I was on a pretty tight schedule for my MSCS, get in, write thesis, get out. I changed advisors once, but I probably should have done so again and worked on the

I was on a pretty tight schedule for my MSCS, get in, write thesis, get out. I changed advisors once, but I probably should have done so again and worked on the robot instead of the image steganography. I regarded my thesis as an interesting failure. I took a new approach that didn't quite make it up to par with existing methods. I made it just far enough in those 16 months to figure out how far behind I was. It wasn't a waste of time. I learned some academic tools, I got my feet wet, and it was marginally related to my emphasis. But I was glad to cut my losses and move on. There are a lot of ways to cut your losses. If you have something to show for your work (publication record, recommendations from your supervisors and coworkers, new skills and thinking modes), so much the better. If you can find another project, that sounds like a good way to go. You obviously care about doing good research. Don't give up. I am on the fence about going back for a PhD, but only because of time constraints, not because I think I wouldn't enjoy it...