I entered a PhD program out of fear of being unemployed and regret it. How can I gracefully undo my mistake and switch fields?
These are my thoughts as someone who is a data scientist, but also someone who used to teach and advise students at the university level.
Becoming a data scientist

I want to switch careers from PhD in chemical engineering to data scientist.
At the end of the day I just want a high paying job.


If you want to be a data scientist and earn a lot of money, you are either going to need to start your own company and hit it big, or get a graduate degree. (Or both).
Being a (well-paid) data scientist requires much more than programming. (That is still part of it, of course. But it is necessary, not sufficient). High end data scientists usually have a pretty extensive background in statistics and probability theory. I used to work for an engineering firm as a data scientist. They converted several mechanical engineers into &quot;data scientists&quot; because they could program. This ended up leading to many wasted months of work when I informed them that the test they were using required certain assumptions on distributions of the population they were sampling from.
Making an impact as a data scientist is much more involved than people think. Online classes and boot camps make some people think that they can get a certificate in Python and land as a data science lead at Google or something. It doesn't work like that.
Essentially what I am trying to tell you is this: I would probably not look at someone with a 3.5 GPA in chemical engineering and very little formal data science training for any sort of high paying data science job.


I had to take a bunch of online courses and I lacked the motivation to complete them.
I know I am capable of achieving these things as long as I have some motivation.
At the end of the day I just want a high paying job.


Avoid telling a future employer this.
Ask yourself if your motivations to become a data scientist are the money or the subject. Part of any job is being self motivated by the subject matter itself.
The money in data science is not guaranteed. Some of the very high paying data science jobs also require extensive education and immense dedication to working 60 hours a week.

Leaving the PhD program

If it didn't harm my lab, I would just drop out now without even bothering to complete my masters. Because I care about my lab, I don't want to drop out and harm things.


I would not feel obligated to waste 4 years of your life so that your lab mates don't feel bad.
If you are not enjoying yourself, do not feel bad about dropping out. You will be doing yourself a large favor in the end I think. There is no shame in dropping out to do something different. People drop out all of the time from graduate programs in order to pursue something they enjoy more.
Let me absolve you of overall guilt: Your situation is much more common than you think. I think there will be many people who will support you in pursuing a career you will enjoy and be productive in. Take confidence in yourself and don't let others discourage you.
Especially don't become your own worst enemy by tearing yourself down.

Overall advice

If you are not enjoying your PhD program, your first priority is yourself. Drop out. Now. Tell the program administrators your thoughts. You do not need to ask their permission to do what is best for your psyche and career.
Look into becoming a software developer if that is something you will enjoy. A BS in Chemical Engineering and demonstrated aptitude in C++ or Java can usually set you on a pretty good career path.
Don't look back.