This fall I started a Master’s program in I/O psychology and to be honest I am not too fond of it at this point. This is my final week of class for the quarter and I actually did fairly well in my classes (especially in the first half), but after about six weeks I started to really doubt that the field and lifestyle of being a grad student isn’t for me. My effort level really started to drop after the first half of the quarter – I was no longer reading and was just going through the motions. It is getting worse to be honest as I have literally zero motivation to complete my last few projects. My interest in the field also seems to have evaporated and I am starting to question the necessity of getting my master’s (other than an ego boost). I have no interest in joining any research labs nor do I know what I want from this program. To make matters worse, I left behind my friends, family, and familiar environment to relocate to a less-than-desirable area.
To give a little background, I took four years off from school after receiving my bachelor’s where I was working full-time and earning a decent living. Perhaps I miss the business world and would be happier returning. Have any new graduate students encountered feelings like these? Should I have more a desire for the field? Is the lack of motivation concerning? Right now I am seriously considering not returning in Winter.
From the information I’ve gathered from more senior PhD students, these feelings are more common later on in your graduate studies rather than at the beginning. They described being a first year PhD student to an overexcitable puppy, where anything and everything is exciting and talking about research is common practice. Based on this, since you just started, I think you should be more happy with your program and school. In my opinion, the lack of motivation is concerning.
I have a couple questions for you.
Why did you decide to get a Master’s?
Are you going to your first choice?
Would you be happier at a much “better” school? (Quality-wise, or environment-wise)
What made you apply to your program?
Why did you move to an undesirable area?
I have been VERY far away from home since undergrad, and the location of my undergrad school was not the most desirable. I also could have probably gotten into a much “better” school, if I had been better informed about the undergrad admissions. HOWEVER, I was still very happy where I was, and I don’t regret going to my alma mater. I made the most out of my education and kept myself motivated by making lots of friends and keeping myself busy. For my PhD, I decided I wanted to correct my “mistakes” by giving myself ample options with respect to location and ranking to see where I would feel like home the most, and where I was going to develop best as a scientist.
Thanks for the thoughtful response. I agree…I don’t think my level of disinterest is normal. I find myself not having a compelling reason to continue…so much to the point where I am throwing my assignments together and focusing on other endeavors.
I decided to get my master’s because I told myself I wanted to while I was in undergrad. I’m noticing now that I liked the idea of going to grad school (probably to feed my own ego) a few years ago, but now I believe I have changed due to my life experiences over the past several years. I almost did not attend in the first place, but I felt compelled to at least give it an attempt…if nothing else for the experience. I think a desire to have a more “prestigious” career and not being fully satisfied in my former job were also contributing factors (horrible, I know). The school was my last choice (I only applied to three schools…all last minute). I applied because it sounded cool and had the largest projected job growth in the next ten years (but those numbers are highly misleading due to the small initial number of jobs available). Wow…the more I think about it, the more it sounds like it was a mistake coming in the first place…
Back when I was in grad school, I knew several people who left various programs at that university for reasons very much like the ones you are expressing. You have tried this. You have thought through your other options. It really, truly is OK to pack it in. Just do your best to finish out the term with good grades because that transcript will follow you forever.
Grad school is not for everyone, and certainly the program you are in is not for everyone. It looks like you have decent job prospects, so update your LinkedIn account and let your pals know you are job-hunting. It will be fine.
Your feelings are normal, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t listen to them. They are normal only in the sense that they are not out of the ordinary, but they may be legitimate desires manifesting themselves.
You seem to have already come to terms with the fact that this was a rushed decision that was really not in your best interests. When you go to get an MS - either a professional or academic one - it should be because you need the credential to advance in your career field - a career field that you have chosen with careful, thoughtful consideration and preferably some experience. “Advance in your career field” could mean to prepare for a job that requires an MS or to get into a PhD program.
It sounds like you aren’t even sure that you want to be an I/O psychologist and that what you really want and need is more work experience to figure out what you do want to do. In that case, it makes a lot of sense to drop out this semester before you spend more time, money, and effort om a degree you neither need nor want.
I do want to say, though, that students in professional master’s programs shouldn’t worry about whether or not they enjoy the lifestyle of a grad student. Nobody does! You’re poor and overworked. It’s a temporary state designed to get you to the goal of an MS you need for a job. It’s more of a consideration in PhD programs, which last 5 or more years.