Hi Seven,

Nothing to worry about I'm sure! In my experience, the thesis committee is encouraging for the first report, and much more critical in the second.

Mistakes are very helpful - if they don't find a lot of mistakes in your work than they aren't doing their jobs properly...

That reminds me of a quote from Somerset Maugham - he said that every time he boarded a train he lived in terror of ending up in a compartment with that peculiar brand of Englishman who regarded public transport as a fantastic chance to meet people! I can't remember his exact phrasing, but he always took along a book as defence against unsolicited conversation... and while I'm quoting from stories - the travel-writer from Anne Tyler's The Accidental Tourist would always take props on public transport to avoid conversation - the same book year in and year out, open in his lap (never to read but for the sake of looking occupied) and also would wear headphones (with no sound coming out of them, but he could pretend not to hear someone addressing him). If you build yourself a wall like that and someone still attempts to strike up a conversation, they must have something REALLY important to say to you!

I ruined my laptop last night! Clumsily spilled my drink all over the keyboard, which soaked through and ruined the motherboard. Took it to the computer shop and they pulled out the hard drive and sold me one of those SATA/IDE cable thingamajigs...

I hadn't backed up my work for a couple of weeks, so was panicking, but everything was safe and sound on the hard drive. I've just copied it all onto the computer at work and onto two memory sticks. Very frightening....

I'm doing a PhD in an Australian university and have to say that James82's rant sounds like a bunch of absolute rubbish. For the vast majority, undertaking a PhD is a positive experience and we have the same expectations of quality and standards of academic honesty as the UK, US etc. And yes, everyone knows of someone who has failed in their final submission.

The system DID somehow fail in this instance - there's no way this thesis should have been passed. I can only assume the supervisor pushed it through in the end because he was desperate to get rid of a spoiled, blackmailing brat who was making his life a nightmare.

I'm disgusted by the way you brag about plagarising - one day, either in a couple of weeks or a couple of years, someone will be doing research on a topic similar to yours, read your thesis and discover your plagarism. They'll alert the university, which will immediately strip you of your doctorate - I know this is the procedure my uni follows in this instance.

Man, this post has made me angry! I think I need a brisk walk to calm down.

A royal wedding is bad news for the push for a republic here in Australia - people tend to get all starry-eyed over royal weddings and coronations...

And yes, the journalists here have been squeaking about nothing else for the past 24 hours, but the excitement seems to be dying down now.

Hi Tusco,

43,000 words is a fantastic effort! I wish I'd written as much...

Sounds like you've really broken the back of it and just need that final push to get over the line. Take a couple of months break, regain your energies then blitz it - you're so close! Best of luck!!

Hi Sasa,

It sounds like you've already convinced yourself that quitting is the best answer. If you've lost passion, motivation and are generally disliking the experience, it's probably best to pack it in. At least you're making the decision relatively early - only one year's work and 'very little progress' suggests you haven't written/wasted much, so see that as a positive.

I think you'll regain the passion that you've lost when you throw yourself into secondary school teaching. As a career it will have all the things you're missing out on - plenty of human contact, structure, direction and a sense of achievement. Your Masters degree makes you much more qualified than a lot of teachers out there - the world needs more secondary-school teachers with postgrad-level qualifications and skills.

Best of luck!

Hi Keep Calm,

I'm doing a literature PhD too (part time) and work full-time as an editor in a publishing house. In my city, publishers won't consider hiring you unless you have a relevant tertiary qualification AND some work experience, usually through low-paid intern work or even volunteer work.

My own academic/career path goes something like this: undergrad in Arts (Lit major), 1.5 year course work Masters in Publishing & Editing, started a very low-paid internship towards the end of the Masters to gain experience, then got my first salaried job as an editorial assistant in a larger publishing house 12 months later. Realised I needed a challenge so enrolled in a PhD on the side... left that company about 18 months later, travelled overseas for a year, came back and found a better job as a fully-fledged editor. And here I am, sitting at the office browsing through postgradforum when I should be working! Thesis is creeping along slowly but surely, due by the end of 2013. I'm anticipating that getting the PhD will give me some stronger career-clout, but I could be wrong - I'll start looking for a better job after submission though.

I'd definitely recommend a career in publishing, but make sure you choose a literary publisher that produces books that will interest you - it would be a terrible waste of your PhD-level literature brain if you ended up working with dull books. And yes, it's a highly-competitive field. When I applied for this job, about fifty applicants didn't make it past the CV stage. They then invited thirteen applicants to a group interview, crammed us into a meeting room and gave us a 2-hr written editing skills test. They then narrowed it down to three applicants for a final-round interview, and finally choose one. And after all that, as anyone in the industry will tell you, THE PAY'S NOT THAT GOOD!!! You just have to love working with books.

Other fields... librarian, journalist, author, literary agent? Teacher? Even if you don't think you'll find work at the tertiary level, have you considered secondary-school teaching? I remember that when I was in my final years of school most of the teachers of English and Lit had PhDs... you'd be working with books, sharing your knowledge, inspiring young minds...

Best of luck!












   

4matt, I'll be 32 by the time I submit... I'm already working full-time (outside of academia) but I'm anticipating that when I have a PhD under my belt I'll shift companies, perhaps take a change of career direction... and generally become more serious about my career.

Perhaps it might be an idea to get SOME practical experience in your intended career area? Even a short internship of some sort if you can find the time... some employers attach no value to a CV with incredible academic achievements but absolutely no work experience.

On a related note: http://www.marriedtothesea.com/021008/my-degree.gif

Don't do it PsychGrad! Why would you want some stranger digitally altering your image to conform with his/her ideal of beauty? Just take a natural photo and don't be afraid to let your pride and happy sense of acheivement show on your face. I'm sure you'll look gorgeous...

I'd have to say Piled Higher and Deeper: http://www.phdcomics.com/

Congrats!

I can only give similar advice to that already posted here - my main recommendation is to try to write a tiny amount every night. Then, even while you're working away at your day job you'll be turning things over in the back of your mind. I tend to do my best thinking while I'm walking to work...

And that's a great point raised by Chuff - I'm doing my PhD out of love for my subject and a personal challenge - it's still an enormous challenge with the end nowhere in sight, but I'm sure it's a very different experience to career-related PhDs...

I'm surprised that DanB is the only one to suggest what seems to be the best solution to a work vs PhD dilemma - part-time study. I'd recommend that you take the NHS job and do a PhD on the side. Best of both worlds - rat race career, money etc + a higher calling - a long-term project to aspire to and work towards that keeps your mind sharp and sets you above your fellow corporate drones. Make it clear to your boss that your PhD is a side-hobby that will not affect your office work, and you'd be surprised how supportive many employers can be.

I'm about 24 months into what will be a 72-month PhD and still loving it - progress is slow and I work on my project in stops and starts, but it's starting to take shape and I'm confident that I'll get there in the end, just in twice the time a full-time student would take. Meanwhile, I'm working full-time and don't feel racked with worry about delaying my entry into the workforce or financial problems... just last week I bought my first home :) The real reward of this double-life, though, is having this wonderful side-project to work towards, quietly setting me apart from the wage-slaves who are driven only by their careers.

Hi Pamela,

I'm working full-time too, self-funded, etc. I've had a pretty demanding full-time job since Feb and thesis productivity has really suffered over the past four months. I've been trying to write up only in the weekends, but found that I was spending too long re-orienting myself every saturday. I recommend just ONE hour per night after work (use a stopwatch/kitchen timer) just to keep your hand in throughout the week and then you can jump straight into it on the weekend. I get home from work and relax for half an hour (and resist having a beer!) then do a solid hour of writing. THEN I can have a drink, have dinner, and relax feeling smug and self-satisfied that I've got some work done. I take Friday nights off to avoid going mad.

Also, if I do happen to have no time to work on the weekend (or just slack off), I won't feel AS guilty/worried about it. I know that I've done SOMETHING that week, and the thesis is slowly but surely progressing.

Best of luck!