You have done amazingly well to get this far, very few people do.

Have you tried your best? If yes, then that's all that matters. Thesis/dissertations are always open to interpretation. I had a semi similar experience on my MSc to this, all looked great, supervisor super happy etc etc got my score back and it was a good 10 points below what was expected, I was VERY disappointed.

I know this is easy to say but worrying about it will not change the mark you get from the examiners. Even if you do have to do some work on your thesis it will be worth it. So relax and restore your energy.

Hi CCIE - I am in the IT industry and have done my MSc and it is world of difference to IT certifications - I am sure you know that tho.

You can go straight to a PhD from a BSc but I think it is very dependant on the quality of your BSc (and dissertation). My advice would be to find a research topic you want to do (or write a proposal) and approach some universities.

Good luck.

Thanks for the comments - all taken onboard. I feel the urge to do the PhD at the Uni I did my MSc at but it's 120miles from where I live and doing this part-time - I feel - would be tough. If I go to a Uni close to where I live or work I can nip in... there's no nipping on a 240mile round trip.

I just need to find a Uni that is useful for my chosen research area.

Stunning!

Applying what you learnt is far more important than where you learnt it - IMO. As an employer I am interested in experience coupled with qualifications. I have never looked up a candidate's Uni!
For me I look for:
Experience
Qualifications
Relevance of both.
In the perfect world they have experience of the role I have, they have great qualifications and those qualifications are relevant to the role.

I went straight into my dissertation but I think it is a personal choice. I feared I'd get too comfortable (or I'd talk myself out of it) and end up not doing it - as there is always an excuse! Similarly someone in my year had an enforced year off and flew through their dissertation with no problems.

So I graduated for my MSc yesterday - which is lethal for planting ideas in my head. One of which is doing a PhD part time.

One issue I have is will it be some lonely 4-6 year slog? On the MSc I had fellow students to 'enjoy' the journey with - is there a support network for that on a PhD?

I worked with some one who completed their PhD in 4 years while working. Granted - I do not know their work schedule but they passed with no corrections required.

If it is interesting enough to be illustrated it should go in the body.

A mother who does not like her precious son's girlfriend??? Never!! ;)

My advice would be to laugh it off and forget about it. Life is too short. Be grateful she is not funding it! If she has another pop - you have two choices:
1. Call her a luddite
2. Politely point out that you do not agree with her opinion and to save any future disagreements - agree not to discuss it again

Me? I'd go for no 1 along the lines of "Wow... this takes me back.. back to 1811"

I liked it.. I also thought it was well made - if you compare it to episodes 1-3!! My only gripe was that the story line was pretty similar to episode 4 - big planet destroying weapon, some characters with dodgy ancestry etc

Lots of unanswered questions but obviously left that way to make us watch the next two.

Your supervisor is not there to teach you only guide you. The research is all your own so you can choose to take his advice or not, the score is all your own responsibility.

I know that sounds harsh but I know from experience!!! My dissertation did not get the score I had hoped for - or had been indicated. I vividly remember my last couple of sessions with my supervisor where he could come up with no suggestions for improvement and we were both very happy with what was there... so to get a score about 10% lower than hoped was a real 'bag over the head punch in the face' moment.

Others might say differently but is it worth the hassle? If you have passed then congratulations - you have a Masters Degree which is a very good achievement, in time you will appreciate it.

I am going to be pedantic here, unique means one of a kind and then you say "not much literature" so there is some :)

Sounds like you have a good subject if it is unresearched. I am sure there is a lot written on WLB you now have to apply your perspective to it. My advice would be to decide what aspect you are going to focus on, it's very easy to bite off a lot. That will tell you what you plan to not investigate. So your introduction chapter is nearly complete - why you chose this, what specifcs you intend to research and what you have discounted.

As an employer if I see a gap on a cv I will want to know why. As long as you were actively seeking a job and keeping your skills relevant then that is ok. Make sure you address it as I know HR can be ruthless about gaps.
So make sure you include "during my search for a new position I used it as an opportunity to be active in xyz, increased my skills in blah blah blah". I am in IT and I love seeing that people have technology as an interest outside of work.

I am only going to comment on the non academic jobs, it is very market dependant. In 2009 I was looking for a new role and I kept every application, I was getting an agent reply rate of 10% and an interview rate of 10% of the agent replies.

Yes.. 1% interview rate. But I had experienced the same thing in 1999 (Y2K era) agents were getting 350 applicants per role, reading the first 50 and deleting the rest. So I knew it was a numbers game.

2014 I changed roles, applied for 7 jobs got 5 interviews, got turned down for 1 - accepted 1 and turned down further discussions with the other 3. I know it can be soul destroying but here are my observations:
1. It's not personal.
2. Read and reread your CV - get it reviewed and tailor it slightly to each role.
3. Agents are awful.
4. A lot is luck because of no.3
5. Treat getting a job as a job - it's 8 hours a day of graft.

Good luck.. keep going.. a lot can change quickly and you'll wonder why you ever doubted yourself.