I am currently almost 1.5 years through my PhD in theoretical physics. For a number of reasons (you can see my previous thread asking for advice almost a year ago about whether to quit), I have decided that I would no longer like to continue with the program as its having a detrimental effect on my mental health and is simply not what I enjoy.
My question now is, what are my options? I do not have any papers (I am trying to work towards one but it will be a few months at least). I am not sure whether to graduate with an MPhil (I have heard this is not favorably looked upon if I ever decide to return to academia). I am convinced that it is this particular program that is not right for me, and I would fare better in CDT or a more structured course. But I have nothing to show for the past 1.5 years.
I am really struggling to decide what I want to do next. Since my issue is structure, I feel that i should look for a job (9-5) for a few years, and then potentially go back to academia to finish scratching that itch. At the moment, I dont know if I have ruined my chances of getting any phd position elsewhere because I've quit this one, in a topic I am much more interested in and an environment that is more conducive to how I work (but then again, how do I know if its a 'me' problem or a research problem, so maybe I shouldn't go back ...?)
I am unsure of what I actually enjoy and my confidence in my own ability is completely shot at this point. There are topics I am interested in, but I feel that I lack the necessary foundations to be qualified for jobs in those fields particularly as my last experience of those topics was in my undergrad (integrated masters) 1.5 years ago.
I feel quite hopeless and lost about what my options are. Any advice would be really appreciated.