u/Impressive_Dirt_6219

Hello lovely people! After half a year I have made the decision to quit my PhD position. I have several reasons (poor stipend, very far from family, language issues, mental health issues, loss of interest, etc) and I have a job offer that aligns much more with my values, long-term goals and needs. I read through a lot of these posts on here on how to have this conversation, but never saw my situation reflected where PI and student are quite close, and it is less of a "business" relationship. I worry also about my supervisor and how this will affect their trajectory, as I am their first PhD student and research money is not easy to come by. I was transparent about being unsure whether this is for me in the past (they were understanding as much as they could but admittedly also visibly disappointed), so it is definitely on their radar, but now I want to let them know that I have made my final decision. How would you go on about this?

Hello lovely humans! I have come here to ask for advice or perspective, especially from people who have gone through a similar phase themselves. My main question is: what are warning signs that one is not 'made' for research/academia? I am at a crossroad where I have the option to stay in my current research position or go for another one, but I am terrified that I should recognise the red flags for what they are and leave academia altogether.

Background: I have started my PhD in astrophysics half a year ago. It is a program abroad and I am struggling a lot with the whole situation: it is paid quite badly, I live in a tiny room in a shared apartment, I struggle with the local language, I feel isolated from my family at home, I feel ashamed to show and talk about my work and results because they feel half-hearted and worthless, but at the same time I am struggling to sit down and go the extra mile because the "what am I doing here?" is sitting the entire time at the back of my mind. Astrophysics used to be something I like spending the extra time on, loved learning about it, doing the maths and the coding but since I arrived I can count the times I was genuinely excited about my research on one hand. But, what I have to say: my supervisor and the research group are the best there is, they are incredibly supportive and I do know that this is a one in a million situation.

I applied to another position closer to home, with much better pay that would allow me to built some hobbies outside of uni (and afford therapy) but also be closer to a network of contacts I know. It would be quite an academic switch to data science in medical imaging, and I am terrified of failing big time. However, the idea of starting a bit anew, learning new things from zero in a more comfortable environment feels SO good to me. I am not sure if this is the 'flight' instinct speaking and that I just want something to get out of my current situation, and at the same time I am worried that I am tricking myself into believing I can do this program (even though I have spoken to the PIs during the interview and clarified my previous experience and that I have no experience in the medical field). The idea that after half a year or year I will end up feeling the same way about it again terrifies me. How does one untangle this and figure out if a life in academia is for one? Is being in research even possible with all these self-doubts?

Very embarassed to make this post but I am struggling to find good products to keep the shower and bathtub clean here in Catalunya. It is a combination of not knowing what good products are for the hardness of water we got here. Does anyone have tips and recommendations?

hello people! I would like to ask for the input of people who went to Margalef before: I live in BCN and my flatmates are planning a trip to Margalef to climb and asked if I want to join. I started lead climbing literally a month ago, not a strong boulderer, still chasing grades like 6a/6b. Does it make sense for me to come with? Are there nice and easy routes (in the 5s)? It seems like it is quite a hard and simultaneously iconic place that attracts a lot of very strong climbers and I dont want to show up there and feel stupid