Thanks everyone for your comments, you certainly are a mixed bunch! Well just to set the record straight I also have the occassional REAL friend to talk to, I just thought a whole panal of PhD students might be the best place to look for informed advice. This little issue is ultimately going to change my whole life, but hell thanks for your comments Stu at least they made me laugh. I do enjoy reading papers generally, I just find the ones on my subject very dull and hard to get stuck into. I enjoy the lab work, I am getting results, I just think that when it comes to writing up, unless I am 100% interested in the subject I wont do my 100% best. Im thinking of applying for a lab tech position in Parasitology and then maybe getting my foot in the door for a PhD at the same place a year late, what do people think? Will this be a huge step back for me? Does anyone know how the uni will react if i told them I was leaving?

By the way I dont think all PhD students are total geeks. I think the problem with the job is it is so isolated, and at the mo I work all day by myself then come home to an empty flat, knackered, so no social life in the week. But at weekends Im out with the rest. Maybe this is my problem...!

stu if you don't think about your phd when you leave the lab then why are you on this forum late into the night talking to us unreal geeks?

Denile is not a river in egypt!

I just check on this forum every few hours or so, but I'm starting to wonder why!

It is because secretly you love us Stu.

I make no secret of that!!

Actually, I think it would be good if we could actually chat to each other in a chatroom or something rather than having a forum conversation. Is there any thoughts on this?

We are looking at introducing a chat room or a personal messaging system (or both), so you can flirt with each other behind closed doors!

I'm still waiting for smilies....

Although a chat room would be good!

How's that? You can now add them to messages, see the "Post Reply" page for the shortcuts.

Hurrah... About time too!

Here is some love for y'all

I am soooooooooooo :)

I meant I am soooooooo

findaphd team, shortly after I suggested giving us username accounts for the forum, you did it, then now I suggest a chat room, and you say that you are planning it!! you should start paying me for all the ideas I give you!

Oh no... I already spend an unhealthy time in this forum. Chat rooms will serve only to make it worse. But yeah chat rooms are good.