school horror stories and I feel like those are the majority. Are there people who enjoyed their PhD experience? Had a good work life balance ? Did not overwork themselves to exhaustion? Took most weekends off ? Had good, supportive PIs ? I started a PhD in 2014 but quit after 2 years and left with my masters because of mental health problems. I’ve been working in industry/ government since then, and I love it but I realized that my true passion is research and I am happiest doing experiments, and want to get back to grad school and apply to PhD programs. I sorely miss being in the lab doing experiments. I’ll be quite a bit older (30-31 when I start) but I’m not too concerned about that, in fact I think my experiences and perspective will help. My scientific skills are better than they were too so I feel ready. However, I’m concerned about the transition to life back in academia, in terms of the lifestyle. Also long term, I’m more inclined to an academic career although most don’t recommend it - I have an open mind for sure but I’ve realised in the 4 years of working in industry that it’s not my thing. I’m in USA and my field is biophysics/biochemistry. Many of my friends in Europe enjoyed their PhD experience but I know it’s different in USA. I’d love to hear about some good experiences! TLDR: looking to go back to get my PhD after 4 years in industry, want to hear about positive PhD experiences. | go2fnli | go2de4e | 1,613,781,157 | 1,613,779,991 | 76 | 26 | I did a Mol Bio PhD in the US. I absolutely loved my PhD years. I loved the research, enjoyed the company of my labmates, liked my advisors, and was close to my classmates. I don't think I had good work/life balance. I worked 6 days/week, I generally worked 10-12 hours/day. However, the 'pressure' or motivation to work was entirely self impossed. My advisors constantly told me to take time off and relax. I think the element that contributed most to 'my success' was that my advisors were extremely supportive of my research, while having virtually no expectations for me (I think my main advisor could afford this mentality due to being a tenured professor). This set the tone for a fun, stressless situation. I was pretty much a kid in a candy store. Regarding work/life balance, it helpeeld that I took 1 month off for the Holidays and 2 weeks off in the summer. Advisors supported that and knew not to bother emailing me while I was on vacation. | Hi! I'm currently a final year PhD student in the UK and, as much as I do complain sometimes, I do really enjoy it. I think the most important thing is a good, understanding and experienced supervisor who you can be open with. My supervisor has been great and although she pushes us to succeed, there are no crazy deadlines or expectations as she recognises that our mental health is important. She often says that in the end we are here to learn, so it's natural to make mistakes. I personally keep a work life balance by doing the same hours as my partner. He also has a job with long hours so it works. I'm working longer now as I am writing up but exercise is keeping me sane through lockdowns! Also (sounds obvious) but do something you love! It makes it so much easier to self motivate. I've met a lot of PhDs that slog through 4 years because they think the topic is important but the people that are genuinely excited by the area seem to happiest! Good luck, wish you all the best on your PhD journey! | 1 | 1,166 | 2.923077 |
lnt6ry | askacademia_train | 0.96 | Enjoyable PhD/academia success stories I hear so many graduate school horror stories and I feel like those are the majority. Are there people who enjoyed their PhD experience? Had a good work life balance ? Did not overwork themselves to exhaustion? Took most weekends off ? Had good, supportive PIs ? I started a PhD in 2014 but quit after 2 years and left with my masters because of mental health problems. I’ve been working in industry/ government since then, and I love it but I realized that my true passion is research and I am happiest doing experiments, and want to get back to grad school and apply to PhD programs. I sorely miss being in the lab doing experiments. I’ll be quite a bit older (30-31 when I start) but I’m not too concerned about that, in fact I think my experiences and perspective will help. My scientific skills are better than they were too so I feel ready. However, I’m concerned about the transition to life back in academia, in terms of the lifestyle. Also long term, I’m more inclined to an academic career although most don’t recommend it - I have an open mind for sure but I’ve realised in the 4 years of working in industry that it’s not my thing. I’m in USA and my field is biophysics/biochemistry. Many of my friends in Europe enjoyed their PhD experience but I know it’s different in USA. I’d love to hear about some good experiences! TLDR: looking to go back to get my PhD after 4 years in industry, want to hear about positive PhD experiences. | go2e17l | go2f5pd | 1,613,780,322 | 1,613,780,901 | 44 | 51 | I had a great PhD experience! Four of the best years of my life. | I had a wonderful PhD experience. I did really cool science that helps makes the world a better place, I lived somewhere beautiful with lots of things to do plus I got to travel pretty often to wonderful places. My lab was full of fun and brilliant people that I loved spending time with and my advisor is someone I really look up to. I would repeat those years in a heartbeat. | 0 | 579 | 1.159091 |
lnt6ry | askacademia_train | 0.96 | Enjoyable PhD/academia success stories I hear so many graduate school horror stories and I feel like those are the majority. Are there people who enjoyed their PhD experience? Had a good work life balance ? Did not overwork themselves to exhaustion? Took most weekends off ? Had good, supportive PIs ? I started a PhD in 2014 but quit after 2 years and left with my masters because of mental health problems. I’ve been working in industry/ government since then, and I love it but I realized that my true passion is research and I am happiest doing experiments, and want to get back to grad school and apply to PhD programs. I sorely miss being in the lab doing experiments. I’ll be quite a bit older (30-31 when I start) but I’m not too concerned about that, in fact I think my experiences and perspective will help. My scientific skills are better than they were too so I feel ready. However, I’m concerned about the transition to life back in academia, in terms of the lifestyle. Also long term, I’m more inclined to an academic career although most don’t recommend it - I have an open mind for sure but I’ve realised in the 4 years of working in industry that it’s not my thing. I’m in USA and my field is biophysics/biochemistry. Many of my friends in Europe enjoyed their PhD experience but I know it’s different in USA. I’d love to hear about some good experiences! TLDR: looking to go back to get my PhD after 4 years in industry, want to hear about positive PhD experiences. | go2de4e | go2f5pd | 1,613,779,991 | 1,613,780,901 | 26 | 51 | Hi! I'm currently a final year PhD student in the UK and, as much as I do complain sometimes, I do really enjoy it. I think the most important thing is a good, understanding and experienced supervisor who you can be open with. My supervisor has been great and although she pushes us to succeed, there are no crazy deadlines or expectations as she recognises that our mental health is important. She often says that in the end we are here to learn, so it's natural to make mistakes. I personally keep a work life balance by doing the same hours as my partner. He also has a job with long hours so it works. I'm working longer now as I am writing up but exercise is keeping me sane through lockdowns! Also (sounds obvious) but do something you love! It makes it so much easier to self motivate. I've met a lot of PhDs that slog through 4 years because they think the topic is important but the people that are genuinely excited by the area seem to happiest! Good luck, wish you all the best on your PhD journey! | I had a wonderful PhD experience. I did really cool science that helps makes the world a better place, I lived somewhere beautiful with lots of things to do plus I got to travel pretty often to wonderful places. My lab was full of fun and brilliant people that I loved spending time with and my advisor is someone I really look up to. I would repeat those years in a heartbeat. | 0 | 910 | 1.961538 |
lnt6ry | askacademia_train | 0.96 | Enjoyable PhD/academia success stories I hear so many graduate school horror stories and I feel like those are the majority. Are there people who enjoyed their PhD experience? Had a good work life balance ? Did not overwork themselves to exhaustion? Took most weekends off ? Had good, supportive PIs ? I started a PhD in 2014 but quit after 2 years and left with my masters because of mental health problems. I’ve been working in industry/ government since then, and I love it but I realized that my true passion is research and I am happiest doing experiments, and want to get back to grad school and apply to PhD programs. I sorely miss being in the lab doing experiments. I’ll be quite a bit older (30-31 when I start) but I’m not too concerned about that, in fact I think my experiences and perspective will help. My scientific skills are better than they were too so I feel ready. However, I’m concerned about the transition to life back in academia, in terms of the lifestyle. Also long term, I’m more inclined to an academic career although most don’t recommend it - I have an open mind for sure but I’ve realised in the 4 years of working in industry that it’s not my thing. I’m in USA and my field is biophysics/biochemistry. Many of my friends in Europe enjoyed their PhD experience but I know it’s different in USA. I’d love to hear about some good experiences! TLDR: looking to go back to get my PhD after 4 years in industry, want to hear about positive PhD experiences. | go2de4e | go2e17l | 1,613,779,991 | 1,613,780,322 | 26 | 44 | Hi! I'm currently a final year PhD student in the UK and, as much as I do complain sometimes, I do really enjoy it. I think the most important thing is a good, understanding and experienced supervisor who you can be open with. My supervisor has been great and although she pushes us to succeed, there are no crazy deadlines or expectations as she recognises that our mental health is important. She often says that in the end we are here to learn, so it's natural to make mistakes. I personally keep a work life balance by doing the same hours as my partner. He also has a job with long hours so it works. I'm working longer now as I am writing up but exercise is keeping me sane through lockdowns! Also (sounds obvious) but do something you love! It makes it so much easier to self motivate. I've met a lot of PhDs that slog through 4 years because they think the topic is important but the people that are genuinely excited by the area seem to happiest! Good luck, wish you all the best on your PhD journey! | I had a great PhD experience! Four of the best years of my life. | 0 | 331 | 1.692308 |
lnt6ry | askacademia_train | 0.96 | Enjoyable PhD/academia success stories I hear so many graduate school horror stories and I feel like those are the majority. Are there people who enjoyed their PhD experience? Had a good work life balance ? Did not overwork themselves to exhaustion? Took most weekends off ? Had good, supportive PIs ? I started a PhD in 2014 but quit after 2 years and left with my masters because of mental health problems. I’ve been working in industry/ government since then, and I love it but I realized that my true passion is research and I am happiest doing experiments, and want to get back to grad school and apply to PhD programs. I sorely miss being in the lab doing experiments. I’ll be quite a bit older (30-31 when I start) but I’m not too concerned about that, in fact I think my experiences and perspective will help. My scientific skills are better than they were too so I feel ready. However, I’m concerned about the transition to life back in academia, in terms of the lifestyle. Also long term, I’m more inclined to an academic career although most don’t recommend it - I have an open mind for sure but I’ve realised in the 4 years of working in industry that it’s not my thing. I’m in USA and my field is biophysics/biochemistry. Many of my friends in Europe enjoyed their PhD experience but I know it’s different in USA. I’d love to hear about some good experiences! TLDR: looking to go back to get my PhD after 4 years in industry, want to hear about positive PhD experiences. | go2de4e | go2i157 | 1,613,779,991 | 1,613,782,396 | 26 | 40 | Hi! I'm currently a final year PhD student in the UK and, as much as I do complain sometimes, I do really enjoy it. I think the most important thing is a good, understanding and experienced supervisor who you can be open with. My supervisor has been great and although she pushes us to succeed, there are no crazy deadlines or expectations as she recognises that our mental health is important. She often says that in the end we are here to learn, so it's natural to make mistakes. I personally keep a work life balance by doing the same hours as my partner. He also has a job with long hours so it works. I'm working longer now as I am writing up but exercise is keeping me sane through lockdowns! Also (sounds obvious) but do something you love! It makes it so much easier to self motivate. I've met a lot of PhDs that slog through 4 years because they think the topic is important but the people that are genuinely excited by the area seem to happiest! Good luck, wish you all the best on your PhD journey! | I just finished mine and had the time of my life. I met so many incredible people - colleagues and mentors - who I now call my friends. I truly feel like I’ve found my calling. I started grad school at 32 and was very sure of what I wanted, even though I had no idea how much I’d grow throughout the period of my studies. I had an incredible supervisor who treated me with respect and shared his networks and knowledge with me. I know others who also had a great experience. It’s important to hear the positive stories too. | 0 | 2,405 | 1.538462 |
lnt6ry | askacademia_train | 0.96 | Enjoyable PhD/academia success stories I hear so many graduate school horror stories and I feel like those are the majority. Are there people who enjoyed their PhD experience? Had a good work life balance ? Did not overwork themselves to exhaustion? Took most weekends off ? Had good, supportive PIs ? I started a PhD in 2014 but quit after 2 years and left with my masters because of mental health problems. I’ve been working in industry/ government since then, and I love it but I realized that my true passion is research and I am happiest doing experiments, and want to get back to grad school and apply to PhD programs. I sorely miss being in the lab doing experiments. I’ll be quite a bit older (30-31 when I start) but I’m not too concerned about that, in fact I think my experiences and perspective will help. My scientific skills are better than they were too so I feel ready. However, I’m concerned about the transition to life back in academia, in terms of the lifestyle. Also long term, I’m more inclined to an academic career although most don’t recommend it - I have an open mind for sure but I’ve realised in the 4 years of working in industry that it’s not my thing. I’m in USA and my field is biophysics/biochemistry. Many of my friends in Europe enjoyed their PhD experience but I know it’s different in USA. I’d love to hear about some good experiences! TLDR: looking to go back to get my PhD after 4 years in industry, want to hear about positive PhD experiences. | go2i157 | go2fot0 | 1,613,782,396 | 1,613,781,174 | 40 | 13 | I just finished mine and had the time of my life. I met so many incredible people - colleagues and mentors - who I now call my friends. I truly feel like I’ve found my calling. I started grad school at 32 and was very sure of what I wanted, even though I had no idea how much I’d grow throughout the period of my studies. I had an incredible supervisor who treated me with respect and shared his networks and knowledge with me. I know others who also had a great experience. It’s important to hear the positive stories too. | I'm doing my PhD in the UK, year 2 of 3, and I love it! I actually am not looking forward to graduating because it will mean leaving, though I'm sure a postdoc will be fun too. I take most weekends off, my supervisors are wonderful and supportive, the culture is positive, the city is quaint and adorable, and my department actively encourages us to take time off. Things are a bit different with covid but I would always make evening and weekend time for non academic things, and have a non academic friendship group which keeps me sane and grounded. | 1 | 1,222 | 3.076923 |
lnt6ry | askacademia_train | 0.96 | Enjoyable PhD/academia success stories I hear so many graduate school horror stories and I feel like those are the majority. Are there people who enjoyed their PhD experience? Had a good work life balance ? Did not overwork themselves to exhaustion? Took most weekends off ? Had good, supportive PIs ? I started a PhD in 2014 but quit after 2 years and left with my masters because of mental health problems. I’ve been working in industry/ government since then, and I love it but I realized that my true passion is research and I am happiest doing experiments, and want to get back to grad school and apply to PhD programs. I sorely miss being in the lab doing experiments. I’ll be quite a bit older (30-31 when I start) but I’m not too concerned about that, in fact I think my experiences and perspective will help. My scientific skills are better than they were too so I feel ready. However, I’m concerned about the transition to life back in academia, in terms of the lifestyle. Also long term, I’m more inclined to an academic career although most don’t recommend it - I have an open mind for sure but I’ve realised in the 4 years of working in industry that it’s not my thing. I’m in USA and my field is biophysics/biochemistry. Many of my friends in Europe enjoyed their PhD experience but I know it’s different in USA. I’d love to hear about some good experiences! TLDR: looking to go back to get my PhD after 4 years in industry, want to hear about positive PhD experiences. | go2g4ql | go2i157 | 1,613,781,405 | 1,613,782,396 | 7 | 40 | I survived and grew from it. :) Also solidified my love for science. | I just finished mine and had the time of my life. I met so many incredible people - colleagues and mentors - who I now call my friends. I truly feel like I’ve found my calling. I started grad school at 32 and was very sure of what I wanted, even though I had no idea how much I’d grow throughout the period of my studies. I had an incredible supervisor who treated me with respect and shared his networks and knowledge with me. I know others who also had a great experience. It’s important to hear the positive stories too. | 0 | 991 | 5.714286 |
lnt6ry | askacademia_train | 0.96 | Enjoyable PhD/academia success stories I hear so many graduate school horror stories and I feel like those are the majority. Are there people who enjoyed their PhD experience? Had a good work life balance ? Did not overwork themselves to exhaustion? Took most weekends off ? Had good, supportive PIs ? I started a PhD in 2014 but quit after 2 years and left with my masters because of mental health problems. I’ve been working in industry/ government since then, and I love it but I realized that my true passion is research and I am happiest doing experiments, and want to get back to grad school and apply to PhD programs. I sorely miss being in the lab doing experiments. I’ll be quite a bit older (30-31 when I start) but I’m not too concerned about that, in fact I think my experiences and perspective will help. My scientific skills are better than they were too so I feel ready. However, I’m concerned about the transition to life back in academia, in terms of the lifestyle. Also long term, I’m more inclined to an academic career although most don’t recommend it - I have an open mind for sure but I’ve realised in the 4 years of working in industry that it’s not my thing. I’m in USA and my field is biophysics/biochemistry. Many of my friends in Europe enjoyed their PhD experience but I know it’s different in USA. I’d love to hear about some good experiences! TLDR: looking to go back to get my PhD after 4 years in industry, want to hear about positive PhD experiences. | go2i157 | go2hfvk | 1,613,782,396 | 1,613,782,087 | 40 | 8 | I just finished mine and had the time of my life. I met so many incredible people - colleagues and mentors - who I now call my friends. I truly feel like I’ve found my calling. I started grad school at 32 and was very sure of what I wanted, even though I had no idea how much I’d grow throughout the period of my studies. I had an incredible supervisor who treated me with respect and shared his networks and knowledge with me. I know others who also had a great experience. It’s important to hear the positive stories too. | I'm in the US and I'm on my 3rd year and I love my work and my team. I have very supportive supervisors and honestly I'm so grateful for my experience | 1 | 309 | 5 |
lnt6ry | askacademia_train | 0.96 | Enjoyable PhD/academia success stories I hear so many graduate school horror stories and I feel like those are the majority. Are there people who enjoyed their PhD experience? Had a good work life balance ? Did not overwork themselves to exhaustion? Took most weekends off ? Had good, supportive PIs ? I started a PhD in 2014 but quit after 2 years and left with my masters because of mental health problems. I’ve been working in industry/ government since then, and I love it but I realized that my true passion is research and I am happiest doing experiments, and want to get back to grad school and apply to PhD programs. I sorely miss being in the lab doing experiments. I’ll be quite a bit older (30-31 when I start) but I’m not too concerned about that, in fact I think my experiences and perspective will help. My scientific skills are better than they were too so I feel ready. However, I’m concerned about the transition to life back in academia, in terms of the lifestyle. Also long term, I’m more inclined to an academic career although most don’t recommend it - I have an open mind for sure but I’ve realised in the 4 years of working in industry that it’s not my thing. I’m in USA and my field is biophysics/biochemistry. Many of my friends in Europe enjoyed their PhD experience but I know it’s different in USA. I’d love to hear about some good experiences! TLDR: looking to go back to get my PhD after 4 years in industry, want to hear about positive PhD experiences. | go2fot0 | go2ltjf | 1,613,781,174 | 1,613,784,362 | 13 | 18 | I'm doing my PhD in the UK, year 2 of 3, and I love it! I actually am not looking forward to graduating because it will mean leaving, though I'm sure a postdoc will be fun too. I take most weekends off, my supervisors are wonderful and supportive, the culture is positive, the city is quaint and adorable, and my department actively encourages us to take time off. Things are a bit different with covid but I would always make evening and weekend time for non academic things, and have a non academic friendship group which keeps me sane and grounded. | I loved grad school although it was pretty stressful. Stopped working weekends after my first year and still don't work weekends 11 year after graduating (now a tenured professor). I love research and am on sabbatical right now and it feels like grad school again...never realized how good I had it to concentrate on research most of the time until I was a prof teaching a 3-3 (now a 3-2) and doing a bunch of service. Which I also enjoy but not as much as research. | 0 | 3,188 | 1.384615 |
lnt6ry | askacademia_train | 0.96 | Enjoyable PhD/academia success stories I hear so many graduate school horror stories and I feel like those are the majority. Are there people who enjoyed their PhD experience? Had a good work life balance ? Did not overwork themselves to exhaustion? Took most weekends off ? Had good, supportive PIs ? I started a PhD in 2014 but quit after 2 years and left with my masters because of mental health problems. I’ve been working in industry/ government since then, and I love it but I realized that my true passion is research and I am happiest doing experiments, and want to get back to grad school and apply to PhD programs. I sorely miss being in the lab doing experiments. I’ll be quite a bit older (30-31 when I start) but I’m not too concerned about that, in fact I think my experiences and perspective will help. My scientific skills are better than they were too so I feel ready. However, I’m concerned about the transition to life back in academia, in terms of the lifestyle. Also long term, I’m more inclined to an academic career although most don’t recommend it - I have an open mind for sure but I’ve realised in the 4 years of working in industry that it’s not my thing. I’m in USA and my field is biophysics/biochemistry. Many of my friends in Europe enjoyed their PhD experience but I know it’s different in USA. I’d love to hear about some good experiences! TLDR: looking to go back to get my PhD after 4 years in industry, want to hear about positive PhD experiences. | go2ltjf | go2g4ql | 1,613,784,362 | 1,613,781,405 | 18 | 7 | I loved grad school although it was pretty stressful. Stopped working weekends after my first year and still don't work weekends 11 year after graduating (now a tenured professor). I love research and am on sabbatical right now and it feels like grad school again...never realized how good I had it to concentrate on research most of the time until I was a prof teaching a 3-3 (now a 3-2) and doing a bunch of service. Which I also enjoy but not as much as research. | I survived and grew from it. :) Also solidified my love for science. | 1 | 2,957 | 2.571429 |
lnt6ry | askacademia_train | 0.96 | Enjoyable PhD/academia success stories I hear so many graduate school horror stories and I feel like those are the majority. Are there people who enjoyed their PhD experience? Had a good work life balance ? Did not overwork themselves to exhaustion? Took most weekends off ? Had good, supportive PIs ? I started a PhD in 2014 but quit after 2 years and left with my masters because of mental health problems. I’ve been working in industry/ government since then, and I love it but I realized that my true passion is research and I am happiest doing experiments, and want to get back to grad school and apply to PhD programs. I sorely miss being in the lab doing experiments. I’ll be quite a bit older (30-31 when I start) but I’m not too concerned about that, in fact I think my experiences and perspective will help. My scientific skills are better than they were too so I feel ready. However, I’m concerned about the transition to life back in academia, in terms of the lifestyle. Also long term, I’m more inclined to an academic career although most don’t recommend it - I have an open mind for sure but I’ve realised in the 4 years of working in industry that it’s not my thing. I’m in USA and my field is biophysics/biochemistry. Many of my friends in Europe enjoyed their PhD experience but I know it’s different in USA. I’d love to hear about some good experiences! TLDR: looking to go back to get my PhD after 4 years in industry, want to hear about positive PhD experiences. | go2ltjf | go2hfvk | 1,613,784,362 | 1,613,782,087 | 18 | 8 | I loved grad school although it was pretty stressful. Stopped working weekends after my first year and still don't work weekends 11 year after graduating (now a tenured professor). I love research and am on sabbatical right now and it feels like grad school again...never realized how good I had it to concentrate on research most of the time until I was a prof teaching a 3-3 (now a 3-2) and doing a bunch of service. Which I also enjoy but not as much as research. | I'm in the US and I'm on my 3rd year and I love my work and my team. I have very supportive supervisors and honestly I'm so grateful for my experience | 1 | 2,275 | 2.25 |
lnt6ry | askacademia_train | 0.96 | Enjoyable PhD/academia success stories I hear so many graduate school horror stories and I feel like those are the majority. Are there people who enjoyed their PhD experience? Had a good work life balance ? Did not overwork themselves to exhaustion? Took most weekends off ? Had good, supportive PIs ? I started a PhD in 2014 but quit after 2 years and left with my masters because of mental health problems. I’ve been working in industry/ government since then, and I love it but I realized that my true passion is research and I am happiest doing experiments, and want to get back to grad school and apply to PhD programs. I sorely miss being in the lab doing experiments. I’ll be quite a bit older (30-31 when I start) but I’m not too concerned about that, in fact I think my experiences and perspective will help. My scientific skills are better than they were too so I feel ready. However, I’m concerned about the transition to life back in academia, in terms of the lifestyle. Also long term, I’m more inclined to an academic career although most don’t recommend it - I have an open mind for sure but I’ve realised in the 4 years of working in industry that it’s not my thing. I’m in USA and my field is biophysics/biochemistry. Many of my friends in Europe enjoyed their PhD experience but I know it’s different in USA. I’d love to hear about some good experiences! TLDR: looking to go back to get my PhD after 4 years in industry, want to hear about positive PhD experiences. | go2g4ql | go2hfvk | 1,613,781,405 | 1,613,782,087 | 7 | 8 | I survived and grew from it. :) Also solidified my love for science. | I'm in the US and I'm on my 3rd year and I love my work and my team. I have very supportive supervisors and honestly I'm so grateful for my experience | 0 | 682 | 1.142857 |
lnt6ry | askacademia_train | 0.96 | Enjoyable PhD/academia success stories I hear so many graduate school horror stories and I feel like those are the majority. Are there people who enjoyed their PhD experience? Had a good work life balance ? Did not overwork themselves to exhaustion? Took most weekends off ? Had good, supportive PIs ? I started a PhD in 2014 but quit after 2 years and left with my masters because of mental health problems. I’ve been working in industry/ government since then, and I love it but I realized that my true passion is research and I am happiest doing experiments, and want to get back to grad school and apply to PhD programs. I sorely miss being in the lab doing experiments. I’ll be quite a bit older (30-31 when I start) but I’m not too concerned about that, in fact I think my experiences and perspective will help. My scientific skills are better than they were too so I feel ready. However, I’m concerned about the transition to life back in academia, in terms of the lifestyle. Also long term, I’m more inclined to an academic career although most don’t recommend it - I have an open mind for sure but I’ve realised in the 4 years of working in industry that it’s not my thing. I’m in USA and my field is biophysics/biochemistry. Many of my friends in Europe enjoyed their PhD experience but I know it’s different in USA. I’d love to hear about some good experiences! TLDR: looking to go back to get my PhD after 4 years in industry, want to hear about positive PhD experiences. | go2p4q5 | go2oqa5 | 1,613,786,110 | 1,613,785,892 | 7 | 4 | If the experiments and benchwork are what you enjoy, have you considered being a staff scientist? Whether Research Associate with your masters or Research Scientist after the PhD (or equivalent position in industry)? Most tenured professors don't do hands-on science. | I loved my PhD experience. My advisor was (and is) one of my closest friends. I built solid, life-long relationships with other grad students, I learned a lot and genuinely enjoyed my research. I'm only adjuncting part time but I certainly do not regret my PhD. No matter how long it took! | 1 | 218 | 1.75 |
lnt6ry | askacademia_train | 0.96 | Enjoyable PhD/academia success stories I hear so many graduate school horror stories and I feel like those are the majority. Are there people who enjoyed their PhD experience? Had a good work life balance ? Did not overwork themselves to exhaustion? Took most weekends off ? Had good, supportive PIs ? I started a PhD in 2014 but quit after 2 years and left with my masters because of mental health problems. I’ve been working in industry/ government since then, and I love it but I realized that my true passion is research and I am happiest doing experiments, and want to get back to grad school and apply to PhD programs. I sorely miss being in the lab doing experiments. I’ll be quite a bit older (30-31 when I start) but I’m not too concerned about that, in fact I think my experiences and perspective will help. My scientific skills are better than they were too so I feel ready. However, I’m concerned about the transition to life back in academia, in terms of the lifestyle. Also long term, I’m more inclined to an academic career although most don’t recommend it - I have an open mind for sure but I’ve realised in the 4 years of working in industry that it’s not my thing. I’m in USA and my field is biophysics/biochemistry. Many of my friends in Europe enjoyed their PhD experience but I know it’s different in USA. I’d love to hear about some good experiences! TLDR: looking to go back to get my PhD after 4 years in industry, want to hear about positive PhD experiences. | go2m777 | go2p4q5 | 1,613,784,559 | 1,613,786,110 | 2 | 7 | Yes the all.of the above ...the last couple of months were.s.but stressful getting the thesis done but I had a great experience. | If the experiments and benchwork are what you enjoy, have you considered being a staff scientist? Whether Research Associate with your masters or Research Scientist after the PhD (or equivalent position in industry)? Most tenured professors don't do hands-on science. | 0 | 1,551 | 3.5 |
lnt6ry | askacademia_train | 0.96 | Enjoyable PhD/academia success stories I hear so many graduate school horror stories and I feel like those are the majority. Are there people who enjoyed their PhD experience? Had a good work life balance ? Did not overwork themselves to exhaustion? Took most weekends off ? Had good, supportive PIs ? I started a PhD in 2014 but quit after 2 years and left with my masters because of mental health problems. I’ve been working in industry/ government since then, and I love it but I realized that my true passion is research and I am happiest doing experiments, and want to get back to grad school and apply to PhD programs. I sorely miss being in the lab doing experiments. I’ll be quite a bit older (30-31 when I start) but I’m not too concerned about that, in fact I think my experiences and perspective will help. My scientific skills are better than they were too so I feel ready. However, I’m concerned about the transition to life back in academia, in terms of the lifestyle. Also long term, I’m more inclined to an academic career although most don’t recommend it - I have an open mind for sure but I’ve realised in the 4 years of working in industry that it’s not my thing. I’m in USA and my field is biophysics/biochemistry. Many of my friends in Europe enjoyed their PhD experience but I know it’s different in USA. I’d love to hear about some good experiences! TLDR: looking to go back to get my PhD after 4 years in industry, want to hear about positive PhD experiences. | go2p4q5 | go2oa8b | 1,613,786,110 | 1,613,785,650 | 7 | 2 | If the experiments and benchwork are what you enjoy, have you considered being a staff scientist? Whether Research Associate with your masters or Research Scientist after the PhD (or equivalent position in industry)? Most tenured professors don't do hands-on science. | I loved my PhD, my advisor was amazing, and I have no regrets. I had a baby and finished early. I worked 7 days a week, so no life balance. I still loved it though. | 1 | 460 | 3.5 |
lnt6ry | askacademia_train | 0.96 | Enjoyable PhD/academia success stories I hear so many graduate school horror stories and I feel like those are the majority. Are there people who enjoyed their PhD experience? Had a good work life balance ? Did not overwork themselves to exhaustion? Took most weekends off ? Had good, supportive PIs ? I started a PhD in 2014 but quit after 2 years and left with my masters because of mental health problems. I’ve been working in industry/ government since then, and I love it but I realized that my true passion is research and I am happiest doing experiments, and want to get back to grad school and apply to PhD programs. I sorely miss being in the lab doing experiments. I’ll be quite a bit older (30-31 when I start) but I’m not too concerned about that, in fact I think my experiences and perspective will help. My scientific skills are better than they were too so I feel ready. However, I’m concerned about the transition to life back in academia, in terms of the lifestyle. Also long term, I’m more inclined to an academic career although most don’t recommend it - I have an open mind for sure but I’ve realised in the 4 years of working in industry that it’s not my thing. I’m in USA and my field is biophysics/biochemistry. Many of my friends in Europe enjoyed their PhD experience but I know it’s different in USA. I’d love to hear about some good experiences! TLDR: looking to go back to get my PhD after 4 years in industry, want to hear about positive PhD experiences. | go2oq3t | go2p4q5 | 1,613,785,889 | 1,613,786,110 | 2 | 7 | I'm in my last year and it has been a blast! | If the experiments and benchwork are what you enjoy, have you considered being a staff scientist? Whether Research Associate with your masters or Research Scientist after the PhD (or equivalent position in industry)? Most tenured professors don't do hands-on science. | 0 | 221 | 3.5 |
lnt6ry | askacademia_train | 0.96 | Enjoyable PhD/academia success stories I hear so many graduate school horror stories and I feel like those are the majority. Are there people who enjoyed their PhD experience? Had a good work life balance ? Did not overwork themselves to exhaustion? Took most weekends off ? Had good, supportive PIs ? I started a PhD in 2014 but quit after 2 years and left with my masters because of mental health problems. I’ve been working in industry/ government since then, and I love it but I realized that my true passion is research and I am happiest doing experiments, and want to get back to grad school and apply to PhD programs. I sorely miss being in the lab doing experiments. I’ll be quite a bit older (30-31 when I start) but I’m not too concerned about that, in fact I think my experiences and perspective will help. My scientific skills are better than they were too so I feel ready. However, I’m concerned about the transition to life back in academia, in terms of the lifestyle. Also long term, I’m more inclined to an academic career although most don’t recommend it - I have an open mind for sure but I’ve realised in the 4 years of working in industry that it’s not my thing. I’m in USA and my field is biophysics/biochemistry. Many of my friends in Europe enjoyed their PhD experience but I know it’s different in USA. I’d love to hear about some good experiences! TLDR: looking to go back to get my PhD after 4 years in industry, want to hear about positive PhD experiences. | go2sfse | go2pbkk | 1,613,787,872 | 1,613,786,212 | 6 | 5 | My PhD experience has been pretty positive and nothing like most of the horror stories on this sub! I rarely work more than 8 hours/day (sometimes less) and almost never work on weekends (exceptions were my proposal defense, or when I used to take classes and had not finished something that was due soon). I imagine I might be working some weekends as I get closer to my defense but that’ll all depend on my own time management skills rather than my PI or anything. The people in my program have also been *amazing* - both students and faculty members. In fact, one of the reasons I chose this program was because of the “vibe” I got from other prospective students and current students (at the time) when I visited and I haven’t regretted that decision. Visiting each program and talking to current students is one of the main advice I give to prospective students who contact me because I’ve seen how much of a difference it can make. I actually don’t know anyone in my department who has had a bad experience as bad as what’s usually shared on this sub (except someone who *transferred* to our department after having shitty experiences in a different department. She literally quit her old field mid-PhD and started fresh in an unrelated field). It’s not all rosy for everyone all the time but it’s not a miserable experience in the least. ~ a 6th year PhD student really wanting to be finished but not because my PhD has sucked :). | I had an enjoyable PhD experience. The main PI I worked with was very supportive. If I was there on a weekend, it was because I either wanted to be there (after all, I was friends with others there) or my own poor planning. I delivered pizzas on the weekend to help make extra money. I had a regular poker game that I really enjoyed. My housemates and I partied and lived life. I spent almost every evening in the gym either playing basketball or racquetball, and I even played in almost every intramural sport (I won 1st place in intramural putt-putt golf one year). For shits and giggles, I even once signed up with the university orchestral choir (it was a big group open to anyone in the community with no audition) and sang Beethoven's ninth in German. I became friends with a person in surplus and he would let me know when new computers were coming in. I also had a friend in IT so that I could have a bunch of unauthorized servers running out of the lab (those days are gone). Basically, I had fun. Grad school occasionally got stressful, but nothing out of norm with undergrad or life after. When I was a post-doc, others would like to tell horror stories about their PI or grad program. I didn't ever really have anything to talk about like that. | 1 | 1,660 | 1.2 |
lnt6ry | askacademia_train | 0.96 | Enjoyable PhD/academia success stories I hear so many graduate school horror stories and I feel like those are the majority. Are there people who enjoyed their PhD experience? Had a good work life balance ? Did not overwork themselves to exhaustion? Took most weekends off ? Had good, supportive PIs ? I started a PhD in 2014 but quit after 2 years and left with my masters because of mental health problems. I’ve been working in industry/ government since then, and I love it but I realized that my true passion is research and I am happiest doing experiments, and want to get back to grad school and apply to PhD programs. I sorely miss being in the lab doing experiments. I’ll be quite a bit older (30-31 when I start) but I’m not too concerned about that, in fact I think my experiences and perspective will help. My scientific skills are better than they were too so I feel ready. However, I’m concerned about the transition to life back in academia, in terms of the lifestyle. Also long term, I’m more inclined to an academic career although most don’t recommend it - I have an open mind for sure but I’ve realised in the 4 years of working in industry that it’s not my thing. I’m in USA and my field is biophysics/biochemistry. Many of my friends in Europe enjoyed their PhD experience but I know it’s different in USA. I’d love to hear about some good experiences! TLDR: looking to go back to get my PhD after 4 years in industry, want to hear about positive PhD experiences. | go2sfse | go2oqa5 | 1,613,787,872 | 1,613,785,892 | 6 | 4 | My PhD experience has been pretty positive and nothing like most of the horror stories on this sub! I rarely work more than 8 hours/day (sometimes less) and almost never work on weekends (exceptions were my proposal defense, or when I used to take classes and had not finished something that was due soon). I imagine I might be working some weekends as I get closer to my defense but that’ll all depend on my own time management skills rather than my PI or anything. The people in my program have also been *amazing* - both students and faculty members. In fact, one of the reasons I chose this program was because of the “vibe” I got from other prospective students and current students (at the time) when I visited and I haven’t regretted that decision. Visiting each program and talking to current students is one of the main advice I give to prospective students who contact me because I’ve seen how much of a difference it can make. I actually don’t know anyone in my department who has had a bad experience as bad as what’s usually shared on this sub (except someone who *transferred* to our department after having shitty experiences in a different department. She literally quit her old field mid-PhD and started fresh in an unrelated field). It’s not all rosy for everyone all the time but it’s not a miserable experience in the least. ~ a 6th year PhD student really wanting to be finished but not because my PhD has sucked :). | I loved my PhD experience. My advisor was (and is) one of my closest friends. I built solid, life-long relationships with other grad students, I learned a lot and genuinely enjoyed my research. I'm only adjuncting part time but I certainly do not regret my PhD. No matter how long it took! | 1 | 1,980 | 1.5 |
lnt6ry | askacademia_train | 0.96 | Enjoyable PhD/academia success stories I hear so many graduate school horror stories and I feel like those are the majority. Are there people who enjoyed their PhD experience? Had a good work life balance ? Did not overwork themselves to exhaustion? Took most weekends off ? Had good, supportive PIs ? I started a PhD in 2014 but quit after 2 years and left with my masters because of mental health problems. I’ve been working in industry/ government since then, and I love it but I realized that my true passion is research and I am happiest doing experiments, and want to get back to grad school and apply to PhD programs. I sorely miss being in the lab doing experiments. I’ll be quite a bit older (30-31 when I start) but I’m not too concerned about that, in fact I think my experiences and perspective will help. My scientific skills are better than they were too so I feel ready. However, I’m concerned about the transition to life back in academia, in terms of the lifestyle. Also long term, I’m more inclined to an academic career although most don’t recommend it - I have an open mind for sure but I’ve realised in the 4 years of working in industry that it’s not my thing. I’m in USA and my field is biophysics/biochemistry. Many of my friends in Europe enjoyed their PhD experience but I know it’s different in USA. I’d love to hear about some good experiences! TLDR: looking to go back to get my PhD after 4 years in industry, want to hear about positive PhD experiences. | go2m777 | go2sfse | 1,613,784,559 | 1,613,787,872 | 2 | 6 | Yes the all.of the above ...the last couple of months were.s.but stressful getting the thesis done but I had a great experience. | My PhD experience has been pretty positive and nothing like most of the horror stories on this sub! I rarely work more than 8 hours/day (sometimes less) and almost never work on weekends (exceptions were my proposal defense, or when I used to take classes and had not finished something that was due soon). I imagine I might be working some weekends as I get closer to my defense but that’ll all depend on my own time management skills rather than my PI or anything. The people in my program have also been *amazing* - both students and faculty members. In fact, one of the reasons I chose this program was because of the “vibe” I got from other prospective students and current students (at the time) when I visited and I haven’t regretted that decision. Visiting each program and talking to current students is one of the main advice I give to prospective students who contact me because I’ve seen how much of a difference it can make. I actually don’t know anyone in my department who has had a bad experience as bad as what’s usually shared on this sub (except someone who *transferred* to our department after having shitty experiences in a different department. She literally quit her old field mid-PhD and started fresh in an unrelated field). It’s not all rosy for everyone all the time but it’s not a miserable experience in the least. ~ a 6th year PhD student really wanting to be finished but not because my PhD has sucked :). | 0 | 3,313 | 3 |
lnt6ry | askacademia_train | 0.96 | Enjoyable PhD/academia success stories I hear so many graduate school horror stories and I feel like those are the majority. Are there people who enjoyed their PhD experience? Had a good work life balance ? Did not overwork themselves to exhaustion? Took most weekends off ? Had good, supportive PIs ? I started a PhD in 2014 but quit after 2 years and left with my masters because of mental health problems. I’ve been working in industry/ government since then, and I love it but I realized that my true passion is research and I am happiest doing experiments, and want to get back to grad school and apply to PhD programs. I sorely miss being in the lab doing experiments. I’ll be quite a bit older (30-31 when I start) but I’m not too concerned about that, in fact I think my experiences and perspective will help. My scientific skills are better than they were too so I feel ready. However, I’m concerned about the transition to life back in academia, in terms of the lifestyle. Also long term, I’m more inclined to an academic career although most don’t recommend it - I have an open mind for sure but I’ve realised in the 4 years of working in industry that it’s not my thing. I’m in USA and my field is biophysics/biochemistry. Many of my friends in Europe enjoyed their PhD experience but I know it’s different in USA. I’d love to hear about some good experiences! TLDR: looking to go back to get my PhD after 4 years in industry, want to hear about positive PhD experiences. | go2oa8b | go2sfse | 1,613,785,650 | 1,613,787,872 | 2 | 6 | I loved my PhD, my advisor was amazing, and I have no regrets. I had a baby and finished early. I worked 7 days a week, so no life balance. I still loved it though. | My PhD experience has been pretty positive and nothing like most of the horror stories on this sub! I rarely work more than 8 hours/day (sometimes less) and almost never work on weekends (exceptions were my proposal defense, or when I used to take classes and had not finished something that was due soon). I imagine I might be working some weekends as I get closer to my defense but that’ll all depend on my own time management skills rather than my PI or anything. The people in my program have also been *amazing* - both students and faculty members. In fact, one of the reasons I chose this program was because of the “vibe” I got from other prospective students and current students (at the time) when I visited and I haven’t regretted that decision. Visiting each program and talking to current students is one of the main advice I give to prospective students who contact me because I’ve seen how much of a difference it can make. I actually don’t know anyone in my department who has had a bad experience as bad as what’s usually shared on this sub (except someone who *transferred* to our department after having shitty experiences in a different department. She literally quit her old field mid-PhD and started fresh in an unrelated field). It’s not all rosy for everyone all the time but it’s not a miserable experience in the least. ~ a 6th year PhD student really wanting to be finished but not because my PhD has sucked :). | 0 | 2,222 | 3 |
lnt6ry | askacademia_train | 0.96 | Enjoyable PhD/academia success stories I hear so many graduate school horror stories and I feel like those are the majority. Are there people who enjoyed their PhD experience? Had a good work life balance ? Did not overwork themselves to exhaustion? Took most weekends off ? Had good, supportive PIs ? I started a PhD in 2014 but quit after 2 years and left with my masters because of mental health problems. I’ve been working in industry/ government since then, and I love it but I realized that my true passion is research and I am happiest doing experiments, and want to get back to grad school and apply to PhD programs. I sorely miss being in the lab doing experiments. I’ll be quite a bit older (30-31 when I start) but I’m not too concerned about that, in fact I think my experiences and perspective will help. My scientific skills are better than they were too so I feel ready. However, I’m concerned about the transition to life back in academia, in terms of the lifestyle. Also long term, I’m more inclined to an academic career although most don’t recommend it - I have an open mind for sure but I’ve realised in the 4 years of working in industry that it’s not my thing. I’m in USA and my field is biophysics/biochemistry. Many of my friends in Europe enjoyed their PhD experience but I know it’s different in USA. I’d love to hear about some good experiences! TLDR: looking to go back to get my PhD after 4 years in industry, want to hear about positive PhD experiences. | go2sfse | go2oq3t | 1,613,787,872 | 1,613,785,889 | 6 | 2 | My PhD experience has been pretty positive and nothing like most of the horror stories on this sub! I rarely work more than 8 hours/day (sometimes less) and almost never work on weekends (exceptions were my proposal defense, or when I used to take classes and had not finished something that was due soon). I imagine I might be working some weekends as I get closer to my defense but that’ll all depend on my own time management skills rather than my PI or anything. The people in my program have also been *amazing* - both students and faculty members. In fact, one of the reasons I chose this program was because of the “vibe” I got from other prospective students and current students (at the time) when I visited and I haven’t regretted that decision. Visiting each program and talking to current students is one of the main advice I give to prospective students who contact me because I’ve seen how much of a difference it can make. I actually don’t know anyone in my department who has had a bad experience as bad as what’s usually shared on this sub (except someone who *transferred* to our department after having shitty experiences in a different department. She literally quit her old field mid-PhD and started fresh in an unrelated field). It’s not all rosy for everyone all the time but it’s not a miserable experience in the least. ~ a 6th year PhD student really wanting to be finished but not because my PhD has sucked :). | I'm in my last year and it has been a blast! | 1 | 1,983 | 3 |
lnt6ry | askacademia_train | 0.96 | Enjoyable PhD/academia success stories I hear so many graduate school horror stories and I feel like those are the majority. Are there people who enjoyed their PhD experience? Had a good work life balance ? Did not overwork themselves to exhaustion? Took most weekends off ? Had good, supportive PIs ? I started a PhD in 2014 but quit after 2 years and left with my masters because of mental health problems. I’ve been working in industry/ government since then, and I love it but I realized that my true passion is research and I am happiest doing experiments, and want to get back to grad school and apply to PhD programs. I sorely miss being in the lab doing experiments. I’ll be quite a bit older (30-31 when I start) but I’m not too concerned about that, in fact I think my experiences and perspective will help. My scientific skills are better than they were too so I feel ready. However, I’m concerned about the transition to life back in academia, in terms of the lifestyle. Also long term, I’m more inclined to an academic career although most don’t recommend it - I have an open mind for sure but I’ve realised in the 4 years of working in industry that it’s not my thing. I’m in USA and my field is biophysics/biochemistry. Many of my friends in Europe enjoyed their PhD experience but I know it’s different in USA. I’d love to hear about some good experiences! TLDR: looking to go back to get my PhD after 4 years in industry, want to hear about positive PhD experiences. | go2oqa5 | go2pbkk | 1,613,785,892 | 1,613,786,212 | 4 | 5 | I loved my PhD experience. My advisor was (and is) one of my closest friends. I built solid, life-long relationships with other grad students, I learned a lot and genuinely enjoyed my research. I'm only adjuncting part time but I certainly do not regret my PhD. No matter how long it took! | I had an enjoyable PhD experience. The main PI I worked with was very supportive. If I was there on a weekend, it was because I either wanted to be there (after all, I was friends with others there) or my own poor planning. I delivered pizzas on the weekend to help make extra money. I had a regular poker game that I really enjoyed. My housemates and I partied and lived life. I spent almost every evening in the gym either playing basketball or racquetball, and I even played in almost every intramural sport (I won 1st place in intramural putt-putt golf one year). For shits and giggles, I even once signed up with the university orchestral choir (it was a big group open to anyone in the community with no audition) and sang Beethoven's ninth in German. I became friends with a person in surplus and he would let me know when new computers were coming in. I also had a friend in IT so that I could have a bunch of unauthorized servers running out of the lab (those days are gone). Basically, I had fun. Grad school occasionally got stressful, but nothing out of norm with undergrad or life after. When I was a post-doc, others would like to tell horror stories about their PI or grad program. I didn't ever really have anything to talk about like that. | 0 | 320 | 1.25 |
lnt6ry | askacademia_train | 0.96 | Enjoyable PhD/academia success stories I hear so many graduate school horror stories and I feel like those are the majority. Are there people who enjoyed their PhD experience? Had a good work life balance ? Did not overwork themselves to exhaustion? Took most weekends off ? Had good, supportive PIs ? I started a PhD in 2014 but quit after 2 years and left with my masters because of mental health problems. I’ve been working in industry/ government since then, and I love it but I realized that my true passion is research and I am happiest doing experiments, and want to get back to grad school and apply to PhD programs. I sorely miss being in the lab doing experiments. I’ll be quite a bit older (30-31 when I start) but I’m not too concerned about that, in fact I think my experiences and perspective will help. My scientific skills are better than they were too so I feel ready. However, I’m concerned about the transition to life back in academia, in terms of the lifestyle. Also long term, I’m more inclined to an academic career although most don’t recommend it - I have an open mind for sure but I’ve realised in the 4 years of working in industry that it’s not my thing. I’m in USA and my field is biophysics/biochemistry. Many of my friends in Europe enjoyed their PhD experience but I know it’s different in USA. I’d love to hear about some good experiences! TLDR: looking to go back to get my PhD after 4 years in industry, want to hear about positive PhD experiences. | go2m777 | go2pbkk | 1,613,784,559 | 1,613,786,212 | 2 | 5 | Yes the all.of the above ...the last couple of months were.s.but stressful getting the thesis done but I had a great experience. | I had an enjoyable PhD experience. The main PI I worked with was very supportive. If I was there on a weekend, it was because I either wanted to be there (after all, I was friends with others there) or my own poor planning. I delivered pizzas on the weekend to help make extra money. I had a regular poker game that I really enjoyed. My housemates and I partied and lived life. I spent almost every evening in the gym either playing basketball or racquetball, and I even played in almost every intramural sport (I won 1st place in intramural putt-putt golf one year). For shits and giggles, I even once signed up with the university orchestral choir (it was a big group open to anyone in the community with no audition) and sang Beethoven's ninth in German. I became friends with a person in surplus and he would let me know when new computers were coming in. I also had a friend in IT so that I could have a bunch of unauthorized servers running out of the lab (those days are gone). Basically, I had fun. Grad school occasionally got stressful, but nothing out of norm with undergrad or life after. When I was a post-doc, others would like to tell horror stories about their PI or grad program. I didn't ever really have anything to talk about like that. | 0 | 1,653 | 2.5 |
lnt6ry | askacademia_train | 0.96 | Enjoyable PhD/academia success stories I hear so many graduate school horror stories and I feel like those are the majority. Are there people who enjoyed their PhD experience? Had a good work life balance ? Did not overwork themselves to exhaustion? Took most weekends off ? Had good, supportive PIs ? I started a PhD in 2014 but quit after 2 years and left with my masters because of mental health problems. I’ve been working in industry/ government since then, and I love it but I realized that my true passion is research and I am happiest doing experiments, and want to get back to grad school and apply to PhD programs. I sorely miss being in the lab doing experiments. I’ll be quite a bit older (30-31 when I start) but I’m not too concerned about that, in fact I think my experiences and perspective will help. My scientific skills are better than they were too so I feel ready. However, I’m concerned about the transition to life back in academia, in terms of the lifestyle. Also long term, I’m more inclined to an academic career although most don’t recommend it - I have an open mind for sure but I’ve realised in the 4 years of working in industry that it’s not my thing. I’m in USA and my field is biophysics/biochemistry. Many of my friends in Europe enjoyed their PhD experience but I know it’s different in USA. I’d love to hear about some good experiences! TLDR: looking to go back to get my PhD after 4 years in industry, want to hear about positive PhD experiences. | go2pbkk | go2oa8b | 1,613,786,212 | 1,613,785,650 | 5 | 2 | I had an enjoyable PhD experience. The main PI I worked with was very supportive. If I was there on a weekend, it was because I either wanted to be there (after all, I was friends with others there) or my own poor planning. I delivered pizzas on the weekend to help make extra money. I had a regular poker game that I really enjoyed. My housemates and I partied and lived life. I spent almost every evening in the gym either playing basketball or racquetball, and I even played in almost every intramural sport (I won 1st place in intramural putt-putt golf one year). For shits and giggles, I even once signed up with the university orchestral choir (it was a big group open to anyone in the community with no audition) and sang Beethoven's ninth in German. I became friends with a person in surplus and he would let me know when new computers were coming in. I also had a friend in IT so that I could have a bunch of unauthorized servers running out of the lab (those days are gone). Basically, I had fun. Grad school occasionally got stressful, but nothing out of norm with undergrad or life after. When I was a post-doc, others would like to tell horror stories about their PI or grad program. I didn't ever really have anything to talk about like that. | I loved my PhD, my advisor was amazing, and I have no regrets. I had a baby and finished early. I worked 7 days a week, so no life balance. I still loved it though. | 1 | 562 | 2.5 |
lnt6ry | askacademia_train | 0.96 | Enjoyable PhD/academia success stories I hear so many graduate school horror stories and I feel like those are the majority. Are there people who enjoyed their PhD experience? Had a good work life balance ? Did not overwork themselves to exhaustion? Took most weekends off ? Had good, supportive PIs ? I started a PhD in 2014 but quit after 2 years and left with my masters because of mental health problems. I’ve been working in industry/ government since then, and I love it but I realized that my true passion is research and I am happiest doing experiments, and want to get back to grad school and apply to PhD programs. I sorely miss being in the lab doing experiments. I’ll be quite a bit older (30-31 when I start) but I’m not too concerned about that, in fact I think my experiences and perspective will help. My scientific skills are better than they were too so I feel ready. However, I’m concerned about the transition to life back in academia, in terms of the lifestyle. Also long term, I’m more inclined to an academic career although most don’t recommend it - I have an open mind for sure but I’ve realised in the 4 years of working in industry that it’s not my thing. I’m in USA and my field is biophysics/biochemistry. Many of my friends in Europe enjoyed their PhD experience but I know it’s different in USA. I’d love to hear about some good experiences! TLDR: looking to go back to get my PhD after 4 years in industry, want to hear about positive PhD experiences. | go2oq3t | go2pbkk | 1,613,785,889 | 1,613,786,212 | 2 | 5 | I'm in my last year and it has been a blast! | I had an enjoyable PhD experience. The main PI I worked with was very supportive. If I was there on a weekend, it was because I either wanted to be there (after all, I was friends with others there) or my own poor planning. I delivered pizzas on the weekend to help make extra money. I had a regular poker game that I really enjoyed. My housemates and I partied and lived life. I spent almost every evening in the gym either playing basketball or racquetball, and I even played in almost every intramural sport (I won 1st place in intramural putt-putt golf one year). For shits and giggles, I even once signed up with the university orchestral choir (it was a big group open to anyone in the community with no audition) and sang Beethoven's ninth in German. I became friends with a person in surplus and he would let me know when new computers were coming in. I also had a friend in IT so that I could have a bunch of unauthorized servers running out of the lab (those days are gone). Basically, I had fun. Grad school occasionally got stressful, but nothing out of norm with undergrad or life after. When I was a post-doc, others would like to tell horror stories about their PI or grad program. I didn't ever really have anything to talk about like that. | 0 | 323 | 2.5 |
lnt6ry | askacademia_train | 0.96 | Enjoyable PhD/academia success stories I hear so many graduate school horror stories and I feel like those are the majority. Are there people who enjoyed their PhD experience? Had a good work life balance ? Did not overwork themselves to exhaustion? Took most weekends off ? Had good, supportive PIs ? I started a PhD in 2014 but quit after 2 years and left with my masters because of mental health problems. I’ve been working in industry/ government since then, and I love it but I realized that my true passion is research and I am happiest doing experiments, and want to get back to grad school and apply to PhD programs. I sorely miss being in the lab doing experiments. I’ll be quite a bit older (30-31 when I start) but I’m not too concerned about that, in fact I think my experiences and perspective will help. My scientific skills are better than they were too so I feel ready. However, I’m concerned about the transition to life back in academia, in terms of the lifestyle. Also long term, I’m more inclined to an academic career although most don’t recommend it - I have an open mind for sure but I’ve realised in the 4 years of working in industry that it’s not my thing. I’m in USA and my field is biophysics/biochemistry. Many of my friends in Europe enjoyed their PhD experience but I know it’s different in USA. I’d love to hear about some good experiences! TLDR: looking to go back to get my PhD after 4 years in industry, want to hear about positive PhD experiences. | go3463l | go2oqa5 | 1,613,794,242 | 1,613,785,892 | 5 | 4 | I'm hopefully at the end of my PhD experience - and it has been pretty amazing. The faculty and staff are supportive and care about the well-being of the students, and we students have a supportive network with each other - I could not ask for more. (Well, better pay would be nice). During the course of my program a parent had a stroke, another had kidney failure, and I had two complicated pregnancies. When my parent stroked, the department took up a collection so my mom did not lose her home. The upper administration holds baby showers when students are expecting. Another student in the program just beat cancer - and the faculty raised funds to help her cover treatment. When folks (particularly students) get articles published notice goes out to the entire college. The course work is challenging, the research engaging, and the community kind and supportive. | I loved my PhD experience. My advisor was (and is) one of my closest friends. I built solid, life-long relationships with other grad students, I learned a lot and genuinely enjoyed my research. I'm only adjuncting part time but I certainly do not regret my PhD. No matter how long it took! | 1 | 8,350 | 1.25 |
lnt6ry | askacademia_train | 0.96 | Enjoyable PhD/academia success stories I hear so many graduate school horror stories and I feel like those are the majority. Are there people who enjoyed their PhD experience? Had a good work life balance ? Did not overwork themselves to exhaustion? Took most weekends off ? Had good, supportive PIs ? I started a PhD in 2014 but quit after 2 years and left with my masters because of mental health problems. I’ve been working in industry/ government since then, and I love it but I realized that my true passion is research and I am happiest doing experiments, and want to get back to grad school and apply to PhD programs. I sorely miss being in the lab doing experiments. I’ll be quite a bit older (30-31 when I start) but I’m not too concerned about that, in fact I think my experiences and perspective will help. My scientific skills are better than they were too so I feel ready. However, I’m concerned about the transition to life back in academia, in terms of the lifestyle. Also long term, I’m more inclined to an academic career although most don’t recommend it - I have an open mind for sure but I’ve realised in the 4 years of working in industry that it’s not my thing. I’m in USA and my field is biophysics/biochemistry. Many of my friends in Europe enjoyed their PhD experience but I know it’s different in USA. I’d love to hear about some good experiences! TLDR: looking to go back to get my PhD after 4 years in industry, want to hear about positive PhD experiences. | go3463l | go2z5md | 1,613,794,242 | 1,613,791,474 | 5 | 4 | I'm hopefully at the end of my PhD experience - and it has been pretty amazing. The faculty and staff are supportive and care about the well-being of the students, and we students have a supportive network with each other - I could not ask for more. (Well, better pay would be nice). During the course of my program a parent had a stroke, another had kidney failure, and I had two complicated pregnancies. When my parent stroked, the department took up a collection so my mom did not lose her home. The upper administration holds baby showers when students are expecting. Another student in the program just beat cancer - and the faculty raised funds to help her cover treatment. When folks (particularly students) get articles published notice goes out to the entire college. The course work is challenging, the research engaging, and the community kind and supportive. | PhD were the best years of my life. Focused on something interesting, no kids yet - drinking IPAs on the weekend with smart people. Didn’t mind not having much money because no one in grad school had much. I really lucked out with being handed an excellent research project that lined me up for a TT job right out of grad school. | 1 | 2,768 | 1.25 |
lnt6ry | askacademia_train | 0.96 | Enjoyable PhD/academia success stories I hear so many graduate school horror stories and I feel like those are the majority. Are there people who enjoyed their PhD experience? Had a good work life balance ? Did not overwork themselves to exhaustion? Took most weekends off ? Had good, supportive PIs ? I started a PhD in 2014 but quit after 2 years and left with my masters because of mental health problems. I’ve been working in industry/ government since then, and I love it but I realized that my true passion is research and I am happiest doing experiments, and want to get back to grad school and apply to PhD programs. I sorely miss being in the lab doing experiments. I’ll be quite a bit older (30-31 when I start) but I’m not too concerned about that, in fact I think my experiences and perspective will help. My scientific skills are better than they were too so I feel ready. However, I’m concerned about the transition to life back in academia, in terms of the lifestyle. Also long term, I’m more inclined to an academic career although most don’t recommend it - I have an open mind for sure but I’ve realised in the 4 years of working in industry that it’s not my thing. I’m in USA and my field is biophysics/biochemistry. Many of my friends in Europe enjoyed their PhD experience but I know it’s different in USA. I’d love to hear about some good experiences! TLDR: looking to go back to get my PhD after 4 years in industry, want to hear about positive PhD experiences. | go2xvni | go3463l | 1,613,790,789 | 1,613,794,242 | 4 | 5 | Really loved my PhD. Loved in Québec Coty. Got to dive for five years, and I enjoy my post-doc ok. The job search though, this is the soul killer. | I'm hopefully at the end of my PhD experience - and it has been pretty amazing. The faculty and staff are supportive and care about the well-being of the students, and we students have a supportive network with each other - I could not ask for more. (Well, better pay would be nice). During the course of my program a parent had a stroke, another had kidney failure, and I had two complicated pregnancies. When my parent stroked, the department took up a collection so my mom did not lose her home. The upper administration holds baby showers when students are expecting. Another student in the program just beat cancer - and the faculty raised funds to help her cover treatment. When folks (particularly students) get articles published notice goes out to the entire college. The course work is challenging, the research engaging, and the community kind and supportive. | 0 | 3,453 | 1.25 |
lnt6ry | askacademia_train | 0.96 | Enjoyable PhD/academia success stories I hear so many graduate school horror stories and I feel like those are the majority. Are there people who enjoyed their PhD experience? Had a good work life balance ? Did not overwork themselves to exhaustion? Took most weekends off ? Had good, supportive PIs ? I started a PhD in 2014 but quit after 2 years and left with my masters because of mental health problems. I’ve been working in industry/ government since then, and I love it but I realized that my true passion is research and I am happiest doing experiments, and want to get back to grad school and apply to PhD programs. I sorely miss being in the lab doing experiments. I’ll be quite a bit older (30-31 when I start) but I’m not too concerned about that, in fact I think my experiences and perspective will help. My scientific skills are better than they were too so I feel ready. However, I’m concerned about the transition to life back in academia, in terms of the lifestyle. Also long term, I’m more inclined to an academic career although most don’t recommend it - I have an open mind for sure but I’ve realised in the 4 years of working in industry that it’s not my thing. I’m in USA and my field is biophysics/biochemistry. Many of my friends in Europe enjoyed their PhD experience but I know it’s different in USA. I’d love to hear about some good experiences! TLDR: looking to go back to get my PhD after 4 years in industry, want to hear about positive PhD experiences. | go2m777 | go3463l | 1,613,784,559 | 1,613,794,242 | 2 | 5 | Yes the all.of the above ...the last couple of months were.s.but stressful getting the thesis done but I had a great experience. | I'm hopefully at the end of my PhD experience - and it has been pretty amazing. The faculty and staff are supportive and care about the well-being of the students, and we students have a supportive network with each other - I could not ask for more. (Well, better pay would be nice). During the course of my program a parent had a stroke, another had kidney failure, and I had two complicated pregnancies. When my parent stroked, the department took up a collection so my mom did not lose her home. The upper administration holds baby showers when students are expecting. Another student in the program just beat cancer - and the faculty raised funds to help her cover treatment. When folks (particularly students) get articles published notice goes out to the entire college. The course work is challenging, the research engaging, and the community kind and supportive. | 0 | 9,683 | 2.5 |
lnt6ry | askacademia_train | 0.96 | Enjoyable PhD/academia success stories I hear so many graduate school horror stories and I feel like those are the majority. Are there people who enjoyed their PhD experience? Had a good work life balance ? Did not overwork themselves to exhaustion? Took most weekends off ? Had good, supportive PIs ? I started a PhD in 2014 but quit after 2 years and left with my masters because of mental health problems. I’ve been working in industry/ government since then, and I love it but I realized that my true passion is research and I am happiest doing experiments, and want to get back to grad school and apply to PhD programs. I sorely miss being in the lab doing experiments. I’ll be quite a bit older (30-31 when I start) but I’m not too concerned about that, in fact I think my experiences and perspective will help. My scientific skills are better than they were too so I feel ready. However, I’m concerned about the transition to life back in academia, in terms of the lifestyle. Also long term, I’m more inclined to an academic career although most don’t recommend it - I have an open mind for sure but I’ve realised in the 4 years of working in industry that it’s not my thing. I’m in USA and my field is biophysics/biochemistry. Many of my friends in Europe enjoyed their PhD experience but I know it’s different in USA. I’d love to hear about some good experiences! TLDR: looking to go back to get my PhD after 4 years in industry, want to hear about positive PhD experiences. | go2oa8b | go3463l | 1,613,785,650 | 1,613,794,242 | 2 | 5 | I loved my PhD, my advisor was amazing, and I have no regrets. I had a baby and finished early. I worked 7 days a week, so no life balance. I still loved it though. | I'm hopefully at the end of my PhD experience - and it has been pretty amazing. The faculty and staff are supportive and care about the well-being of the students, and we students have a supportive network with each other - I could not ask for more. (Well, better pay would be nice). During the course of my program a parent had a stroke, another had kidney failure, and I had two complicated pregnancies. When my parent stroked, the department took up a collection so my mom did not lose her home. The upper administration holds baby showers when students are expecting. Another student in the program just beat cancer - and the faculty raised funds to help her cover treatment. When folks (particularly students) get articles published notice goes out to the entire college. The course work is challenging, the research engaging, and the community kind and supportive. | 0 | 8,592 | 2.5 |
lnt6ry | askacademia_train | 0.96 | Enjoyable PhD/academia success stories I hear so many graduate school horror stories and I feel like those are the majority. Are there people who enjoyed their PhD experience? Had a good work life balance ? Did not overwork themselves to exhaustion? Took most weekends off ? Had good, supportive PIs ? I started a PhD in 2014 but quit after 2 years and left with my masters because of mental health problems. I’ve been working in industry/ government since then, and I love it but I realized that my true passion is research and I am happiest doing experiments, and want to get back to grad school and apply to PhD programs. I sorely miss being in the lab doing experiments. I’ll be quite a bit older (30-31 when I start) but I’m not too concerned about that, in fact I think my experiences and perspective will help. My scientific skills are better than they were too so I feel ready. However, I’m concerned about the transition to life back in academia, in terms of the lifestyle. Also long term, I’m more inclined to an academic career although most don’t recommend it - I have an open mind for sure but I’ve realised in the 4 years of working in industry that it’s not my thing. I’m in USA and my field is biophysics/biochemistry. Many of my friends in Europe enjoyed their PhD experience but I know it’s different in USA. I’d love to hear about some good experiences! TLDR: looking to go back to get my PhD after 4 years in industry, want to hear about positive PhD experiences. | go2oq3t | go3463l | 1,613,785,889 | 1,613,794,242 | 2 | 5 | I'm in my last year and it has been a blast! | I'm hopefully at the end of my PhD experience - and it has been pretty amazing. The faculty and staff are supportive and care about the well-being of the students, and we students have a supportive network with each other - I could not ask for more. (Well, better pay would be nice). During the course of my program a parent had a stroke, another had kidney failure, and I had two complicated pregnancies. When my parent stroked, the department took up a collection so my mom did not lose her home. The upper administration holds baby showers when students are expecting. Another student in the program just beat cancer - and the faculty raised funds to help her cover treatment. When folks (particularly students) get articles published notice goes out to the entire college. The course work is challenging, the research engaging, and the community kind and supportive. | 0 | 8,353 | 2.5 |
lnt6ry | askacademia_train | 0.96 | Enjoyable PhD/academia success stories I hear so many graduate school horror stories and I feel like those are the majority. Are there people who enjoyed their PhD experience? Had a good work life balance ? Did not overwork themselves to exhaustion? Took most weekends off ? Had good, supportive PIs ? I started a PhD in 2014 but quit after 2 years and left with my masters because of mental health problems. I’ve been working in industry/ government since then, and I love it but I realized that my true passion is research and I am happiest doing experiments, and want to get back to grad school and apply to PhD programs. I sorely miss being in the lab doing experiments. I’ll be quite a bit older (30-31 when I start) but I’m not too concerned about that, in fact I think my experiences and perspective will help. My scientific skills are better than they were too so I feel ready. However, I’m concerned about the transition to life back in academia, in terms of the lifestyle. Also long term, I’m more inclined to an academic career although most don’t recommend it - I have an open mind for sure but I’ve realised in the 4 years of working in industry that it’s not my thing. I’m in USA and my field is biophysics/biochemistry. Many of my friends in Europe enjoyed their PhD experience but I know it’s different in USA. I’d love to hear about some good experiences! TLDR: looking to go back to get my PhD after 4 years in industry, want to hear about positive PhD experiences. | go2m777 | go2oqa5 | 1,613,784,559 | 1,613,785,892 | 2 | 4 | Yes the all.of the above ...the last couple of months were.s.but stressful getting the thesis done but I had a great experience. | I loved my PhD experience. My advisor was (and is) one of my closest friends. I built solid, life-long relationships with other grad students, I learned a lot and genuinely enjoyed my research. I'm only adjuncting part time but I certainly do not regret my PhD. No matter how long it took! | 0 | 1,333 | 2 |
lnt6ry | askacademia_train | 0.96 | Enjoyable PhD/academia success stories I hear so many graduate school horror stories and I feel like those are the majority. Are there people who enjoyed their PhD experience? Had a good work life balance ? Did not overwork themselves to exhaustion? Took most weekends off ? Had good, supportive PIs ? I started a PhD in 2014 but quit after 2 years and left with my masters because of mental health problems. I’ve been working in industry/ government since then, and I love it but I realized that my true passion is research and I am happiest doing experiments, and want to get back to grad school and apply to PhD programs. I sorely miss being in the lab doing experiments. I’ll be quite a bit older (30-31 when I start) but I’m not too concerned about that, in fact I think my experiences and perspective will help. My scientific skills are better than they were too so I feel ready. However, I’m concerned about the transition to life back in academia, in terms of the lifestyle. Also long term, I’m more inclined to an academic career although most don’t recommend it - I have an open mind for sure but I’ve realised in the 4 years of working in industry that it’s not my thing. I’m in USA and my field is biophysics/biochemistry. Many of my friends in Europe enjoyed their PhD experience but I know it’s different in USA. I’d love to hear about some good experiences! TLDR: looking to go back to get my PhD after 4 years in industry, want to hear about positive PhD experiences. | go2oqa5 | go2oa8b | 1,613,785,892 | 1,613,785,650 | 4 | 2 | I loved my PhD experience. My advisor was (and is) one of my closest friends. I built solid, life-long relationships with other grad students, I learned a lot and genuinely enjoyed my research. I'm only adjuncting part time but I certainly do not regret my PhD. No matter how long it took! | I loved my PhD, my advisor was amazing, and I have no regrets. I had a baby and finished early. I worked 7 days a week, so no life balance. I still loved it though. | 1 | 242 | 2 |
lnt6ry | askacademia_train | 0.96 | Enjoyable PhD/academia success stories I hear so many graduate school horror stories and I feel like those are the majority. Are there people who enjoyed their PhD experience? Had a good work life balance ? Did not overwork themselves to exhaustion? Took most weekends off ? Had good, supportive PIs ? I started a PhD in 2014 but quit after 2 years and left with my masters because of mental health problems. I’ve been working in industry/ government since then, and I love it but I realized that my true passion is research and I am happiest doing experiments, and want to get back to grad school and apply to PhD programs. I sorely miss being in the lab doing experiments. I’ll be quite a bit older (30-31 when I start) but I’m not too concerned about that, in fact I think my experiences and perspective will help. My scientific skills are better than they were too so I feel ready. However, I’m concerned about the transition to life back in academia, in terms of the lifestyle. Also long term, I’m more inclined to an academic career although most don’t recommend it - I have an open mind for sure but I’ve realised in the 4 years of working in industry that it’s not my thing. I’m in USA and my field is biophysics/biochemistry. Many of my friends in Europe enjoyed their PhD experience but I know it’s different in USA. I’d love to hear about some good experiences! TLDR: looking to go back to get my PhD after 4 years in industry, want to hear about positive PhD experiences. | go2oq3t | go2oqa5 | 1,613,785,889 | 1,613,785,892 | 2 | 4 | I'm in my last year and it has been a blast! | I loved my PhD experience. My advisor was (and is) one of my closest friends. I built solid, life-long relationships with other grad students, I learned a lot and genuinely enjoyed my research. I'm only adjuncting part time but I certainly do not regret my PhD. No matter how long it took! | 0 | 3 | 2 |
lnt6ry | askacademia_train | 0.96 | Enjoyable PhD/academia success stories I hear so many graduate school horror stories and I feel like those are the majority. Are there people who enjoyed their PhD experience? Had a good work life balance ? Did not overwork themselves to exhaustion? Took most weekends off ? Had good, supportive PIs ? I started a PhD in 2014 but quit after 2 years and left with my masters because of mental health problems. I’ve been working in industry/ government since then, and I love it but I realized that my true passion is research and I am happiest doing experiments, and want to get back to grad school and apply to PhD programs. I sorely miss being in the lab doing experiments. I’ll be quite a bit older (30-31 when I start) but I’m not too concerned about that, in fact I think my experiences and perspective will help. My scientific skills are better than they were too so I feel ready. However, I’m concerned about the transition to life back in academia, in terms of the lifestyle. Also long term, I’m more inclined to an academic career although most don’t recommend it - I have an open mind for sure but I’ve realised in the 4 years of working in industry that it’s not my thing. I’m in USA and my field is biophysics/biochemistry. Many of my friends in Europe enjoyed their PhD experience but I know it’s different in USA. I’d love to hear about some good experiences! TLDR: looking to go back to get my PhD after 4 years in industry, want to hear about positive PhD experiences. | go2z5md | go2m777 | 1,613,791,474 | 1,613,784,559 | 4 | 2 | PhD were the best years of my life. Focused on something interesting, no kids yet - drinking IPAs on the weekend with smart people. Didn’t mind not having much money because no one in grad school had much. I really lucked out with being handed an excellent research project that lined me up for a TT job right out of grad school. | Yes the all.of the above ...the last couple of months were.s.but stressful getting the thesis done but I had a great experience. | 1 | 6,915 | 2 |
lnt6ry | askacademia_train | 0.96 | Enjoyable PhD/academia success stories I hear so many graduate school horror stories and I feel like those are the majority. Are there people who enjoyed their PhD experience? Had a good work life balance ? Did not overwork themselves to exhaustion? Took most weekends off ? Had good, supportive PIs ? I started a PhD in 2014 but quit after 2 years and left with my masters because of mental health problems. I’ve been working in industry/ government since then, and I love it but I realized that my true passion is research and I am happiest doing experiments, and want to get back to grad school and apply to PhD programs. I sorely miss being in the lab doing experiments. I’ll be quite a bit older (30-31 when I start) but I’m not too concerned about that, in fact I think my experiences and perspective will help. My scientific skills are better than they were too so I feel ready. However, I’m concerned about the transition to life back in academia, in terms of the lifestyle. Also long term, I’m more inclined to an academic career although most don’t recommend it - I have an open mind for sure but I’ve realised in the 4 years of working in industry that it’s not my thing. I’m in USA and my field is biophysics/biochemistry. Many of my friends in Europe enjoyed their PhD experience but I know it’s different in USA. I’d love to hear about some good experiences! TLDR: looking to go back to get my PhD after 4 years in industry, want to hear about positive PhD experiences. | go2oa8b | go2z5md | 1,613,785,650 | 1,613,791,474 | 2 | 4 | I loved my PhD, my advisor was amazing, and I have no regrets. I had a baby and finished early. I worked 7 days a week, so no life balance. I still loved it though. | PhD were the best years of my life. Focused on something interesting, no kids yet - drinking IPAs on the weekend with smart people. Didn’t mind not having much money because no one in grad school had much. I really lucked out with being handed an excellent research project that lined me up for a TT job right out of grad school. | 0 | 5,824 | 2 |
lnt6ry | askacademia_train | 0.96 | Enjoyable PhD/academia success stories I hear so many graduate school horror stories and I feel like those are the majority. Are there people who enjoyed their PhD experience? Had a good work life balance ? Did not overwork themselves to exhaustion? Took most weekends off ? Had good, supportive PIs ? I started a PhD in 2014 but quit after 2 years and left with my masters because of mental health problems. I’ve been working in industry/ government since then, and I love it but I realized that my true passion is research and I am happiest doing experiments, and want to get back to grad school and apply to PhD programs. I sorely miss being in the lab doing experiments. I’ll be quite a bit older (30-31 when I start) but I’m not too concerned about that, in fact I think my experiences and perspective will help. My scientific skills are better than they were too so I feel ready. However, I’m concerned about the transition to life back in academia, in terms of the lifestyle. Also long term, I’m more inclined to an academic career although most don’t recommend it - I have an open mind for sure but I’ve realised in the 4 years of working in industry that it’s not my thing. I’m in USA and my field is biophysics/biochemistry. Many of my friends in Europe enjoyed their PhD experience but I know it’s different in USA. I’d love to hear about some good experiences! TLDR: looking to go back to get my PhD after 4 years in industry, want to hear about positive PhD experiences. | go2z5md | go2oq3t | 1,613,791,474 | 1,613,785,889 | 4 | 2 | PhD were the best years of my life. Focused on something interesting, no kids yet - drinking IPAs on the weekend with smart people. Didn’t mind not having much money because no one in grad school had much. I really lucked out with being handed an excellent research project that lined me up for a TT job right out of grad school. | I'm in my last year and it has been a blast! | 1 | 5,585 | 2 |
lnt6ry | askacademia_train | 0.96 | Enjoyable PhD/academia success stories I hear so many graduate school horror stories and I feel like those are the majority. Are there people who enjoyed their PhD experience? Had a good work life balance ? Did not overwork themselves to exhaustion? Took most weekends off ? Had good, supportive PIs ? I started a PhD in 2014 but quit after 2 years and left with my masters because of mental health problems. I’ve been working in industry/ government since then, and I love it but I realized that my true passion is research and I am happiest doing experiments, and want to get back to grad school and apply to PhD programs. I sorely miss being in the lab doing experiments. I’ll be quite a bit older (30-31 when I start) but I’m not too concerned about that, in fact I think my experiences and perspective will help. My scientific skills are better than they were too so I feel ready. However, I’m concerned about the transition to life back in academia, in terms of the lifestyle. Also long term, I’m more inclined to an academic career although most don’t recommend it - I have an open mind for sure but I’ve realised in the 4 years of working in industry that it’s not my thing. I’m in USA and my field is biophysics/biochemistry. Many of my friends in Europe enjoyed their PhD experience but I know it’s different in USA. I’d love to hear about some good experiences! TLDR: looking to go back to get my PhD after 4 years in industry, want to hear about positive PhD experiences. | go2xvni | go2m777 | 1,613,790,789 | 1,613,784,559 | 4 | 2 | Really loved my PhD. Loved in Québec Coty. Got to dive for five years, and I enjoy my post-doc ok. The job search though, this is the soul killer. | Yes the all.of the above ...the last couple of months were.s.but stressful getting the thesis done but I had a great experience. | 1 | 6,230 | 2 |
lnt6ry | askacademia_train | 0.96 | Enjoyable PhD/academia success stories I hear so many graduate school horror stories and I feel like those are the majority. Are there people who enjoyed their PhD experience? Had a good work life balance ? Did not overwork themselves to exhaustion? Took most weekends off ? Had good, supportive PIs ? I started a PhD in 2014 but quit after 2 years and left with my masters because of mental health problems. I’ve been working in industry/ government since then, and I love it but I realized that my true passion is research and I am happiest doing experiments, and want to get back to grad school and apply to PhD programs. I sorely miss being in the lab doing experiments. I’ll be quite a bit older (30-31 when I start) but I’m not too concerned about that, in fact I think my experiences and perspective will help. My scientific skills are better than they were too so I feel ready. However, I’m concerned about the transition to life back in academia, in terms of the lifestyle. Also long term, I’m more inclined to an academic career although most don’t recommend it - I have an open mind for sure but I’ve realised in the 4 years of working in industry that it’s not my thing. I’m in USA and my field is biophysics/biochemistry. Many of my friends in Europe enjoyed their PhD experience but I know it’s different in USA. I’d love to hear about some good experiences! TLDR: looking to go back to get my PhD after 4 years in industry, want to hear about positive PhD experiences. | go2xvni | go2oa8b | 1,613,790,789 | 1,613,785,650 | 4 | 2 | Really loved my PhD. Loved in Québec Coty. Got to dive for five years, and I enjoy my post-doc ok. The job search though, this is the soul killer. | I loved my PhD, my advisor was amazing, and I have no regrets. I had a baby and finished early. I worked 7 days a week, so no life balance. I still loved it though. | 1 | 5,139 | 2 |
lnt6ry | askacademia_train | 0.96 | Enjoyable PhD/academia success stories I hear so many graduate school horror stories and I feel like those are the majority. Are there people who enjoyed their PhD experience? Had a good work life balance ? Did not overwork themselves to exhaustion? Took most weekends off ? Had good, supportive PIs ? I started a PhD in 2014 but quit after 2 years and left with my masters because of mental health problems. I’ve been working in industry/ government since then, and I love it but I realized that my true passion is research and I am happiest doing experiments, and want to get back to grad school and apply to PhD programs. I sorely miss being in the lab doing experiments. I’ll be quite a bit older (30-31 when I start) but I’m not too concerned about that, in fact I think my experiences and perspective will help. My scientific skills are better than they were too so I feel ready. However, I’m concerned about the transition to life back in academia, in terms of the lifestyle. Also long term, I’m more inclined to an academic career although most don’t recommend it - I have an open mind for sure but I’ve realised in the 4 years of working in industry that it’s not my thing. I’m in USA and my field is biophysics/biochemistry. Many of my friends in Europe enjoyed their PhD experience but I know it’s different in USA. I’d love to hear about some good experiences! TLDR: looking to go back to get my PhD after 4 years in industry, want to hear about positive PhD experiences. | go2xvni | go2oq3t | 1,613,790,789 | 1,613,785,889 | 4 | 2 | Really loved my PhD. Loved in Québec Coty. Got to dive for five years, and I enjoy my post-doc ok. The job search though, this is the soul killer. | I'm in my last year and it has been a blast! | 1 | 4,900 | 2 |
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