My endocrinologist (spelling???) told me something that I never thought I would hear from someone well-educated (or considered to be)!
He asked me once last year, what are you doing for two years? A PhD shouldn't be more than a year and a half! 6 months for studying, 6 months for research and 6 months for writing.....
I felt like a big zero, but then I thought it over and decided that I will not listen to anybody anymore! Even if it is a year and a half (I know it isn't) I am going to do it in 4 years (at least), because I don't want to preasure myself (I am wirking FT at the same time)! So when someone is saying something like that, I just look at them and smile (you know that smile that says "Oh you are an idiot but we don't tell you!")

Looks like loads of us have experienced this one! I was at the opticians last year and the guy was asking me what I was doing while he was testing my eyes. I replied I was doing a PhD and he said, 'oh, so basically lozzing around doing nothing then'....I just laughed and replied that most likely I worked far more hours than he did -he didn't pursue it any further! Sooooo irritating! KB