I'm doing mine in the engineering department. I like it there but there are two big things though. Firstly I knew my supervisor, we used to work together a few years ago, and he'a a great guy who has provided me with references in the past. Second, I work from home 95% of the time.

However that said, I do like it there, I just haven't integrated myself very well thats all.

This may not be helpful but here goes. I gave up work to do my PhD, obviously sacrificing my salary to do so. My baby daughter had been very ill and I realised that life was too short to hang around waiting for something interesting to happen.

So, that could be an option for you, give up work and live the PhD life with less money but less stress (... relatively speaking ...). You sound as though you have been working hard - that is a good thing, you've shown you have what it takes. Obviously you need to look at your finances and work out if this is possible - it works for me.

I went straight to a PhD without a Masters, but then I have 5 years very good industrial experience since finishing my degree (and I got a 1st )

To be honest, the best person to speak to would a post-grad advisor / supervisor in your department as you may be able to miss the Masters if you have relevant experience.

I also imagine some PhDs are easier to get on than others, depending on the subject and job market in that subject.

When I applied to do my PhD they didn't count my first year (which is a good job...) but did want to know my individual grades in the second and third years.

... but then you did mention you were in science.

28000 words? Wow, the university say my PhD Thesis is restricted to 50000 words! Presumably because it is science based though - less words more numbers.

Finding this board motivated me. I felt quite isolated, and finding that other people where in the same boat (I know it sounds obvious) gave me a real boost.

There is no magic formula to self-motivation, but if it helps, if I know other people are working hard, that's in incentive to me.

The "afternoon power nap" is more productive than it initially seems. If I feel that I need to sleep, and I don't, then my reading and writing really amounts to nothing, regardless how long I spend doing it. 30 minites sleep and a cup of coffee sees me more focused and concentrated - the secret is getting back to work after the nap.

My university (Birmingham) has online electronic journal access (for b'ham students only, obviously). Perhaps your university has this?

You could try this:

http://www.scirus.com/srsapp/

But most papers require a subscription, though if you have ATHENS access, that might help.

I gave up a decently paid job to do my PhD and have no regrets so far (12 months in). The only time I have been a bit negative is when I am unsure as to what I am meant to be doing, so as when I should write papers etc.

In what other job can you have a short afternoon nap

Perhaps your current supervisor would know of potential post-doc supervisors. I would say a few months yes, because the deciding factor will most likely whether they can fund you, and getting grants can take a while.

To be honest, apart from normal living costs it is cheaper for me to do a PhD than when I did my degree. This is because I get all my books from the library whereas in my degree I had to buy a new book for each course.

So, living costs for me at least are the same no matter what I do. My PhD is computer science based and I already have a PC and don't have to pay for lab equiptment, though I guess some people will tell you otherwise.

lol - Go for it Sonia! Don't delay a minute longer!

Arghh! Sorry about the bad grammer / English there!

Does anyone here work at home?

I live about 40 miles from my university, I don't go in that often. It can get pretty lonely, but I keep regular contact with my supervisor using email etc. I go in about once or twice a month :-O, usually to see my supervisor and get books out of the library. My uni has excellent access to electronic journals so that see me through most of the time.

Would be interested to hear if anyone else has a similar situation.

Also, does posting on this bulletin board count as 'PhD work'? ;-)

Hi, I'm new, hello everyone :-)

Ok, I've been doing my PhD for a year, have just passed my transfer. My 3 month report (Lit review) did really bad - no research questions... my 9 month report (transfer report) did really well. It was the severe criticism in the 3 month report which put me on the right track.

Anyway, my supervisor has been suggesting that I start to think about submitting papers. My research doesn't seem (to me at least) to be mature enough yet though. When do PhD students usually expect to submit papers, after 12 months, earlier, later?

Thanks!