Ooo I have another one after this morning.. people who use your bench when you are not there (that's not a problem) but then don't clean up after themselves meaning you have to tidy up before you start work!!

....and use up all your tips.. and gloves...grrr

...and don't order new tips...or new restriction enzymes when they are running low...Grrrrr.

And the fact that the last bowl of your favourite breakfast cereal is actually cereal-dust, not whole pieces of cereal.

Noisy eaters (slurping, smacking, chomping). Puts you right off your own food.

girls who say to you 'you look tired' etc when you know for i fact you spent ages getting ready and look pretty nice, and there just being cows!

Shellyanne I totally agree! My mother in law always asks "how's the college course going?"

I've never been one to labour the PhD status but I resent being treated as if I am just whiling away my life doing flower arranging or thai chi for beginners. Humph.

i just dont know how to explain the PhD anymore than i already have.. i dont go to lectures, i dont get the summer off and i dont lay about all day doing nothing.. arg!

piglet & shelleyanne, I think this is one of the most annoying things about doing a PhD research. People insist on referring to it as a taught course. My bf's cousin was trying to understand and relate to my work the other day. After I finished explaining she said that a friend of hers was doing exactly the same thing, and told me about her 1-year access course to higher education in nursing. Now that was the most stupid comment I've ever received from anyone about my research. grrrr

ive tried to explain i carry out research similar to having a job in research, and that i work long hours, and a PhD quite an achievement, yet the comments 'real job' keep coming up.. arg!! and my bfs mum then comments on her cousin who has a 'proper' Phd in physics... i cant win!

It is really frustrating that people see a PhD as just you dossing about for 3/4 years 'sponging' off the government for beer money.

My cousin who is a cheeky little sod always asks me how school is going lol.

I have had a 'real job' and this PhD malarky is much harder work!!

I can really understand that shelleyanne. Same situation with my bf's family. I found a trick to call my funding as "salary" and my work as "doctoral" research when talking to them But working from home doesn't help. Their usual question is "when will you start working again".

this is 10x harder than any job i have done in the past. and i have the rest of my life to pay tax...!!

I agree with you Tricky. I had "real jobs" too before and after my first degree; and PhD is more time-consuming, stressful and tiring than any of those jobs. It's like opening up your own business and doing all the jobs yourself (including admin and project managing) due to low-budget and lack of support.

i think my boyf parents think im sponging off him to fund being a 'student' yet they never seem to realise i paid all the bills while he was not working!
ive resigned myself to the fact that until i get a 'proper' job i will be considered as being at 'college'