Not Every PhD Should Be Finished (period).

Not every PhD should be finished. And honestly, that’s not something we hear enough.

I know it sounds harsh, especially in a world where we’re constantly told to “never give up” and “push through no matter what.” But the truth is, sometimes the smartest thing you can do is stop. Walk away. Quit. Not because you’re weak, but because you finally saw that this path isn’t taking you where you want to go.

I’ve seen so many people suffer through their PhDs thinking that the pain and anxiety and burnout are just part of the deal. That it’s supposed to be this hard. That if you quit, you’ve failed. But what if that’s just not true?

What if quitting is actually the strong choice?

People start PhDs for all kinds of reasons — passion, curiosity, prestige, pressure, sometimes just because it seemed like the next step. But things change. Life happens. You change. Maybe the topic doesn’t excite you anymore. Maybe your supervisor makes your life miserable. Maybe your mental health is hanging by a thread. Maybe you realised you don’t even want to be in academia anymore.

And yet you keep going, because you’ve already put in two, three, four years. You think “I’ve come this far, I can’t give up now.” That’s what’s called the sunk cost fallacy. We all fall into it sometimes. But time already spent doesn’t mean you owe the rest of your life to a bad fit.

You don’t win anything by dragging yourself to the finish line completely drained and unhappy. You don’t become a better person by suffering for the sake of it. And having “Dr.” in front of your name doesn’t make it all magically worth it.

Here’s what I believe: quitting a PhD doesn’t mean you failed. It means you chose yourself. Your values, your health, your future. It means you looked honestly at where you were and said, “This isn’t it.”

I know people who left their PhDs and found amazing jobs, started businesses, wrote books, built families, healed. They didn’t crumble. They didn’t regret it. They moved on and thrived.

And yeah, maybe some part of you still wants to finish, just to prove you can. That’s valid. But make sure it’s your voice telling you that — not fear, not pride, not guilt.

You are not your degree. You’re not a failure if you change your mind. You’re a human being, allowed to grow and shift and take a different road.

So if you’re reading this and thinking “I don’t know if I can do this anymore,” just know: you’re not alone. And maybe, just maybe, the bravest thing you can do right now is let go.

About the Author

I’m Manousos Klados , founder of The PhD Mentor – a platform dedicated to helping current and aspiring PhD students navigate academia with clarity, confidence, and community. Whether you’re struggling with imposter syndrome, unsure how to talk to your supervisor, or just wondering if it’s all worth it, I’m here to help you make sense of the madness.

Visit www.mklados.com for more resources, 1:1 mentoring, and brutally honest advice that actually helps.

Let’s turn your PhD journey into something more than just survival or find a way out.