Thanks Sue, tea not helping my write though right now, procrastinating - organising a weekend away to a gig! ;)
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That's not procrastinating, that's looking after your mental health! Good for you going away for a week-end!

Hi KT and Bilbo

Glad to hear things are going well for you both. Yes, you really are an inspiration Bilbo, keep going, you'll be done soon! Good to know I've got company, we're all at our desks drinking tea. I'll be working away all day. Sun's just coming up and it's lovely and quiet and fresh. This is my most productive time. Better crack on with it - once the morning goes, is definitely harder for me to find inspiration!(up)

Hi everyone

My sup and I are writing a conference paper together, and to date, whenever we do joint work, she gets first author status, as she does most of the work and I get to tag along. However, with this paper, I have written about 70% of it and have taken main carriage of it. I have used one of her previous theories and significantly advanced it. However, overall project idea and underlying theory is hers. She's also editing the paper. Does my input qualify me to be first author? Currently she's got top billing. Normally this wouldn't bother me, but I'm also hoping this will become a journal article.

Am not very assertive with these sorts of things - should I just let it go? Treasure the opportunity and experience and not worry about status issues?

We have a really good relationship and she's a fab supervisor.

Many thanks.

I'd think twice about leaving your part-time job then, if you're going to be in financial straits. Can you schedule meetings for when you're not working? And if you're just starting, don't worry about conferences etc just yet, wait until you actually need to go to one. It sounds like they've don't want to be flexible with your working arrangements and have just given you a blanket 'no' to everything, but once you start the PhD and they see you can manage it and your work, they might come around. Also, why would they not give you time off to attend conferences? If you're part-time, can't you use annual leave to attend a conference? If you're casual, then you should be able to have the flexibility to not work on certain days. I'd explore options where you are a bit more, and look for another job inthe meantime, but keep working to bring in an income. Good luck!

Yes, I agree. If they've told you to revise and resubmit, this is a really good thing! Shows they're interested and are likely to publish you! Getting published is not easy, so if you're on the way, grab this opportunity and follow through with it. It would look awful if you withdrew, and since your reviewers would be likely to see anything you managed to publish elsewhere, this would damage your reputation. And as HazyJane has mentioned, there's also likely to be conditions with a new journal where you'd have to state that you hadn't submitted this anywhere else. Just be glad you're probably going to be in print!

Can you say no? I'd couch it in terms that while you appreciate the opportunities etc, you're concerned that this is taking time away from your thesis and you'd really like to finish in 3 years...expressing a desire to be a good student and get on with your own work surely can't be a bad thing!;-)

Hi KT

Congratulations! That's fantastic - your academic career is well on the way!

I'm battling along. Got comments from my supervisor on some work, and essentially I need to rewrite everything and change focus. Am really worried that I'm not going to get this all done by Xmas. Think I need to put in more hours too - although am currently working every day, I think my couple of half days/evenings off will have to go for a bit....:-(

Hi Rabmerab

I don't know about your profession or your area of study, but I reckon if you want a career change, go for it. I'm also older and trying to change careers. While I also have concerns that my age may count against me, I'm hoping that my general work experience, and now my studies and all the work I've done associated with my PhD will help me get a new research job. I think if you feel the need for a change, then it is a risk, but sometimes we need to take risks in life. Does the idea of not going for a new career and staying in your old job seem intolerable? If it does, then make the change. Life's too short to wonder about paths we didn't take - be brave and go for it! 

Lucky you to potentially have so many options! I reckon that if the science centre calls you in for an interview, and you can't duck out for it as you're teaching, then you arrange another time with them. They probably won't be thrilled, but should understand the commitments of a new job. And in regards to getting another job during the next 10 weeks, in my experience recruitment occurs really slowly. By the time you have an interview, then add another few weeks for the selection committee's recommendation to get signed off, then they'd probably expect that a new starter would need to give a month's notice - and I reckon the 10 weeks will have flown by. It might be quicker than this, I don't know, haven't yet gone for interviews in academia. If you do get offered a job soon, well, keep doing your Thurs and Fris and go full-time after the 10 weeks. I think new employers would understand a prior commitment to lecturing.

Anyway, good luck with it all! Things will work out - and this is a nice dilemma to have!

I think your counsellor sounds absolutely, outrageously hopeless. I've suffered from depression at times too, and have had an excellent counsellor who has helped me work out why I've been depressed, and then worked with me to develop coping strategies, and then other longer term strategies. To say that there's no point in going over the past is outrageous!!! :-s And then to insist on you doing work and making you feel bad when you don't reach your targets really gets my goat! Grrr!! This counsellor sounds more like a bullying school teacher than a health professional. Do your best to find someone else - go to another town if need be, altho I understand you're short on funds. No wonder you're finding it hard to move on - we need to understand our past if we are to progress. Good luck, I hope you find some better help soon!

This isn't an equal opportunities issue - this is about how universities secure funding. It wouldn't matter what the the international student was working on, thing is, they still need to pay fees for the 'privilege' of studying in the host country. They will eventually go back to their home country, and use the knowledge gained OS there, so the host country doesn't gain the long-term benefits, even though does gain the shorter term benefits of the research results.

I have the same problem, and to make matters worse, I think my participants are now totally over my project as they're not willing to participate in any further interviews. I think it's also really hard to know what will become important after the intervews have been done. While we do the interviews as best we can at the time, it's not till writing up that some elements take on new and unforeseen significance. Where more basic things have been missed - well, we're still learning!

Yeh, try and get more interviews, failing that, you'll just have to fudge it I'm afraid. That's my grand plan!;-) Will just have to cover off as best as possible, and leave out material which raises too many other questions. It's an inexact science, that's for sure.

I'm also procrastinating terribly at the moment - hence am replying to your thread! I also do the usual things that everyone says - lists, rewards, aim to do half an hour then keep going etc etc. None of these are particularly effective at the moment. One thing that does get me to work is the thought of finishing. I'm really over this, am sick of sitting in my study by myself day after day, month after month. I so want to move onto whatever the next stage of work/life is. The thought of not being done by March (when funding runs out) is awful, so am determined to keep going, so I can submit by then.

Right, off for a cuppa, then back into it. If you come across any other good motivators, let me know!

Yes, interesting question, as am currently working out new dreams for the next phase of my life! I think that within the next 10 years, I would have done some research work OS, come back, and worked on a whole host of interesting and decently paid research projects (hah! There's an oxymoron!). Made a bit of a name for myself, and left my former public service career far, far behind...And living in a decent city, not in this godforsaken two-bit town I'm currently forced to endure. And have some time for a proper social life and to do some volunteer work! This is really finally getting to me - year after year of not building sustaining relationships, as I only ever pop out of my study for a quick bite and occasional chat with friends, but don't undertake bigger things, eg week-ends away with people, or even make new friends as I'm always working, working, working...

And Walminski, for those of us who are a bit older, 38 isn't really "quite an age"!!;-)