I quit my PhD

What did you end up doing?

My sister said to me "Why should I believe you? Do you have a PhD?"

I’ve only just discovered you Toby - what an interesting talk - thank you for sharing - much to ponder - will be spending time with your video library. Will be interesting to hear an update with thoughts on reflection. Thanks again.

Good luck.

You are talented as an educator. But that doesn’t take a PHD. Keep putting out the knowledge. Others are learning from your videos.

You are a special person

I stopped viewing your video On Growth and Form and immediately began to scroll through your library of videos to learn more about you. I would suggest you read Animal Species and Evolution by Ernst Mayr (1963) This book was as important as Please Please Me. Mayr integrates multiple fields of biology to explain in detail how nature works on the macro and micro scale. A grand interaction. One of the interesting conclusions is population thinking; that there is so much genetic diversity within individuals that group averages are poor descriptors of individuals.
One of my friends earned her BS in neuroscience and then quit her job in industry and toured the country. At one time I would visit her when she worked at a coffee shop inside a 24hr petrol station. She went back to school earned her PhD, was a postdoc and is now a researcher in neuroscience.

i used to want to do a PHD. dropped out of grad school. thank God.

There are many reasons for someone wanting to become a PhD. Not necessarily all students end goal is to reach the professor level. For example my case was about developing an idea for a business and leveraging the university’s resources while gaining credibility.

PhD is a waste of time and effort. If you want to discover or invent something you can still do so in the private sector.

Why should you do PhD. No income. Nowadays if you are intelligent you should go to Mumbai. There you can get upto 3 to 4 crores loan. Then you can apply for overseas education and immediate job training and stay on job and try new business programs. Usually small rentals and shop because products industry like cars flight and hotel are all flooded stagnant markets. Even education industry is too difficult.

I am a senior who still feels the pain of what I believe is unfulfilled potential and not having the conviction to return for a Phd in math.

I felt a need to prove myself to me as well as others, but lacked dedication and application.

It is difficult feeling gifted yet not be famous or recognized.

It is erroneous to conclude that one is less of a mathematician than one who has a Phd.

👍

That video really spoke deeply to my soul. I’m in a similar position right now not being super happy with my PhD project any more and unsure for what I want to continue. Thank you for sharing your thoughts and passion

"Amarre sua carroça a uma estrela." - Ralph Waldo Emerson. Talvez tal "estrela" esteja muito distante, talvez nem seja observada por todos, porém ela muitas vezes é única e vale apena encontrá-la. Forte abraço!!!

You wrote your thesis

You could have completed your phd by now lol.

You dont need a PhD to prove your intelligence. You are an ace in my books. Keep making the graet amazing videos you make.

I wish you all the luck in whatever you will pursue

I suggest a stint in astrophysics ... exciting times! 42 seems too young to retire.

This is sooo touching - how you wear your ❤️ on your sleeve . Did you know Brian May of Queen fame took about a 25 year break before completing his PhD!
You must know that you are a very attractive person. Many of your videos are very high brow. I think you could do very well by introducing maths and science to the young , or even the very young , because you have that ASMR quality about you .
Quantum physics and Consciousness studies that's where the detail of the nature of Reality come together . E=🕉️. Science and non-duality , that's a very interesting YT Channel ✌️🕊️

I imagine that You would be wonderful also as a teacher in gifted children's school.
Thanks for great videos! 😃

you don't need a PHD to know that you are a shining star.

There is wisdom in knowing your own heart and mind. As someone who has stuck it out, in another area of life, and not enjoyed it. I say, I wish I would have quit earlier. Trust your gut. You are a very intelligent women. You will do well whatever you choose to do. 🙏 Best of luck.

Hey Tobi, I didn't know you were persuing a PhD. You quitting makes you even more inspirational for me personally.
Perhaps an idea for online education side gig: lessons about these path changes in life, be it academic or career. As in, educational orientation but not linearly, with community interactions, videos, case studies/stories and sharing experiences!

So many of us feel regretful for life choices made (I'm only 25 and I have some) and not so regretful for others! It'd only be better if there was a platform to relate to or share or even teach the next generation about these from a younger age!

P.S. A final point, I wouldn't believe in the "fundamental motivation" concept you referred to in the video regarding PhDs, my opinion leans more towards feelings of success and confidence which can be reinforced by doing more of something well. There's tons of reasons of motivation (money, employment, recognition, impact, passion for work etc.). The key is to enjoy it and understanding when you don't like you did riding your bike that day. Thanks for sharing this video and keep inspiring us!

I didn't get the chance to do my PhD because my advisor is racist, even after I managed to get a 3.93/4.00 gpa.

Is that a 2D trajectory? But you are a 3D person possibly living in a 4,5,6,7,8D world? So I could understand why you were overwhelmed. It’s a big jump from 3D to 4D plus you tube is much easier.

I have watched all of your shorts and videos,, they are really cool!!!
I have been wondering who would unravel the mystery behind 5th dimension,,, things like how could we define it,, how do we know it's
5th dimension or 6th dimension,,
I think our brains are not yet evolved to figure out 5th or 6th dimensions,,I think it has to do with our brains to perceive other dimensions,,,we need to find out how our minds perceives reality on our brains,,if our reality is not real,, we need to find how our brains are picturing our reality frame by frame on our minds to make it feel real,,we need to evolve such that we intake pills for our daily energy needs instead of food,,I am hopeful we evolve to such extent in future
I am excited for your future videos

"Whether you are Masters or PhD, it doesn't limit your ability to explain science at the highest level, what limits you is your mentality of whether you are capable of doing so" - A lecturer i had

Its been 4 years, I've been following you all along. I hope you are content with your decision. Thank you for taking me (and thousands of others) along on your jurney.

Aren't you a Professor of sorts anyway? You may not have the title but You explain Math and Science in your videos at least as well as many of the instructors in ITT, and most of them were pretty good.

The Quality of your life depends on The quality of your decisions
Always take the wise decisions 😊

good, those are useless. except for scholarships. You can milk those to the last cent

I quit my PhD due to my PhD supervisor. It was really mean.

Gee, this brought happy tears to my eyes 🥲

There is nothing worse than filthy physicist❤😊

...................

Ungabung ooo ooo?

Fill us whit dah phissiacks

European PhD programs are only 4 years? I have senior PhD student entering her 7th year because she has not had “enough” publication to graduate. Pretty common in US. 🤔

In the realm of knowledge, where the Ph.D. dreams,
A journey embarked, or so it seems.
Tibees, a soul who toiled with might,
Now stands at the crossroads, in the absence of light.

Not a dismissal of effort, nor a lack of acclaim,
But a realization dawns, a change in the game.
Hard-earned laurels, a testament true,
Yet, a whisper within, a different view.

"I quit," Tibees declares, with courage profound,
Not a rejection of learning, not silence, but sound.
A pivot in paths, a shift of the tide,
Where priorities beckon, and passions reside.

The ivory towers, where wisdom's sown,
Witness the choice, a path overgrown.
Not an end but a pause, a deliberate stride,
To explore new vistas, where potentials hide.

It's not disdain for the scholarly quest,
But a recognition of what's deemed best.
For time is a currency, a treasure untold,
To invest where the heart and ambitions unfold.

The academic chapters, rich and divine,
Find a coda in Tibees' story line.
In leaving, a space for new tales to grow,
A farewell to Ph.D., a chance to glow.

For in the tapestry of choices we weave,
A "quit" can be a prelude to achieve.
So, Tibees walks on, with courage aligned,
A poetic departure, where futures are twined.

I quit my PhD? Yes, well it's better not to have addictions 😃

You can do anything you want. You just can't do everything you want. Life is about choices.

It's ok, 🌞

Honest and real. Structured ambition can be scary because you’d then be in a mold and image that can also be very restrictive in life. Did you make the right decision. For me, i always say that’s impossible to say unless there was a parallel universe under the exact circumstances. And even then…… I do know. However, i'm not jelly molded and structured, and that i like.

What you are teaching is better and higher then profs, we enjoy them

😊😊😊😊 muchas felicidades 🎉, el tener un documento ó no, no es lo más importante 😊, lo mejor es hacer lo que te gusta y además tienes la facilidad de explicar muchas cosas de la física tanto abstracto como aplicada en la vida diaria 😊😊😊😊😊

Why are you always smiling?

Wow you just remind me of my decision
I always imagined and dreamed of being a researcher with official academic certificates
However, I was disappointed early in my path and decided not to continue.
It seems everyone in the academia agree that Master and PhD are not actually a real research and you shouldn't take them seriously. 
It is only a necessary step to be qualified to do research.
In my case I was doing research since I graduated and I am not going to spend 4 years of my life just to seek acknowledgement that I am qualified to do research.