Sometimes, there is nothing more liberating and fulfilling than giving up a dream.
Since I completely and totally gave up my goal of a PhD, I’ve been accomplishing so much more. I’ve been socializing regularly and learning something new every day. Two months ago, I started volunteering with a local non-profit and it’s taught me more about what I like doing than anything else. It turns out I’m more interested in marketing than I thought, as I have a lot of ideas on how to increase event turnout and awareness.
I’m not 100% sure that web development is what I want to do for my career. It can be very frustrating. It’s ok if I decide not to pursue it as a career, though. It’s still a useful skill and at worst, I have an awesome new hobby. I plan to finish my Thinkful course and go from there.
I just want to emphasize a message that’s not said too often: it’s ok to quit. I had to make up my mind and accept completely that academia wasn’t for me before I could realize and explore alternatives. Trying to convince myself otherwise just took up energy I could have been spending on better activities.
I would encourage anyone having doubts about their current goals or career to face those doubts rather than run from them. You’ll overcome them if it’s what you really want, and if it’s not, you’ll figure out something better.