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I know your dilemma as I was in the same position in 2015. I started a Social Science PhD at University of Kent in 2012 part time for 5 years. The first couple of years were great then by the third year I started to feel more pressure because of more work responsibilities. On top of that I had financial pressure as I did not qualify for ERC bursary and had to self-fund. I spent a few months weighing up why I wanted to do the PhD and what I hoped to get out of it and balanced this against the stress and financial pressure I was experiencing. The main reason I wanted to do the PhD was to enhance my career prospects. I decided that there was no guarantee that I would get a better job with higher pay than my current job unless I stayed in academia, which I didn't want too. However, I had invested 3 years already so I did not want to make a mistake I would later regret.

In the end I choose the safe option and spoke to my supervisor about my problems (remember that they are not there to just supervise your project but also address any issues that may impact on your studies). We decided that I could defer my studies for a year and rejoin if I wanted or not. That was great for me and took a lot of pressure off my shoulders, as I knew I could go back to my PhD if I wanted too after a year and I could just use that year to focus on my job and save money. In the end after a year I was really enjoying my job and became a private contractor which gave me more freedom. I still had an appetite for academic study but I reasoned that unless I was going to be an academic having a PhD would not present a life changing opportunity for me.

That was 8 years ago and I was 30 when I started my PhD. In that time I have achieved all my career goals and now I am considering going back and finishing my thesis which I have kept in my head all this time. I think you are much younger than me when I started my PhD, so my advice to you is that you have plenty of time to pursue your PhD. Don't put yourself under any unnecessary pressure that might compromise your health. I would speak to your supervisor and I'm sure they will be understanding especially under the current climate in which a lot of people are suffering in silence from loneliness/depression etc. Ask if you can defer for a year and use that time to recover and do whatever motivates you and brings you happiness.

You’re a young guy. You can do a PhD anytime. Sometimes we need time to develop as a person before we commit to intellectually rigorous tasks like undertaking a PhD. Keep your head up and practice yoga and breathing exercises to clear your mind away from any negative thoughts. Also speak to your GP. Talk therapy will help you now so speak to someone you trust.

I know your dilemma as I was in the same position in 2015. I started a Social Science PhD at University of Kent in 2012 part time for 5 years. The first couple of years were great then by the third year I started to feel more pressure because of more work responsibilities. On top of that I had financial pressure as I did not qualify for ERC bursary and had to self-fund. I spent a few months weighing up why I wanted to do the PhD and what I hoped to get out of it and balanced this against the stress and financial pressure I was experiencing. The main reason I wanted to do the PhD was to enhance my career prospects. I decided that there was no guarantee that I would get a better job with higher pay than my current job unless I stayed in academia, which I didn't want too. However, I had invested 3 years already so I did not want to make a mistake I would later regret.

In the end I chose the safe option and spoke to my supervisor about my problems (remember that they are not there to just supervise your project but also address any issues that may impact on your studies). We decided that I could defer my studies for a year and rejoin if I wanted. That was great for me and took a lot of pressure off my shoulders, as I knew I could go back to my PhD if I wanted to after a year and I could just use that year to focus on my job and save money. In the end after a year I was really enjoying my job and became a private contractor which gave me more freedom. I still had an appetite for academic study but I reasoned that unless I was going to be an academic having a PhD would not present a life changing opportunity for me.

That was 8 years ago and I was 30 when I started my PhD. In that time I have achieved all my career goals and now I am considering going back and finishing my thesis which I have kept in my head all this time. I think you are much younger than me when I started my PhD, so my advice to you is that you have plenty of time to pursue your PhD. Don't put yourself under any unnecessary pressure that might compromise your health. I would speak to your supervisor and I'm sure they will be understanding especially under the current climate in which a lot of people are suffering in silence from loneliness/depression etc. Ask if you can defer for a year and use that time to recover and do whatever motivates you and brings you happiness.

You’re a young guy. You can do a PhD anytime. Sometimes we need time to develop as a person before we commit to intellectually rigorous tasks like undertaking a PhD. Keep your head up and practice yoga and breathing exercises to clear your mind away from any negative thoughts. Also speak to your GP. Talk therapy will help you now so speak to someone you trust.

I know your dilemma as I was in the same position in 2015. I started a Social Science PhD at University of Kent in 2012 part time for 5 years. The first couple of years were great then by the third year I started to feel more pressure because of more work responsibilities. On top of that I had financial pressure as I did not qualify for ERC bursary and had to self-fund. I spent a few months weighing up why I wanted to do the PhD and what I hoped to get out of it and balanced this against the stress and financial pressure I was experiencing. The main reason I wanted to do the PhD was to enhance my career prospects. I decided that there was no guarantee that I would get a better job with higher pay than my current job unless I stayed in academia, which I didn't want too. However, I had invested 3 years already so I did not want to make a mistake I would later regret.

In the end I choose the safe option and spoke to my supervisor about my problems (remember that they are not there to just supervise your project but also address any issues that may impact on your studies). We decided that I could defer my studies for a year and rejoin if I wanted or not. That was great for me and took a lot of pressure off my shoulders, as I knew I could go back to my PhD if I wanted too after a year and I could just use that year to focus on my job and save money. In the end after a year I was really enjoying my job and became a private contractor which gave me more freedom. I still had an appetite for academic study but I reasoned that unless I was going to be an academic having a PhD would not present a life changing opportunity for me.

That was 8 years ago and I was 30 when I started my PhD. In that time I have achieved all my career goals and now I am considering going back and finishing my thesis which I have kept in my head all this time. I think you are much younger than me when I started my PhD, so my advice to you is that you have plenty of time to pursue your PhD. Don't put yourself under any unnecessary pressure that might compromise your health. I would speak to your supervisor and I'm sure they will be understanding especially under the current climate in which a lot of people are suffering in silence from loneliness/depression etc. Ask if you can defer for a year and use that time to recover and do whatever motivates you and brings you happiness.

You’re a young guy. You can do a PhD anytime. Sometimes we need time to develop as a person before we commit to intellectually rigorous tasks like undertaking a PhD. Keep your head up and practice yoga and breathing exercises to clear your mind away from any negative thoughts. Also speak to your GP but avoid taking any prescriptive medication if you can. Talk therapy will help you now so speak to someone you trust.

I know your dilemma as I was in the same position in 2015. I started a Social Science PhD at University of Kent in 2012 part time for 5 years. The first couple of years were great then by the third year I started to feel more pressure because of more work responsibilities. On top of that I had financial pressure as I did not qualify for ERC bursary and had to self-fund. I spent a few months weighing up why I wanted to do the PhD and what I hoped to get out of it and balanced this against the stress and financial pressure I was experiencing. The main reason I wanted to do the PhD was to enhance my career prospects. I decided that there was no guarantee that I would get a better job with higher pay than my current job unless I stayed in academia, which I didn't want too. However, I had invested 3 years already so I did not want to make a mistake I would later regret.

In the end I choose the safe option and spoke to my supervisor about my problems (remember that they are not there to just supervise your project but also address any issues that may impact on your studies). We decided that I could defer my studies for a year and rejoin if I wanted or not. That was great for me and took a lot of pressure off my shoulders, as I knew I could go back to my PhD if I wanted too after a year and I could just use that year to focus on my job and save money. In the end after a year I was really enjoying my job and became a private contractor which gave me more freedom. I still had an appetite for academic study but I reasoned that unless I was going to be an academic having a PhD would not present a life changing opportunity for me.

That was 8 years ago and I was 30 when I started my PhD. In that time I have achieved all my career goals and now I am considering going back and finishing my thesis which I have kept in my head all this time. I think you are much younger than me when I started my PhD, so my advice to you is that you have plenty of time to pursue your PhD. Don't put yourself under any unnecessary pressure that might compromise your health. I would speak to your supervisor and I'm sure they will be understanding especially under the current climate in which a lot of people are suffering in silence from loneliness/depression etc. Ask if you can defer for a year and use that time to recover and do whatever motivates you and brings you happiness.

You’re a young guy. You can do a PhD anytime. Sometimes we need time to develop as a person before we commit to intellectually rigorous tasks like undertaking a PhD. Keep your head up and practice yoga and breathing exercises to clear your mind away from any negative thoughts. Also speak to your GP. Talk therapy will help you now so speak to someone you trust.

I know your dilemma as i was in the same position in 2015. I started a Social Science PhD at University of Kent in 2012 part time for 5 years. The first couple of years were great then by the third year i started to feel more pressure because of more work responsibilities. On top of that i had financial pressure as i did not qualify for ERC bursary and had to self-fund. I spent a few months weighing up why i wanted to do the PhD and what i hoped to get out of it and balanced this against the stress and financial pressure i was experiencing. The main reason i wanted to do the PhD was to enhance my career prospects. I decided that there was no guarantee that i would get a better job with higher pay than my current job unless i stayed in academia, which i didn't want too. However, i had invested 3 years already so i did not want to make a mistake i would later regret. In the end i choose the safe option and spoke to my supervisor about my problems (remember that they are not their to just supervise your project but also address any issues that may impact on your studies). We decided that i could defer my studies for a year and rejoin if i wanted or not. That was great for me and took alot of pressure off my shoulders as i knew i could go back to my PhD if i wanted too after a year and i could just use that year to focus on my job and save money. In the end after a year i was really enjoying my job and became a private contractor which gave me more freedom. I still had an appetite for academic study but i reasoned that unless i was going to be an academic having a PhD would not present a life changing opportunity for me. That was 8 years ago and i was 30 when i started my PhD. In that time i have achieved all my career goals and now i am considering going back and finishing my thesis which i have kept in my head all this time. I think you are much younger than me when i started my PhD so my advice to you is that you have plenty of time to pursue your PhD so don't put yourself under any unnecessary pressure that might compromise your health. I would speak to your supervisor and i'm sure they will be understanding especially under the current climate in which alot of people are suffering in silence from loneliness/depression etc. Ask if you can defer for a year and use that time to recover and do whatever motivates you and brings you happiness. Anyways all the best your a young guy you can do a PhD anytime sometimes we need time to develop as a person before we commit to intellectually rigorous tasks like undertaking a PhD. Keep your head up and practice yoga and breathing exercises to clear your mind away from any negative thoughts. Also speak to your GP but avoid taking any prescriptive medication if you can. Talk therapy will help you now so speak to someone you trust.

I know your dilemma as I was in the same position in 2015. I started a Social Science PhD at University of Kent in 2012 part time for 5 years. The first couple of years were great then by the third year I started to feel more pressure because of more work responsibilities. On top of that I had financial pressure as I did not qualify for ERC bursary and had to self-fund. I spent a few months weighing up why I wanted to do the PhD and what I hoped to get out of it and balanced this against the stress and financial pressure I was experiencing. The main reason I wanted to do the PhD was to enhance my career prospects. I decided that there was no guarantee that I would get a better job with higher pay than my current job unless I stayed in academia, which I didn't want too. However, I had invested 3 years already so I did not want to make a mistake I would later regret. 

In the end I choose the safe option and spoke to my supervisor about my problems (remember that they are not there to just supervise your project but also address any issues that may impact on your studies). We decided that I could defer my studies for a year and rejoin if I wanted or not. That was great for me and took a lot of pressure off my shoulders, as I knew I could go back to my PhD if I wanted too after a year and I could just use that year to focus on my job and save money. In the end after a year I was really enjoying my job and became a private contractor which gave me more freedom. I still had an appetite for academic study but I reasoned that unless I was going to be an academic having a PhD would not present a life changing opportunity for me. 

That was 8 years ago and I was 30 when I started my PhD. In that time I have achieved all my career goals and now I am considering going back and finishing my thesis which I have kept in my head all this time. I think you are much younger than me when I started my PhD, so my advice to you is that you have plenty of time to pursue your PhD. Don't put yourself under any unnecessary pressure that might compromise your health. I would speak to your supervisor and I'm sure they will be understanding especially under the current climate in which a lot of people are suffering in silence from loneliness/depression etc. Ask if you can defer for a year and use that time to recover and do whatever motivates you and brings you happiness.

You’re a young guy. You can do a PhD anytime. Sometimes we need time to develop as a person before we commit to intellectually rigorous tasks like undertaking a PhD. Keep your head up and practice yoga and breathing exercises to clear your mind away from any negative thoughts. Also speak to your GP but avoid taking any prescriptive medication if you can. Talk therapy will help you now so speak to someone you trust.