If you want a PhD topic that will amuse your friends endlessly, try mine. For the past three years, I've worked with ants as a model of social behaviour — feeding ants, doing ant genetics and counting ants by the thousands. Graduation is a year away and writing up feels like a mountain made out of an anthill. But it pales in comparison to the biggest challenge I face this year: choosing a new career.

Over the course of my graduate studies, I've slowly realized that basic research isn't for me. As much as I agree with the idea of science for science's sake, my dream day at the office would produce more tangible results.

I've recently enrolled in a year-long mentoring programme where I meet people who have made the leap from academia to the real world. It has helped me understand that the skills gained in a PhD can be applied outside the lab as well. At the moment, my ideas range from journalism to pest management in Africa.

For someone who has focused on basic science since her undergraduate days, making the decision to quit has been like the slow death of a relationship. First, you pretend everything is all right; then, you wonder what is wrong with you; and, finally, you are forced to acknowledge that what you have invested so much time and energy in may not be what you really want. The period of mourning is over. I'm ready to move on, towards a whole new world.