Giving up before even starting: life without a PhD I am currently a Master student working on my thesis (started a few days ago). I've always wanted to become a researcher (thus getting a PhD) but a few months ago I started doubting about this decision and about my potential. Now that I'm working on my thesis, this feeling is getting just stronger and stronger. I thus came to the conclusion that I'm most probably just a mediocre researcher that would most probably be able to get accepted into a barely mediocre graduate school (I'm in Europe), even if my grades are quite strong. At this point there isn't much I can do, like getting a degree that would lead me more easily to getting a job in Industry, so I'm quite worried about my future and I lost all my motivation.

So, my question is: how likely it is, for a mediocre (Master) student and if we don't consider getting a PhD, to be able to get a job in Industry (like R&amp;D department) in fields like data science or bioinformatics? If you will: what's the point of producing mediocre (research) results?

I read a lot of questions on this community about people in the middle of their PhD having similar doubts, but in this case I haven't even started it, so probably it's not a duplicate question.
It's quite likely you'll be able to get a job in industry with a mediocre Masters.

Think about it this way: there's a sizable population that never finish their Bachelor's degree. Among those that did complete their Bachelor's, a sizable fraction never do a Masters. In other words, you are already quite rare. So you'll probably be able to get a job in industry, if only because you don't have many competitors. Another way to think about it is, given that you're doing Masters, I'll guess that you did quite well during your Bachelor's. Odds are you know people who did worse than you (i.e. had "mediocre grades"). Did they manage to get a job? You can check, although I predict the answer is "yes". They might not have gotten their dream job or one that pays as much as they want, but they got something.

It sounds like you are asking this question because you're unfamiliar with the job market. Therefore I suggest searching for jobs in your vicinity that require a Masters degree in whatever field you're studying. It's imperative to know, because then you'll have some idea of what you're going to be working as after you graduate. If you find there're lots of vacancies, your chances of getting a job goes up.

One more thing: don't view not getting a PhD as "giving up". I know quite a few PhD holders who, in retrospect, think they should not have gotten a PhD.


  What's the point of producing mediocre (research) results?


I don't know, do you? If you don't know either, why are you even considering it? You're in charge of your own happiness; you have to alter your own fate.