hi sneaks,
the kid/time issue is a consideration for me too. my partner is 7 years older than me so he is ready to start having children now to be honest. he is being wonderful about not pressurising me, but i know his biological clock is ticking - but as you say, his career doesn't really enter into it.
as for a mortgage we have decided to wait until we are both set up in careers - so could even be 15 years away. we are in no rush to get a mortgage!
it's so difficult trying to balance it all!!
congratulations on the wedding by the way! Is your old house on the market yet or are you waiting until jobs are sorted next year?
xxx

I'm 25, but an 'old 25' if you know what I mean.... I left home at 17 and lived on my own before coming to university at 19. Through university I lived with my partner - so I suppose that relationship wise we are just ready to take the next step. Plus we have been living in our flat for 6 years and have outgrown it so are really feel the need to move.
x

Thank you for the replies - nice to know I'm not the only one!

I do want a career and so need that to be established before we have children, plus its not viable financially as my partner wants to go back to uni once I have finished my PhD so at least one of needs to be earning a decent wage. As for the wedding we will probably need to move house next yar so that is our priority money wise, plus I am in my final year and so cannot begin to contemplate planning a wedding and writing up! I also don't want to compromise on our plans so know I have to wait.

I know we are doing the right thing by waiting and i don't regret for a minute starting this PhD - i will be so proud of myself when i finish. It is jsut sometimes hard when people are doing the things I want to be doing too - just want it all I suppose!!

We are in no hurry to marry - hell we've been together 7 years, lived together 6 years, and been engaged for 2!!! I know I shouldn't be wishing my life away either, I suppose I'm just getting ready to move on from the PhD - maybe that's a part of the process?

xxx

Hi Elia,

I find it helps to have your presentation done in plenty of time and go over it a few times - practice with someone else if you can.

Other tips: remember to look at the audience, keep it natural (pretend you are talking to people you know), relax and enjoy it!! People will be much more receptive if they realise you have a passion for the subject you are talking about. Try and make a couple of light-hearted comments to again keep it relaxed and SMILE!!

Once you have presented a first time it will feel so much easier second time round! I'm now at the stage where I actually enjoy presenting :-)

Leanne x

Hi,

I just wondered if anyone else felt the same way as me...

I'm due to finish my PhD next year, after which I hope to go into academia. My partner and I want to move house, get married and have children, but none of this can even begin to happen until I finish my PhD and get a job. I just feel like someone has hit the pause button on my life.

I suppose this feeling is worse at the moment as a friend who started her PhD at the same time is about to have a baby and my sister who got engaged after me is now planning to have her wedding before mine. I know I need to be sensible and wait until I have a career established before having a family and a job before I plan a wedding... it's just so hard sometimes!

Anyone else feel like their lives are on hold?! :-(

Leanne x

Hi,

I have done a content analysis of newspaper articles and will be selecting a couple of those to do a more detailed analysis in a few months time. I have been doing a form of DA though on focus group data.

Leanne x

Hi all,

Thank you for replying. I have come across some of the chapters mentioned, but will follow up the ones I haven't!

Thanks again,

Leanne

I'm in my 3rd (and hopefully last!) year. I'm at the analysis stage and have a lot of the lit. review done so i'm hoping i can finish on time.
What is your research area?
x

hi lilbobeep!
my day has been ok - ups and downs! morning was occupied with anightmare editing job but have cleared that off my desk for now, then was grappling with transcription but my friend got offered a job!, then had a near nightmare which turned out to be a false alarm so definitely up and down!
what stage are you at with your PhD?
x

Just a bit! :-)
my heart was thumping for about 5 minutes!

Hi Rick,
I agree completely about it being worth it - my data is completely different. So much richer and more worthwhile.
The microphone was an ok one, but the rooms that I had to use were not great acoustically - one big old fashioned science class room for example.
It's just finding that motivation to get on with the big last push of transcription. I'm so desperate to get on with analysis, but at the same time struggle to stay focused on the transcription.
I'm in the process of sorting out my extracts - thought I had messed up royally and wasted weeks! - so will get started in the morning and just try and get my head down and do it
I'll get there eventually I just needed to whinge!

OK false alarm - have figured out what i have done. Thought I was going to have to spend days and days figuring out what the hell I had done! Phew!!
A lesson in note taking me thinks! x

I've just had a horrible moment of realisation!! I'm not sure I've transcribed, or even noted down all the extracts I need. I'm completely confused and have no idea what i have done! ARGH!!! going to have to sit here and figure it all out! F*$^!!
:-s

Thanks for the ercommendation. I'll have a look, but I have a transcription pedal so not sure how much more help it will be. It's just such a demoralising task i find - it's more motivation that's the problem!!
xxx

I was lucky in that my supervisor was able to pay for me to have some of them transcribed verbatim. However it is down to me to do the Jeffersonian transcription and I'm really struggling to complete it. I have done the bulk of it, but have extracts from 5 or so groups left to do. Focus groups with teenagers who mumble and talk over each other. One of the particpants I had to keep asking her to remove her coat from in front of her mouth!!! argh!!
xx