You've revise and resubmit, however, to echo others you're supervisor sounds the right kind of person to have support you.

You've been given 12 months, however, provided you have a plan and a structured work schedule it might not take the full 12 months depending upon the feedback.

As Marasp says, there's a chance to get the thesis just right.

Ian

I can relate to your situation exactly, however, can't give you a clear cut answer. I've told the story of my second post-doc that people will be begging me not to tell it again. However, that bad experience led indirectly to a real world repetitive job with a safe, secure salary.

Personal reasons mean that a plan to move quickly back to a research-based position once in work never really materialised. I've now been in that real world job for some time now and my publication record, although with a decent number of papers, is looking dated now.

If you want to return to Uni. and do post-doc work, do it sooner rather than later whilst your papers are still fairly current and you've still contacts and acquaintances who know your work. The longer you leave it, the harder it will be.

Your personal situation will have a significant bearing as when family, kids and mortgage come along, you'll realise that repetitive job with it's safe, secure salary suddenly looks a lot more attractive and also more necessary.

How I would "reset" that situation, as with you, leaves me a little puzzled also. That said, I know of someone who came back after ten years, so I guess how you sell yourself as a researcher with an apparent break in that research profile has a lot to do with it.

That said, the reality is the tendency is for recent PhDs to occupy post-doc positions (some whilst writing up ensuring an income) with a surplus of those PhDs having to head for the real world to find work. Bluntly put, it won't be easy.

I, like you, feel frustrated, however, the passing of time has tempered my view. Because of this I personally would probably aim now at a research / development position in the real world (if suitable becomes available to me), as the thought of returning to two year contracts that might not be renewed would now be an important concern for me.

Ian

The fact you've been deregistered as a student makes things a little harder to be honest. If you go back now and ask to be reregistered (especially if you're beyond the four years), they're within their rights to say no to be brutal about it and requests for extensions on medical (i.e. stress) ground should have been made before you were deregistered.

I don't know if moving abroad and away from contact with your Uni. was the best idea in the world. You might plan to keep in touch with supervisors via e-mail and SkyPE, however, the reality is you lose that personal interface and direct motivation, which depending upon the individual can dampen momentum and take away access to immediate help. Also, access to student counselling services and immediate colleagues when you need to talk to someone else independently becomes greatly hampered. With the distraction of your new job as well as the loss of motivation, you've fallen into that trap.

However, the reality is opportunities come up and you have to assess whether or not to take them. Also, the dreaded year four means we need other sources of income when sponsorship ends so taking that opportunity if available becomes all the more important and tempting.

Practically, I'm not sure what you can do now. If you can't reregister (I'll note the Uni. doesn't even have to record you as a fail as you never submitted), could you take your work to date to another Uni. to submit for their PhD award? I have seen that suggested though again I've major doubts about you being taken on.

Another alternative is you might start afresh and work part-time towards a new PhD at your new Uni., using your current research work and possibly some of your old data if relevant to the new project. This may well be your best option. Your motivation for your current work may be much greater than for that which you left behind when you moved overseas.

Ian

If you've gone into a PhD without being sure you want to do one, then no wonder you have doubts about wanting to be there after such a short space of time. If the motivation wasn't there before you started, then why did you start?

You've listed various financial commitments you've had to make and if I'd had doubts, I would not have even made these commitments, let alone start the PhD until I was 100% sure. You've a challenging few years ahead of you and you need to be sure a PhD and possible research career to follow is what you want.

I agree with other posters that one week is a very short timescale to have doubts now you have started and perhaps the three month mark is a better time to review your situation. Give the PhD a chance and don't look for excuses to berate your situation compared to what you could be otherwise doing.

Would your partner being with you make all the difference? Is this possible? Long distance relationships are hard to maintain at the best of times and perhaps if it was possible for your partner to move to be with you, it may give to the psychological lift and emotional security you need or want. If not, you need to take a good long hard look at what you want, which from your later post you have realised.

I note you're doing Pharmacy and will comment that is one career path where a PhD will help you outside academia. I distantly know of someone who works in a Pharmaceutical research facility and almost all the key staff there hold PhDs.

Ian

To finish, I saw through the post-doc (only one year) though tried a couple of times unsuccessfully to find another job. As regards coping, I had to, day-to-day though at times I was at the end of my tether. Once I knew what I had to do practically (though with a feeling I never really owned the project I worked on), I was able to set myself a rough target for each day and work through it, accounting for the fact that the next mood swing or tantrum from either personality could throw me off course or undermine my confidence. When it happened, I had to somehow brush myself down and start again.

One big problem after was I left without a reference from the Prof., so it was nearly a year before I found my current job without a reference from my last employer. My advice thus is if you've no alternatives, try to stay put and remain on good terms if possible for the people you're working for the sake of references and also because if you are active (and not unemployed), it is easier to find alternative employment. However, if you have health problems due to your situation then moving on may become the only alternative. Long term sick may be another option if you're in this situation.

Given your situation (and had this been available to me), if you've an alternative that takes you in a direction you want to go then take it and lead a happier life. You want to be a nurse, go be one!!!

As regards trying to please other people, it's your life. F**k'em!!!

Why am I so blunt? The second post-doc was at a prestigious University as opposed to the new University / ex-Poly where I did my PhD, so friends and relatives in their advice to me saw that as a big plus. I went against my instincts on their (well meant) advice and am still paying career wise to this day.


Ian

To cut a long story short, first post-doc at PhD Uni. - no problems. Second post-doc was at another Uni.

Alarm bells rung straight after interview when I found out new boss ("renowned" Prof.) was being sued by former employee via industrial tribunal. Well meaning family suggested it was nothing to do with me so I foolishly went ahead (I was going to back out).

I'd been taken on to cover workload of an established researcher, who would act as my (de)mentor. Prof. on first meeting said as though I was not there, that I was a "second choice, a stop gap measure" and "they'd just have to make do". Telling people the story since, they said they would have walked out there and then. However, that would have left me without unemployment benefit and no income.

An otherwise interesting project was spoilt by the moody personalities involved (my de-mentor and the Prof.). The Prof. himself basically was able to put the fear of God up the department.

My induction taught me correct use of test equipment, however, some spreadsheets were just forwarded to me without proper explanation and I found myself in a meeting with a client where my analysis was wrong. I stupidly gave a wrong answer to the client as I didn't know how I was supposed to answer - that I admit I shouldn't have done. But it was already clear at that stage they were people who didn't want to know about problems and only wanted to hear good things - I was on a loser whatever I did.

I later figured out if I could exclude the de-mentor from the discussions, I got on better with the Prof. However, an indiscretion by the de-mentor went unpunished whilst I seemingly could do no right. She'd apparently omitted an important additive from a mixture, realised what she'd done, but continued to do it PhD and post-doc so her results remained consistent - far bigger than my meeting faux pas!!!

Ian

Loulou,

Is a suspension an option to take stock of your situation properly?

Your posts suggest a career path designed to keep other people happy rather than yourself. You wanted to do nursing, you still do, but were persuaded to do a science degree. The PhD has followed on from that.

If you really want to do nursing and are able to enrol, then do so and bring a phase of your life where you have been very unhappy to an end.

If you were third year and writing up (or close), my advice might have been to see the PhD through, as at that stage it probably have been more damaging to you employment wise to quit so close to the end. That said, even for me who's PhD experience was a fairly good one write-up was tough going.

However, you're at the end of your first year with a long way (2 to 3 years) to go. Whilst I wouldn't have used Fled's language exactly, I agree that to continue would not be good use of your time when your heart is elsewhere or of the University's time with a project that is not going anywhere due to the doubts of the current research candidate. I think it might be kinder for all concerned with the words you use to describe your situation to call it a day.

A suspension period would give you time to think about where your life is going and what direction YOU want it to go without making a hasty decision. You might take a short break say, come back with a new plan and be able to change the experience in your favour.

However, reading between the lines I believe you have already subconsciously made your decision and coming back to the same project some months down the road you may not be able to face. This is something I understand from a poor second post-doc experience (in my case people rather than project) where I just couldn't wait to leave.

Ian

Take a look at my blog on what a PhD is. Question 7 covers funding and funding councils, at least in the UK.

You should be looking at suitable studentships in your subject areas where funding is already in place.

Ian

Another very old thread resurrected. :-)

My answer is I don't know. If money and time were no object, then I might be tempted. I'm in a rut with my real world career and a new PhD (as was my original PhD) might represent a reboot in a direction I wanted to go. My job is basically that of a paper pusher, one of the reasons (though not the main one) I launched into my original PhD.

Practically, time (I'm a good few years older) and money (PhD bursaries go nowhere to matching a salary nor do they pay into a pension) are finite. Also, a PhD can deter real world employers on looking at your CV, so what would two PhDs do?

Better as suggested earlier to create jornal papers, book chapters and enhance your publication record if you want to improve your research career prospects

That said, I've been out of the research game long enough to say a second PhD might actually be a help. And having done one, I now know how to approach one. :-)

Ian

In the UK, many PhDs are funded by our research councils. Question 7 of the "So what is a PhD?" part of my blog covers this.
.

My blog has a section on UK funding from the UK research councils.

http://www.wearthesis.talktalk.net (Question 7 - I'll have to reformat a couple of parts of that page for larger monitors.)

You do need to apply for a funded position and http://www.findaphd.com is the place to look.

Ian