PostDoc Discussion Forum

So I will try make this as brief as possible.

I am in my third year of a 3 year Research PhD got an extension fully funded until June 2023.
The company that are funding me have offered me a full time position in a very similar role to what I currently do in the PhD. (Amazing!)
Its a full time position so minimum 40 hours a week. They want me to start around start of November.

My current stage of my PhD:
I have a draft thesis of approx 20,000 words (Introduction & Literature Rev) - I am carrying out fieldwork once a week and still have some senors that are not working 100% (Which means I have to figure out how out fix them still). I collect data from the fieldwork site once a week too (Alot of data). As of yet I have no clear plan of how to analyse any of my data and there are three different types that will need to be analysed differently. I have started writing methods but can only write so much until I figure out what analysis I am going to do and IF that analysis is appropriate. I got some help off of a fellow PhD candidate in a similar role the other day and there is a lot of statistics involved in the analysis, which I have no experience in so I will probably have to do a workshop or a module in statistics. The fact I have no clear plan for data analysis, as you can imagine, leads to a vast amount of procrastination, which further delays progress.

Discussed this with my supervisor but he had no solution as what I should do regarding the PhD.

Has anyone been in a similar situation?
Is it physically possible to get that much PhD work done outside of a 40 hour working week while still getting a healthy 8 hours sleep!!!

I think it is possible but you can ask for extension. Do not quit after reaching that far. Is it possible to ask the company to differ yours starting date a few months?

Thanks for all your replies! :)

The company has not yet advertised the job so it's looking more like the new year realistically before I get started!
I still have to go through the process of applying for the job and going to an interview, so I have been trying to put the problem out of my head until I have successfully made it through both of these!
However, it's extremely hard to focus on my PhD at the moment, as mentioned previously I am trying to write up as much as I can but it's so difficult!
And since I last posted, I have come across two professional people in a similar industry who both advised me to complete the PhD that there will be more opportunities to come in the future!
So although I agree wholeheartedly with you @tru the main reason I took this PhD was to gain employment in the industry, however, I feel having come this far the past three years of my life will be a waste if I don't complete it!
I definitely don't think it's possible to do both so I was thinking of two possiilties:

1. Try to negotiate with the new employeer to only work 3 days a week, then do the PhD in my own time the other days
OR
2. Try and change my PhD to part-time for the remainder of it and get it finished outside full week working hours.
But I am not sure if you can just change your PhD three-quarters of the way through to part-time, I asked my supervisor he didn't know either!

***Update***

I took the job!
I started at the beginning of 2023!
I love the job and my team and its such a relief to have a proper income!

I am also still doing my PhD, and when I say 'doing' I have continued fieldwork. The writing part not so much!
I was due to submit in December(this year) but I am not anywhere near finished my writing up stage. I still have to analyse data ha let alone write about it! I expressed my concerns to my supervisor, and currently we are trying find a way of extending my time a little more. So fingers crossed we get somewhere with that.

It's not as hard as I imagined to juggle the two but I got incredible lucky with my boss, he's been through a similar situation to me and is very caring and understanding about giving me some flexibility to work on my PhD. I don't know if I would be as content as I am doing both if I didn't have him as a boss. Even with the flexibility, the writing part is tough. I have very little motivation to sit down and write unless it's on the likes of this or in my journal. Hence, I came on here looking for some motivation. But said I would update my comment in case anyone else is in a similar situation.

Although I don't have as much writing as I 'should' have done, my anxiety and stress isn't as bad as it was when I was working from home alone. Talking to people and getting out of the house has helped me so much with that side of things. Of course there are bad days, when I become so overwhelmed with how much PhD work I have left to do that I can't bring myself to do anything at all. But for the most part, I think working in the new job has made me realise that there is in fact a wonderful life beyond that of a PhD. I am really happy I took the job and if I somehow manage to wing a PhD some day, well that will be the icing on the cake but the cake is fine without the icing too 😁

I heard this on 25th November 2023 at Le Méridien, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Yes2Malaysia: Advancing Aspiring Leaders: Dynamic Research Proposal Writing Workshop & Targeted Malaysian University Application Day with Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM). Let go I'm gonna proceed with my PhD. soon and I going to this event. link below
https://postgrad.yes2malaysia.my/

Hey there, it sounds like you’re facing a pretty big decision, and it’s completely normal to feel torn. First off, congratulations on being offered the full-time position— that’s a huge achievement! Given that you’re so close to finishing your PhD, it’s important to weigh the long-term benefits of having that doctorate under your belt. Balancing both could be tough, but not impossible, especially if you can carve out dedicated time for your PhD work.

One option could be to discuss a flexible start date or part-time arrangement with the company, allowing you to finish your PhD with less pressure. Another option is to evaluate how much time and effort your remaining tasks require. Since you’ve already got a substantial draft, perhaps you could set mini-goals to tackle one aspect at a time, like focusing on the data analysis next. If statistics are a hurdle, maybe start by finding a workshop or seeking advice from someone with more experience in that area. It might also help to connect with other PhD candidates who’ve been in similar situations—sometimes hearing how others navigated it can offer new perspectives.

Whatever you choose, remember that your health and well-being are paramount. If you need more personalized advice or even help with the statistics part of your research, don’t hesitate to seek out resources or professional help. You’ve worked so hard to get here, and with a bit of strategy, you can finish strong. Best of luck!