A 'Sinking Ship'?

Over at Isis' blog, a reader asks whether she'd be better off leaving graduate school and looking for a job, having already earned a master's degree, or if she should stick it out and work to defend her PhD thesis. Torn between what she'd like to do and her friends' and mentors' advice, the student seeks Isis' advice. To that, Isis says that in cases like these, "people have frequently made up their mind and need the reinforcement of someone else telling them their decision is correct." However, she adds, it's important for the confused reader to consider the type of career she actually seeks, and whether it would actually be a good fit. "After all, I have had a couple of jobs, having worked in industry and health care before coming to academia," she says. "Also I have found myself burnt out and unmotivated in every job I've had. The key is to try to discern the reason." From there, Isis adds, the reader should really "take a trip to the career center" and arrange site visits with various potential employers before making her decision. "Then you'll know whether there is a new boat worth leaving the sinking ship for and whether that boat is full of Benjamins," she says.