I'm really sorry to hear that KC. Hope you are OK.

I had the second year blues really badly. It affected some of my relationships with some friends and family...but only really with people who didn't understand the PhD process!! The others were/ still are more sympathetic and understanding!

Thanks Mia, a very interesting article. It is good to put things in perspective - if (or should I say when - positive thinking!) I manage to get a PhD it will be a great achievement even if it takes longer than I expected when I started out. Sometimes it feels like I should have finished ages ago and I forget what a feat it actually is!

Thanks for your responses everyone - glad to hear I'm not the only one juggling the paid work / PhD question.

What is the URL for the web-site? I'd like to see that!

Have done nothing on PhD so far except for a discussion about when I hope to finish and printing out a draft of the chapter I should have improved and sent to my supervisor on Friday. I have only had the evening to do it, but once I've had dinner and watched a bit of tv I can't seem to make myself do anything. I think I'm in the doldrums too! It seems to be common amongst the PhD students I have spoken to. My motivation has certainly gone up and down over the PhD period. High motivation times are probably before presenting at conferences and firmly fixed deadlines with no excuses. However lately my deadlines have been increasingly put back as I haven't met them and I feel awful about it!

Hi everyone, I was doing a research council funded PhD for 2.5 years but then I was offered my 'dream' job. Of course I didn't want to turn it down so I took it...however I am finding it really hard to finish off my PhD plus work full time. I spend the best parts of my day (when I am more awake) doing my paid work, and my PhD is really dragging. I think I have 6 months left but my energy and motivation (not to mention social life) is barely existent. There is also the constant guilt when not working! Also I must get asked about 3 times a day if I've finished my thesis yet! I don't want to give up my job because I would just want to apply for it again when I submit! Does anyone have any similar experiences? Thanks

I always wanted to finish within 3 years and thought it would be the end of the world if I didn't. But this didn't happen - I have been doing mine for 3 years and 5 months and the end is in sight! No one who started with me at my uni has submitted yet. I have publish 2 papers, presented at 4 conferences and been teaching which does take time and energy away from the PhD. However, I have met a couple of people who have completed theirs in 2.5 years! So it is possible, but it means being focused and not running into any time-consuming problems.

I have done the same thing a couple of times with paper presentations...mentioned to my supervisor I was thinking about submitting something but then got in a rush near the deadline and didn't have time to send it to her to look at. In one case she didn't read the abstract until it was published in the conference proceedings! I haven't found her to be angry about this at all, if anything pleased that I was trying to publicise the work and expose myself to the views of others. Try not to worry too much, and if your supervisor is angry explain about the pressure of the deadline (academics should understand this!) and say that you will try to leave more time in future to run abstracts by your supervisor before sending them off.

Hi Blueberry,I started lecturing in my third year, to undergraduates and masters students. I was petrified, stressed a lot and spent far too much time preparing as I was teaching subjects I didn't know much about. Then a lecturer left and I applied and got the job! I am now a f/t lecturer and finishing my phd whenever I can find time. I know it depends on the subject but I find that taking an interactive approach to lectures (ie getting the students to contribute) works best and takes the pressure off you.