Hello All,

Not done this before but I'm just about to... Moved my whole life 200 miles from home to start a PhD. Seemed like the logical next move in my working life. However, so far it's been rubbish. Postgrad network is practically non-existent, postgrad office is full of zombies who never even have the courtesy to say hello, and the local area is not appealing to me either. My social life is based around non-uni groups. Oh, and did I mention that the PhD is even more rubbish. I said at interview that I was after a new challenge and looking to gain some new skills and experience which I thought this PhD would do. However, within 3 weeks I realised that it was hardly going to tax me at all. Told my supervisors that I was bored and they've tried to amuse me with things but I don't think I'll learn anything new apart from learning that I won't learn anything new (still with me...?). It also hasn't helped that my main supervisor said PhDs are designed for new graduates (I have 8 years experience working in a government microbiology lab so I'm hardly new) and, I quote her exactly here, "this PhD is a piece of piss". Um, I don't recall at interview saying that I wanted to breeze through my doctorate and if it was a piece of piss then great. So what to do...??? I have enough in my bank account to be able to afford to move home and be unemployed for a few months, and at the moment that is my intention. I cannot see it improving here, either theoretically or practically, and when I told my supervisors I was having doubts all they could say was well, there's a boy down the road who could start next week. So no support there either.

I guess I'm after some reassurance that whatever I decide to do it'll all turn out right in the end, or at least it won't turn out as wrong as this PhD. I have no qualms about being labelled a quitter, especially as I have good reasons, but I don't want to quit then have regrets. Argh, any comments anyone...??!!

Moo. :-s