I to would love to know what field you are in where a PhD studentship/scholarship pays as well as a well paying job! The fact that you are planning to save money while you study is something I have never heard of & I would be dancing in the street if it was me.

I know someone has already posted that it is possible to treat the degree 'like a job' and I agree - in theory. However, the PhD has particular demands that tend to make it an emotional journey for many. This is because the foundation of the PhD is that the candidate stretch their intellectual capacities and demand from themselves ongoing and often difficult goals. It's not just the reading of difficult material, or the writing of a massive document, the time and task management is massive and for most, an ongoing challenge.

Perhaps you are one of the few that can be detached, but even so it doesn't sound like you are very interested in achieving the degree - in which case, perhaps it would be more useful for you to leave the position, supervision and funding to someone who is dreaming of this type of opportunity.

Also, I think your supervisor would be more concerned with time/effort paid to you rather than monetary concerns. Supervision can be a huge investment and I am sure that yours would be grateful if you didn't take up their time and energy if you have one foot out the door.

Personally, I don't think a humanities PhD can be done if you have no investment in the completion. I could be wrong, but I am yet to see it happen.

Very subject specific - as already stated. it might be worth signing up for a listserve in your country/discipline to see what the temperature is like at the moment.

Hi Peach

I don't mean to be rude but as this is obviously a current PhD forum & as you are not looking @ academia but rather industry - wouldn't you be better to ask somewhere else - and/or do a search for interview tips + psychology?
Just a thought.

I think this is a really interesting point. Would you care to share? Is there some aspect of your experience, or combination of aspects that you think contribute to your success/enjoyment?

I am a re-entering and mature-age candidate and I feel now that I am much more able to do this than I did previously (although revisiting all the convoluted theory has been difficult as I work FT as well & only have a few hours a day to read/write). I think I now see the degree in a more realistic light & that is helpful - but I am early stages so who knows?

I would love to hear from those who have enjoyed the process as to why they think it has been that way for them? Supervision? confidence? age? programme?

Hi Sarah

I would recommend 3 things.

1- Talk to your supervisor, s/he should be able to give you advice based on your topic, discipine & faculty regulations/requirements.

2 - Before doing this, locate a copy of your school's 'Thesis/Dissertation' requirements document. This should be readily available online - if you can't find it, call the graduate office.

3 - If you are stuck at this point, investing in a good 'how-to' manual might be a good way to go. There are many excellent ones - I am sure your library will have a selection. I would personally recommend 'Destination Dissertation' as a good place to start, especially if you are in the lit review/early stages. If you do a search for 'Destination Dissertation' at Amazon, you will also get a bunch of other titles that may speak to you more.

Good luck

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not needed - edited 1st post instead

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Hi Mwally

Are you talking about a research proposal or a 'statement of intent' (where you briefly outline your area of interest?).

I think you would mean a statement of intended research, in which case you shouldn't need to do a formal research proposal yet.
As I am not familiar with the requirements in Ghana, perhaps you could post exactly what you need to do so that people can advise you
from an informed position?

Good luck

I totally agree. I also think that (unlike the UG degree for many) the PhD is a very personal journey with a very personal trajectory. I don't think comparing your (our) completion times or status is helpful as we all have such different paths. Be kind to yourself & remember how far you HAVE come already.
Good luck
:-)

wow .. must have been a LOT of 'problems' in that period .. lol

+ 1 to the other posters. A FT and a PhD is no small feat - you are a legend for having gotten this far. Try to be nice to yourself and remember just how much you have accomplished (yes, you have accomplished LOADS). Your time will come .. soon.

DrC - I must have missed something in your post as I don't follow the 'rotten' thing? Can you clarify? Did this person do something awful in order to finish on time? :-(

Hi NGU

I am planning to use a proof service (if I still have the money by then!)

English is my 1st language - in fact, I am an English teacher at the moment but, I know from experience that it is almost impossible to pick up all of your own mistakes when you are very close to the work.

From my (brief) research however, they are expensive & while there seems to be cheaper alternatives, I would be looking for someone who has experience in my general discipline and referencing style (APA, MLA etc). Don't be surprised if proofing the whole thing hits the thousand or more mark so, if this out of your budget, perhaps having your introduction proofed or your 'worst' chapter proofed could be an alternative?

Good luck

+ 1 to the replies here.

I am not sure how you are being asked to do unpaid teaching in the first place or how 2 hours translates as 20? I'm in Australia/humanities and we are offered teaching work and compensated accordingly.

Your post seems to indicate that you would eventually like to research or teach - you should be looking to get teaching experience on your CV if you are headed to teaching so, perhaps that is one way to look at it? Personally I would be checking the uni regulations about unpaid teaching - doesn't ring right to me.