Thanks for all of your replies :) I'm not doing any teaching work (I don't want to - I've realised academia is not for me...) so I'm really just focussed on this project. As others have mentioned, once the 3 years are up and the funding stops I really do not want to be in a position of waiting to do the viva or worse still - still writing up. I may aim for 2 years (LOL i know I'm crazy) but then if it goes on 6 - 9 more months as I suspect, then thats ok!

Best of luck with it all, work hard and I'm sure you'll do it!

The last I heard he was unemployed but that's a couple of years ago. He had a very specific non-academic job in mind (though tbh I never really understood why he thought an unrelated PhD was going to help) and that didn't work out. I think he did try applying for academic jobs after he got knocked back from that but he just wasn't competitive.

Thanks Bewildered. I hope he got something lined up eventually. I'd find academia in itself OK, but not thrilling, but the pressure to find a way in and once in to stay there just wouldn't be for me.

Thanks Delta and Ady regarding when funding would stop. Mine is very hand-off - all automatic with no progress reports, so I can't see them stepping in between my submitting and my viva. I'm getting very ahead of myself though!

Add to that the short term contracts you face unless you become tenured (difficult), it's easy to see how people become disillusioned with academia as you cannot plan financially long term (mortgages, family, etc.). Post-doc to most can only be a two year breather to earn money whilst writing up and later to find a longer term job.

Ian (Mackem_Beefy)

Strange you've just posted that. I had a look this evening to see what some of the past PhD's my department passed are doing and some are doing well but although one person seems to be in constant employment since finishing hers (10 years ago!) it has involved three moves across the country and she's a research fellow at present. Sorry, definitely not for me. I've put far too much of my life on hold already. Years, years and years. I'm in good form and so not saying this in a depressed mood but for me nearly a decade at university seems to have been a complete waste of time. I just don't find research that interesting...

I've also noticed something in my department. Those who get work in the department after finishing tend to be females with young families. Makes me think the department go out of their way to look after them but if they perceive you as mobile they leave you to it.

Hi there, I'm also a new member.

Yes, it is possible and its certainly not a hindrance to later success either. The most successful researcher in my field (Plant Molecular Genetics) and someone I have worked for, a guy called Detlef Weigel, submitted his thesis after 2 years and 3 months. They guy is an absolute genius though. I'm not sure its remotely possible for mere mortals.

Charmless Man. 

Depends who you are and where you've come from - I'm in industry and doing mine part time, in 3 1/2 years I've published 5 papers (4 conference 1 journal) and have 2 more in the immediate pipeline. I think I can finish in the minimum for a part timer, and if I was full time I think I could have wrapped it up in 2 years - maybe. I'm no genius, but have been in industry 20 years, so have a firm background in my field. I'm pretty much used to doing a block of work and writing a report in my normal life, so experiment and publish really works for me. Plus I'm old so very mindful of time...
The worst bit for me is the time you waste at the begining, looking for direction...

The CEO of a company I worked with finished his Chemistry PhD in 18 months! But this was decades ago, I think in the 70s...