PhD Discussion Forum

Welcome back Sheena and congrats on finishing editing your chapter! It feels like such an achievement doesn't it!? I can't imagine what it feels like when you finish final drafts of last one!

I'm in the lab again, determined to do these experiments this week and be done! not too ill just stuffed up but got sudafed and strepsils! :)

Going to go through chapter 2 today and look at patterns in results for discussion - hopefully be able to put a done there by tonight...!

Hello all! hope you're all doing well this week!?

UPDATE: I got the job at local science centre, as a primary education officer. after much thought and one way discussion (everyone listened but told me for once in my life I had to stick to my guns and make a clear decision all by myself!!! not easy for me!) I decided to accept the post! It is full time and permanent, money is not great as it is charity run, however there is a great team and lots of fun and variety! I decided that I was really starting to stress about money and although this isnt great, its secure and brings in about what I do now. I start week on monday, and am just working 3days until my lecturing is over and then go full time! (they've been really great about that!).
Anyway, most people are really chuffed for me and understanding of the need for a job, and more importantly its something I love and i think i'm quite good at! but my sup is being really funny about it! my dad and partner are just worried its going to take away from getting my PhD done, but i'm determined with that! however, I think sup is just a bit funny cos its out of academia, and I think he thought i'd stay in research! I've said, I just really enjoy this, and he's really ok with that, wants me to do something i'll be happy in, but on other hand says that once i have my PhD there's no way I could stay in this job!

I know in a way where he's coming from - but the job is good and worthwhile and fun, the only downside is the pay, but thats due to charity funding. To be honest for me, as long as I can pay my bills and eat food i'm quite happy, we've never expected to be rich, just want comfort and security. But is it so bad to do my PhD and then side track to something else you feel you're better at and could hopefully make a career out of, even if you have to go back down to the bottom a bit!?

I don't know what any of you can say really, its just that my boss has put a dampner on my excitement of the day!!! :(

oh well, better get a rocket up my a*se as now I have two jobs and a thesis to write! (a cold and insomnia to boot!! :( )

but this probably means i won't be able to get on the midnight train so much :( was really looking forward to some productive silent nights too!!

cheers folks!

Thank you Bilbo! Yeah i'm really happy, I really want job security and knowing that i'd be jumping from one contract to the next just scares me and stresses me out - although my boss today told me "that's the excitement of it!!!" - easy to say when you're a permanent professor, his wife who lives on short contracts did not feel the same!! :)

I don't think i'll be doing nights, just couple of evenings and work the weekend, but i'm not going to stress about it. I'll get the job started and see what the hours are like and then work out a routine for my studying.

Right now, my cold is getting worse, so i've come home and tucked into bed with a hot toddy! feeling awful but gotta go into lab tomorrow, friday may possibly be my last proper lab work I ever do.....! so just going to rest up tonight so I can have my head screwed on!
Hope you're doing well? x

Hi Bilbo and AL

Congratulations Alpacalover!!!! Well done!! That's great!! You certainly are in demand at the moment, which is well deserved and really good for you!!

And hi Bilbo, sorry to hear you were sick, glad you're doing better and thesis is coming along.

AL, don't worry about your supervisor -they probably have expectations of you staying on in academia, being their protege, and can't understand why anyone would want to leave! I have the same reservations about short term contract work, so that's great you've got a secure job. Who knows where it will lead? You'll still be in education, and yeh, your PhD might not be crucial for it, but it could lead on to other things. It sounds like you're doing what's best for you, which is great.

Starting a new job is really tiring, so make sure you don't take on too much to atart with - pace yourself with your thesis. Concentrate on the job for a bit, then work on the thesis when you've enough energy. But it sounds like you've got a plan in place, so that's fab.

Hey AL

Am going OK with studying, writing a chapter, which is going slowly but am making progress every day, so that's good. Once this chapter's finished, will have written the first draft of my 5 case study chapters, so that's something!

And yes, a 9-5 job would be nice - although you'll still be studying for a while, so could be a way off? And even after we finish, will be journal articles to write, so the work continues!

Take it easy with your cold, take lots of nice herbal things and don't stress. Have a good rest and talk to ya later.

Hey Bilbo

You were diagnosed over the phone? That's terrible!! Hope you're feeling ok and the editing goes well. I'm here for the next few hours too, beavering away, so you're not alone! And hope you have a good rest once you're able to.

And signing off for the night. Very very tired, and the neurological problems have eased at last so I have a hope of getting to sleep now. Expect to be knocked out for the duration tomorrow. But on the plus side I'm now over half way through the easy thesis edits. So that's good going. But enough for now.

well done both of you, thats great Sue that you almost have 5 drafts complete! make sure you have a bit of relaxation to celebrate! hope you got a good sleep Bilbo and well done on the the editing!! :)

I slept like a log for the first time in over a week, i HATE insomnia! amazing how much better I feel for just one night, really hope i get another! also cos i slept my cold is starting to ease! yeah, i defo don't have a flu of any kind, just bit of cold prob just cos of start of cold weather - its freezing today!

9-5 won't be coming round too soon, but if i'm really good i could still be done by march, as original plan was storm through to xmas, so if I can try to keep close to that and do my weekends and 1-2 nights per week I think i could still manage it! might be mental for a while but it'd be worth it to get it done!!

right, back to go try one last thing in lab and then probably home for the afternoon to try and get stuck into chapter - not managed to do anything all week due to cold so really need to get cracking! and then just 3 days left in this place of work - got coffee and cakes with lots of different folks so might be rolling into my next job :p gonna be weird not being in here every day, evening and weekend after 3 years + of it!!

best of luck for today folks!