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Help with a phd
U

Probably the best way to begin is by enrolling in some grad courses at a local university on a continuing education basis. This will allow you to check out various programs, and earn the course credits necessary to counter your 2.2 GPA. Just be sure that you earn As in the courses you take. You can also use the professors from those continuing education courses to write you letters of recommendation for admittance.

My supervisor has been ignoring me for months
U

Make an appointment with the Director of Graduate Studies in your department. Let the Director know the progress of your work and tell him/her about the situation with your supervisor not responding to your emails or texts. Ask the Director what the next steps are that you should take. You need to keep your priorities on your own work and completion, without having the burden of catering to a professor who is overly focused on personal issues.

Good luck!

A PhD - Great, Now what...
U

I understand your frustration because I've been there, as well as nearly everyone else I know. Although the job situation seems dire, the best thing you can do at this point is to stay optimistic and keep taking steps in improve your C.V., which includes working on publications, presenting at conferences and planning a book. Regardless of how things turn out on the job market during the short term, continuing to take these steps will generate more hope for you, it will keep you working, and it will prevent your C.V. from developing unseemly gaps.

However, allowing yourself to grow increasingly frustrated and cynical about the lack of a decent job market may interfere with your motivation to stay productive on a scholarly level. Such cynicism can easily lead to a "What's the use?" attitude when it comes to pursuing further academic projects that reside outside the realm of coursework---and that will not help you in the long run.

Good luck to you. And I wouldn't knock the job offer in the U.S.A. That in itself is a promising development that attests to your potential.

Hyper-critical supervisor - reality check needed!
U

Hello, sorry to hear that your adviser is not giving you constructive feedback. We all know that a good professor will let you know what the positive---as well as the negative---aspects of your work are and give you tangible tips for improvement. At this point, I wonder whether it would be more beneficial to you to start steering your own ship. More specifically, most grad students write their theses/dissertation with the aim of publishing with a reputable press. How feasible would it be for you to begin finding work by solid scholars that model what you aspire to write and how you hope to develop? You may even be inspired to contact them about their work, which will help you develop valuable connections with scholars/mentors who genuinely matter to you. At the end of the day, you want to ensure your own professional development---even when your forced to work under faculty who don't seem to have your best interests at heart. At least this tactic promises to help preserve the fire within yourself that prompted you to pursue a grad degree in the first place.