just curious...

for those non-academic PhDs... if such thing exists. how do you tell your adviser that you don't want to do academic research anymore? if he adamantly objects to your career decision, who do you go to for good recommendations?

waking up early is much better than waking up late. Tell your boss that he is fired and walk out. references can be always picked up through limited volunteer service in the areas of work that interest you.

Good luck

uh...... what the heck are you talking about? waking up earlier... ?!

maybe i wasn't clear, but i'm finishing my PhD. i'm in my 3rd year... that's a little too much time investment to walk away with a lousy masters which i'll have to explain to every future job interviews. my original point was this...

my adviser is a world-renown scientist in his field... because of his status, i'm assuming he expects all of his students/post-docs to love reserach and go on to a career in research. when i'm ready to graduate in let's say 2-99999 years... what if i don't want to do research anymore? people have told me that it's my life and i shouldn't care what the adviser says... and while there's some truth to this... i'd still need his reference for any fugure jobs, no?

anyone out there who's taken on a non-academic job upon graduation have any relevant story they'd like to share?

Thanks

I was in your exact situation about two years ago, although I think my distaste for resaerch was caused by the environment created around me by my advisor and the other PI's that I worked with. I really loved the science, but I dreaded the thought of any career that Ph.D. would get me. I decided that I had enough data to write up a substantial thesis and I graduated with a "lousy masters degree" after being in the program a little over three years. Basically I sat down wtih my advisor and the rest of my comittee and told them that I could see myself being the PI of any lab, I wanted to be able to go to work and come home at 5:00 and spend the rest of my night with my family, not writing grants or stewing over the next experiment. We all agreed that that finishing with a masters was probably in my best interest.

Since I have graduated, I have had two temporary positions and I am finally in my first full time position. In all of the interviews that I have been in, no one has asked why I only have a masters degree, they have no idea of the choices I made, and frankly it wouldn't matter. I honestly think it would be alot harder to find a job outside of your field (or even within your field) with a Ph.D. than with a Masters. The demand for science Ph.D.s in business just isn't there.

Anyway, best advice is just to sit down with your committee and be honest with them. If you are fraid that your advisor is going to give you a hard time, make sure you break it to them all at once so the rest of them can help form your advisors opinion. I still have great relationships with all of the people that I have worked with and I am very happy with my current occupation and the decisions I have made.

Anyway, I hope at least a part of this helps somewhat.