Hi Rick, hi everyone

Well, haven't written much at all this week due to office job, but that's OK. Being back in the civil service has reminded me how much I don't want to permanently end up there, so looks like I've decided to pusue a career in academia after all. Scary! I've also come up with a fantastic idea for a project, so after I finish the thesis (!) am going to write a big proposal to try and get some major funding from the largest research council here. My sup is also very excited. So, not much progress on the thesis, but other progress is being made.

How's everyone else going?

Work hard, hope productivity is flowing. Had to have a few beers last nite to cope after a week in the tedious job, payng for it now...have a more moderate Fri nite than I did!

Another update. Am on the second last day in my old office job, and it's been good - has reminded me that I don't want to go back to this. Also reminded me that I like the money and it pays so much better than if I were to get an academic job! And I work so much harder as a student than office workers do! All the chats, the morning teas, the Fri afternoon drinks...sheesh!

Have been looking at ads for overseas jobs, and even where there are ones in my highly specialised field, there's always at least one criteria I don't have, so that's a bit depressing. Doing only qualitative research in a really specialised area that not many people in the world care about is not the best career move, I've found...

Almost finished 2nd draft of another chapter. Have to give a conference presentation next week. Have done the powerpoint presentation, but not my speaking notes yet. And to think, when I started doing presentations I'd practice and practice for a month beforehand - now I'm quite blase!

How's everyone else going? OK, a quick burst of studying before the office...

Hi Sue,
Glad to hear you’ve nearly finished your stint of non-PhD work. It must be good to be at the end. I have found the same as you, that having to do something non-PhD makes writing up so much more appealing. I’m currently doing something similar and looking forward to getting back to my thesis next week.
I have got a job starting in April so the pressure is now really on for me to stick to my word and finish by the end of March – think I ought to dig up that 10 month thread where lots of us migrated from! It’s quite exciting, seeing things come together but lots has to happen in the next couple of months for the various plans to succeed – feels like I’m playing dominoes!
Right…must get back to working, there’s lots to do.
Hope your second to last day goes quickly and easily
CG x

Nice to hear from Sue and Cakegirl. I'm keeping going too, though I've been very knocked out of late, and am creeping towards the finish line rather than sprinting.

I'm expecting to submit within a month's time, which is rather scary. I just have to finish some last minute rewriting of the conclusions, and write up my abstract.

I even sorted out (hopefully) my temporary bindings today, so I can take care of all that easily at home.

Hi Bilbo and CG

Nice to hear you're in the same boat as me CG - am looking forward to going back to the thesis. I've had the most horrible day in the civil service, awful, just want to crawl back into my cave and write about stuff I know. Promise I'll never complain about my thesis again! (yeh, right!).

You're both getting so close!! March is not far off, and Bilbo - only a month - wow!! How exciting!!! But sorry to hear you haven't been so well lately Bilbo.

Keep plugging on. Productive and healthy vibes to you both.

Hi everyone. Sounds like everyone is getting on okay, and I am too, work-wise. I am on schedule and not terrified by the prospect of submitting in a few months time. BUT, I am realising how this focussed thesis working is making me less and less sociable. For one, I am seemingly tired all the time, but also, I just dont know what to say to people. I am not doing anything apart from working on the thesis (and a bit of watching telly) and eating/sleeping etc, and many leisure activties are on hold at the moment. At lunch times when I meet up with others in my department, I am so passive, I am not really engaging much with anyone, talking little. I know it's a phase and everything, and others have written about in the forum, but I do feel strange about. It's not that I am normally massively sociable, popular or anything, but I just feel I have no energy to make an effort with anyone else (maybe except by boyfriend who I see at the weekends), which is sad really. Does anyone feel like that, too?:-(

Hi Poppy

Yes, can relate exactly. A few months ago, all I was doing was studying and I'd go out occasionally, but not often. The isolation of writing up was really getting to me, and I was depressed and then felt really socially inadequate when I did go out. Like you, I'm not hugely extroverted, but have always managed to do OK with people and have fun. But I found I was just sitting with people, being quiet and then started to also feel bad as I felt socially inept. I started a thread on this. But guess what - IT PASSES!! I got out of my depression due to engaging in an online chat room for PhD students, and now I've been in the workgforce for a month, I've found my social skills have come back! I can relate to people once again!

So, don't worry about this at the moment - it's just the PhD taking over ;-). You'll be fine once you're done. We'll go back to being our usual cheery selves, but with a doctorate (!).

Dear fellow "6 Monthers", just wanted to share that I have received feedback on my draft thesis.

Lots of "red ink", plenty of areas that (again) I have to work on. However, I try not to get annoyed or upset about these things, and will have a closer look in the weekend.

Happy though that I have received it back and that I can work on it again in the near future. Seems just a matter of persevering!:-)

Good luck Rick. Yes it is a matter of persevering. I swung through extreme reactions to my thesis always coming back looking like a spider had reproduced all over it, including my "final draft" just before Christmas ;-) Initially "Good: feedback!", then "Aarrgghh" as I read through some of the comments, then getting on with it, then depression as I hit some of the tough bits etc. Makes me sound bonkers, but hey. You've got to keep going though. Good luck with the next redraft.

Thanks Bilbo,

you are absolutely right: "Aaagh" was the first reaction / feeling I had when I saw the feedback.

How are you getting on?:-)

Hi Rick,

I've just been online ordering a viva book from Amazon. Trying not to get freaked out at the thought.

My thesis was bound yesterday, super fast. I need to sort something out for the CD though, so will be submitting next week. Seems to be flying on. Just a few days ago I was still working on it, and then whammo, everything happened really really fast.

Very relieved to have got to this stage, but somewhat apprehensive about the viva. Hoping the book will help me prepare.

Bilbo

Hey Bilbo - you have had your thesis bound! :-) This is great, must be an awsome feeling of seeing it all together in print/hardcopy..
I hope your viva prep will go well, keep us updated,
P.

Wow, Bilbo, I am impressed.

I knew you were making progress, yet I had not realised that you had achieved so much already. Having the thesis bound, to be able to really feel it, that must be great!

Well done!

Thanks both. Yes it's really good to see the thesis bound. I have a box of 5 of them, and they look very chunky!

I'm amazed at how quickly it happened. Last time I spoke to him my supervisor thought I'd be finished by the start of February, but up until a couple of days ago I thought it would still take at least another 2 weeks. Then it all happened fast.

Good luck to everyone else.

Congratulations Bilbo - sounds like you've done great. It's very reassuring to hear of your speedy finish (I'm having one of those days where it feels like the end will never arrive, and certainly not by the end of March), thanks for the positive note! Good luck with the last few jobs you have on the list before hand in. Have you bought the Rowena Murray book? I think that's the one I got last week - although haven't got round to looking at it yet. I'm sure it will come in useful!! I think there are a few recommended on various threads here.

Rick - I know what you mean about feedback, it's so good to reach the milestone of handing something in, but it can feel like starting again when addressing the feedback. I'm sure you know this but it's much better to have constructive, if tiresome, feedback than just a tick at the end and "this is fine" - that's no help! All part of the rollercoaster.

I think it was Poppy saying how this stage seems to dominate our lives, I have the same problem and actually now avoid the people who I know won't put up with me talking about my thesis! Not all the time, but most of it -I'm a bit tunnel vision and aware that that can be quite dull, so it's beneficial to both parties! It'll all come back afterwards when we are post phd and returned to normal society!

Sue, is this your first week without your job? I think you have lots of committments with papers and a conference, but hopefully you're enjoying not being at work and being back in science land. Hope the other things aren't frustrating you too much and you're getting the amount of thesis time you'd like to have.

Right...wine glass is topped up, back to work...