Mackem Beefy likes this. (up) ;-)

If you think quitting is the right thing to do, then another 2 to 3 years is a long time for something you're not interested in.

However, don't quit until you have secured a job as it's a hard world out there at the moment.

:-)

With it all in the past, I have a more normal sleep routine now.

However, it was common to find myself going over things in my head.

I actually found some of my mightnight oil sessions alot more productive during write-up phase, simply as there was no one to disturb or interrupt me.

======= Date Modified 20 Jul 2011 14:53:04 =======

Notable by it's absence is University of Newcastle upon Tyne. That is supposed to be good (though I've not seen current ratings).

EDIT: Newcastle is way down the list at 34. What's happened there?

Fair comment!!! However, it is coming across as him having to pay over the £250 so the examiners can p*ss off on their jollies until September!!!
:-)

Again thanks for the papers folks.  It appears the very last vestige of my PhD work (and promise to external examiner to publish the work) won't go quietly.

I submitted the last paper and the referees came back with requests for major, mandatory revisions (I have to admit fair comment on reading them).  To add insult to injury, the same journal I submitted to (edited by one of the suggested referees) have asked me to review another paper at the same time!!! :-s

C'est la vie!!! :p

======= Date Modified 15 Jul 2011 11:51:58 =======

Hmm, that's an argument in favour of ticking the privacy box on submission of your final hard-bound thesis to buy yourself time to get on the employment ladder. Google will show up results from your University's open repository and also in the future from the British Library's Ethos website.

Out of curiosity, I've just googled my own name and my thesis shows up on the first page of results. The same applies alarmingly if I just search for my University's open repository (without my name)!!!

That said, you'll be surprised in how many instances checking Google doesn't occur to people so taking the risk might still be worth it. Some will, no doubt of that. That said, I'd be sympathetic to such a situation having been through the process.

I agree, explore other options as you describe. However, one point is she may be seen as overqualified for graduate entry. I explored this option whilst I was on the dole after my second post-doc and was told exactly that.

Has she also considered the time honoured strategy of hiding her PhD and referring to the PhD period as a 'fixed term Research Assisstant's position'? Many employers see this qualification and think either you're going to be off as soon as something better comes along or you belong in academia. The number of interviews I got increased when I staretd doing this with the agreement of my former PhD supervisors.

Finally, the comment has been made below about selling yourself on the basis of 'transferrable skills'. Is she selling herself properly, referring to skills gained, results achieved and what she and her skills base can bring to a business or organisation?

Fair advice and just take your time to get the corrections right.

I will admit, however, that reading between the lines it comes across that you're paying £250 so they can p*ss off on holiday. They won't be there in four weeks time so you pay £250 so they can look at this when they reappear in September.

If the case, they could do the decent thing, admit it and waive the £250 fee. ;-)

Thanks Moonblue and also Ady for the first set. If I've got the 'Helpful User' thing right, you should both have extra stars.

All the best,

Ian (Mackem_Beefy)

I'm afraid I've three more article requests. These really will be the last. Apologies for this.

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0043164808001154

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S100363260960354X

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S004316481000253X

I was going to leave these be (other comments in my referee remarks) but I suppose I better at least look as though I've made a cursory look at these.

Once again if anyone can help, can they PM me?

Thanks in advance,

Ian (Mackem_Beefy)

Say Research Assisstant!!! Simples!!!

I did and he ended up being quite proactive in the viva. I was warned by my predecessor that would happen.

They are supposed not to be involved, however, in practice I was told (and it turned out to be the case) that he would become involved in the viva. Nobody minded, external or internal. My only real frustration was I wanted to be able to answer some the questions without his occasional technical interventions (and reopened one question because I wanted to answer it myself - pre-prepared answer). That said, far be it from me to complain as it became clearer towards the end I was going to pass in some way shape or form anyway (full story on 'shortest and longest viva' thread - with unexpected comedy moments).

Hmm, nothing too dramatic. It conveys most on here are older, many with families and possibly returnees after some time in the real world before PhD, that there's seemingly no major celebration (or comiseration) drink on the evening after. This is actually in line with what I expected.

My predecessor got carted off to the nearest pub to where he was in digs (i.e. crawling distance)and basically got plied with drink all night. It was basicaly planned to get him mortal. However, he came straight from degree onto his PhD, was single at the time and thus had a slightly younger social circle to mix with.

======= Date Modified 09 Jul 2011 20:18:56 =======
Answer cut, paste and slightly edited from another thread.

==============
Firstly, you need to get the 'mind still racing feeling out of you before you can think straight. I stayed in that state but slowly coming down from it for 8 days after viva. I suddenly realised I'd been in that state for about two years (stress of write-up) and it had really peaked on the last few days before the viva.

I'd gone for a long walk one lunchtime I think 8 days later (final corrections done, hardbound copies in and documentation signed off the previous day) and suddenly realised I had nothing more to do. I found myself thinking "Now what?" I'd throttled down to normal for the first time in two years and realised I needed a quiet period to get my life back in perspective. A holiday to South Africa followed a couple of months later.

The wisdom of needing a quiet period was made clear to me when I started a second post-doc at another University and the girl who was my (de-)mentor was clearly in some sort of hyper mode. She'd gone through 5 years before, but had never taken a breather following her own PhD launching herself with apparently the same energy into her post-doc work. I found her Prof in one of his more civil moments towards me was worried about her fragility and looking back, I can see why. You have to throttle down for the sake of your own health.

A old computing lecturer of mine said you need a quiet two years to follow (women seem to recover more quickly than men, though).

Even now back in the real world, I feel I need to be of some sort of help to others in the post-grad marketplace. Bar 'Delta' (I truely repsect his / her point of view), the stresses and frustrations that many face during the process have to be shared. You cannot keep that level of stress bottled up inside you.

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Ian (Mackem_Beefy)