Good luck dude ... keep the boat afloat!

Fair dues Bilbo! There's me just thinking of using it for chronic laziness - keep up the good work.

I was thinking along the lines of voice recognition, but would think a PhD scattered with the occassional "Will ya ever f**k off?" or "What was this gobsheen on?" mightn't be acceptable. Might use the dictaphone for recording thoughts in the car as commuting a lot these days (gaff finally ready at the weekend, so if any of ye on for a few pints and some dodgy metal).

Just really frustrated between the whole "Do I need more papers and where did I see that point or do I just write whats in my head?" balance

Lads and ladies,
Do any of ye use a dictaphone for taking notes or helping when writing. Just feeling ultra-lazy doing the Lit Review (AGAIN!!!!!)
If so, any tips???
Chri$t - I'm boreeedddddddd!

Change counsellor - you are entitled to a second opinion and someone prepared to listen to your thoughts.

Initially, I would have also said to change doc but unless you are losing sleep and not eating over a long period of time, he might be right. There is a culture of quick fixes thro' medication, but that is because of the abject lack of counselling facilities in the health system (either good or bad). If you can, change counsellor (if that means spending a bit more and travelling, it will be worth it).

Hit the nail Natassia. Take a break for a week and get the head at least someway together. You won't be 100% when you come back but being brutal you are probably no good to anyone in this state anyways. Take a few days off - go to see good friends and talk to them (ya need a listening ear now for a while). You have taken an emotional hit so ya need time to recover. A few days now will do the trick to at least get ya over the initial shock.

At least ya didn't get dumped by text ha ha ;-)

The honesty of children in sheer contrast of the cloak & dagger of adulthood, a good gig with heartfelt performances from non-manufactured artists only a few feet from the front row, a meal cooked and enjoyed by friends, a proper passing game of football (playing not watching), a cup of tea or a quiet pint and a chat with good friends.

Ellenr_321. My interpretation of this would be on several levels, but essentially, yeah, it means that there is no designated funding from the supervisor to cater for the project. That said, it doesn't mean that there will be some level of funding somewhere indirectly (if you thought political party funding was murky, ya ain't seen nothing!).

I think you are in a very good position at the moment. Despite the current downturn, the very fact that you are thinking of applying now underlines your enthusiasm. Get in contact with your local councils - there could be some funding there. Just because the funding isn't designated directly, there are plenty of other sources. I am assuming you are in the UK so wouldn't know of any council grants etc.

Identify the PhD projects that interest you as a project - sure, money is a big factor but if you identify the ones that interest you from a research perspective, take from now until November to actually find out is there any possible funding. And if not funding, contact the supervisor themselves - there maybe a policy of finding some related work for non-funded Phd-ers in that dept.

Lastly, you will probably have to do some part-time during your PhD or dip into savings at least.

And now you know why its called Windows ... cos typically all ya want to do is see the computer going thro' one!

If ya have any log of any calls with the Help Desk, keep track of. And get a new PC - surely the dept. can afford £2-300 on a cheap but reliable one.

Java - three years in and only now getting down to the nitty gritty. Have performed exploratory case studies alright.

What I would suggest is a mixture i.e. your own ideas but you MUST back this up with academic reasoning. A lit review usually takes on way more than your research question, so a lot of it is redundant. At this stage you probably have a good idea of the area, so find papers in that specific area, pinpointing what exactly you are looking at (what are the main topics in your field that interest you!). Do a specific search using the key words and identify papers around that area, then state how your work will add to this and how you are going to do this. You do need academic reasons for undertaking this study. If you can't find articles near your specific field, this is good too as it means you are adding. But 9 times out of ten, you are picking a specific topic and tweaking it by using a different methodology/sample. Cliche-tacular but you are not re-inventing the wheel!

In other words, stop the 1st year general reading around the topic and sit down and write out what you want to look at. Find the papers in that. From that, you will then get an idea. You don't need a whole load of papers - just a few to back up your reasons. Then go to your supervisor with this document (it doesn't need to be a lit review - it could be a page outline of the proposed PhD chapters/headings with connected papers). He/she will then work on that with you. That said, there is no getting away from the lit review, but you are probably finding that it is getting boring and tedious looking at an entire area. And besides, it will change.

As for ownership of project, I don't think it matters - it has to go thro' the supervisor so ye must agree (and usually that means you making the compromises or having damning evidence on his/her proposal). Unfair I know, but thems be the breaks. Sorry for sounding grey and world beaten but a PhD is no place for creativity (I know, I am going to be hammered for stating that!), but it is a process to prove you can conform to research norms, not break them! When you are a professor with 20 post-docs, then start that process.

Having a good outlet outside the Phd work is a must for reminding yourself of your individuality. I am sorry for sounding a right crank, but it is a test of seeing can you make it thro' rather than content. To paraphrase SuperChicken ... "You knew the job was boring when you took it"

Fair dues - good luck with the job-hunt and your supervisors reaction just confirmed that he was able to see beyond the academic points and treat you as a human being (he's rare ha ha!). Treat the Phd as experience (and you have had positive experiences so don't be dismissive about it when asked in interviews) And you'd never know- there might be a time in the future you might feel like going down the part-time route.

Good luck and let us know how you get on.

Ta Bulbs - just checked it there and there would have been a conference at the end of this month that would have been ideal - ah well! Next one will have to do!

Lads and ladies,
Am I wishing too much but is there any database/website of possible conferences? Real laziness on my behalf but decided since I can't get the paper to journal yet, maybe a conference will have to do for now. The general area is SME/IT/Collaboration if any of ye have an idea.
Thanks
Bonzo

P.S. The move going well so if any of ye want a roof over the head when in Southern Ireland gis a shout :-)

KG - It sounds as if you are thinking too much about the whole thing and possibly should really ask are you taking too much surplus on board? In other words, why are you teaching so much? Are these other projects that important? You really have to be ruthless and answer a few questions:
1. Do you actually want the PhD?
2. What is the minimum workload other than PhD work that you can manage/get away with? Unless the other work is generating needed cash, be ruthless and forget it.
3. Of course you don't want to neglect your friends - Tell them that you are busy and stressed and that it is nothing personal that you can't meet them so often. They will understand and will help. But make time for them - don't immerse yourself totally in your work. It is good to remind yourself of the bigger picture. And surely a few hours at the weekend is not gonna set you back so much (take one day off a week irrespective of what is happening!)
4. Speak to your supervisor - You are only in your second year (and barely started at that!) so getting any issues that you might have sorted now will be invaluable! Have you the guts of an idea yet? If you have, or it is looking like you will ini the next few months, that is the crux of the PhD. Getting your idea and a sound basis for proving it is the main thing - everything else is filler (ok, writing and publishing is a pain in the nuts, but no idea = total confusion!). So maybe, if you haven't that done, arrange a meeting with your supervisor to talk about it. Once that is done ....
5. TAKE A WEEK OR TWO OFF!! You need it at least to get back into shape. You surely can do that - even if you just have to slow things down for a few days. Meet your friends and explain the situation (that you aren't being a snob). I know term is starting but fu€k, what is better, missing a day or two at the start or being a cabbage at the top of class when things that can be sorted easily now go beyond you.

Don't worry - you sound as if you realise the possible dangers ahead but I would say is sit down with a piece of paper and a good friend and go thro' these problems one by one. Solve the ones you can solve and just ball up the others.

P.S. If it is a case that the teaching load is becoming too much and you don't need the cash - Outsource the work! Plenty of people needing the cash (ahem ahem :p )

In the same boat Graham - really feel deflated on coming out of meetings where there has been no feed back at all and only a sense that you were there so the supervisor could vent any frustration he/she has on you (even stuff that doesn't relate). Think the only way is to really stick to your guns and force the meeting yourself i.e. if you are being criticised, why and where are you going wrong rather than getting a vague "Oh your work is crap!".

Ta all - dont have a spare room in the gaff but will allocate a bit of space. I think my biggest fear is lack of focus or just attention. PhD was wandering all over the place but decided on a theme (yeah, I know its late, but doing it now!).