I'm in the dreaded writing up phase of my PhD. After 5 years, I have too much invested to chuck it in. But ... if I had known that it is "an apprenticeship" t

I'm in the dreaded writing up phase of my PhD. After 5 years, I have too much invested to chuck it in. But ... if I had known that it is "an apprenticeship" to be an academic and that being an academic means writing papers, articles and grant applications to try to get published so that you can "win" a grant to write more papers, articles and grant applications. The success rate is at best 20% so in effect get heaps more rejections than wins. The biggest problem (for me) is that the supervisors and other academics are successful at the above game, so they cannot understand that somebody could find it difficult and unimpressive. AND academics are expected to teach, mark papers, exams, serve on a myriad of committees. Typically they work 70+ hours a week, for what in most cases is barely a middle manager's (who probably dropped out of school) salary. I don't agree about your characterisation of "huge part of your life". I've wasted more time in jobs that eventually led to my resignation after I finished university. It's all part of your life's journey. Each to his own. I know many people who dropped out of school young. In general, they are better travelled, with more experiences and useful knowledge than those who have slogged through the one-track of academia. So whilst you might wonder about the other side of the fence. Do not for a moment think that you've made a bad choice. Just DIFFERENT !