Suggestions for a Quitted PhD Student

Question

Hello Everyone! I am a third-year CS Ph.D. student. Due to personal reasons, I decided to quit my program and will graduate with my Master's in December. Now I am preparing for the fall hiring season and 2023 positions. I have some questions and any suggestions are highly appreciated.

I have been a research assistant in my school for the last 3 years. I am wondering if those research experiences can be counted as work experiences. Should I only apply for the 2023 NG roles? Can I try some roles with experience requirements?
My resume has two pages. I keep education and experience on the first page. As for the second page, I keep my awards, coursework, publication, skills, and leadership experience. Should I keep one page instead?
I only need to take one class this fall, I am looking for some part-time internships and on-campus opportunities for my graduating semester. I hope this will add to my resume. But I'm also worried if I should make sure I will have a small workload in the fall so that I can have enough energy to interview properly. Any suggestions?
I plan to do full-time Leetcode preparation in June and July and start to apply for jobs in late July. Does this timeline make sense? Should I consider the current hiring freezes and adjust my timeline?

Thank you so much for your time and consideration!

udq09qkfffs · Accepted Answer

Definitely counts as work experience. Biggest questions you might get are related to why you're quitting the program. Do you like academia or prefer industry experience? I've seen more and more programs pushing phds to industry so leverage the experience you have to make an impact. Dont sell yourself short buddy!

csn00b99 · Answer

1. Id def use the research experiences on my resume and list them under projects. Depending on the nature of the assignment, it might count. Did you work with any external agencies or partners? If so, I'd count it as "related work experience" for accuracy

2. I dont think the number of pages matters these days since it's usually all online anyway. As long as the keywords match as best as possible, give yourself the best shot by having more details listed.

3. If you only have one class, you should try to work on a project to showcase all the skills you want to use in the field. A personal capstone basically. Maybe its a hackathon project or something you flesh out? And def get some help with interviews.

4. Absolutely! I would set moderate expectations because who knows what the market is going to look like in a few months. Having a steady stream of applications, projects, and prep going should be your goal. Obviously factor in personal time, rest, and recovery. Bring your best when you have to and have a growth mindset.

aussiefairyfloss · Answer

Hi! In my experience, candidates who do well are confident that the work they did in school is valuable in industry. We don't want to hire people who just go through the motions just because someone said this is how its supposed to be done. Especially for more senior or research oriented roles. "Push your limits to grow the business" as I like to say.

Your plan sounds solid to me! Just make sure you leave time to enjoy yourself and balance the work and study time. It's hard enough as it is so give yourself ample time to rest. Good luck~

Suggestions for a Quitted PhD Student

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