1. Finish reserach
2. Write some chapters
3. Publish at least one paper
4. Go on holidays on a beautiful Greek island
5. Visit friends that I have left at the place I used to live and work 3 years ago (again on a very beautiful Greek island!!!!)

FRom my limited experience, in a PhD the most important is to get along well with your sup. You are going to work with your sup for at least 3 years, so you sould have a good reletionship with her.
When I was applying, I was accepted by the best university in my field and by a well known professor. I was ready to accept but then accidentaly I received an email (it wasn't sent to me on purpose) in which she was saying "what are we going to do with that problem?" meaning what were they going to do with me!!!! I thought that being considered a problem before even started......not a good thing!!!So, instead I accepted a place at a not so "good" university, but I have two fantastic supervisors who really care about my subject, who care about me and, most importantly, so not see me a problem!!!!
At the end of the day, it is your reserach that matters and your publications, not your sup's....

I don't know about your field, but I will tell you some general stuff.
Maybe you can work on a subject but see it from a different perspective (maybe using another research method????)
As far as the lack of knowledge...well, this is the scope of a PhD (at least one of its scopes), to learn new things! At least that's what I am doing. When I started, I knew what I wanted to do, but it was in a field that I didn't know enough. As I progress, I keep learning new things, new techniques....

I can't say that since I have started my PhD I have enjoyed any proper holidays. I am based in my country and I work full-time while doing my PhD part-time. Whenever I have holidays from work (I work as a teacher) I try and work on my research. BUT, my OH lives very far and we rarely meet. So, when he has some free time and is able to come to my place or somewhere in the middle of the distance, I consider these days holidays.... I don't mind this, because, so far, I haven't found the PhD a difficult task. I have done much nmore difficult things (especially and MBA with a very baaaad and racist tutor, who used to tell me that I was crap because I was not English and used to tell me that I wasn't worth of a postgraduate degree and that my first master had been a uni's mistake!!!!!! )
You need to find a balance between work and holidays. A balance between uni and personal life....

KB keep your energy!!!!!
Happy thoughts!!!!!
Everything will be over soon (3 months is not that long if you think about it positively)!!!!

Thank you very much!!!!! Fantastic info!!!!
I guess I am included in these categries (7 years of experience with SEN children in an EU country)....
Now I only have to decide if I want to move countries.....
Hmmmm difficult decision (at least for me)!!!!

Thank you!!!!!!!!!!!

Yes I know that.
BUT my UG degree includes it!!!!!
It is comlicated that's why I don't know what is happening with my situation....

I was wondering.
I have studied early childhood education in my country (in EU), and I have been working as a teacher at various schools also in my country.
Do you think I am eligible to get a teaching position, without getting any more qualifications, in UK?
I have searched over the internet, but I couldn't find anything about it....

Congratulations!!!!!!!!
I think we all need to read about successful outcomes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I love my subject. It's something that anybody can see every day, but in my country there has been very limited research.
But despite my love for it, I don't shake any time I think of it. But I tend to pay more attention to what is going on around me and connect it with my research.....
I have personal life that keeps my mind away from my PhD and maybe this is why I don't treat it like that lecturer....

Well, I also though of my project because of a personal experience, but I will not use my experience in my research. I mean, I know what is happening and I am trying to find out why this is happening (albeit I have my own explanations which so far are consistent with the ones that my participants share).
I don't think that you can't work on the subject that you like, but you have to look at it at the most subjective possible way. You can't talk about your experiences and you can't let your experiences guide your research. You have to be impartial otherwise there will be huge holes in your study.
Why don't you talk to your tutor? I bet s/he can offer good guidance and maybe suggest one (or more) universities where you could apply

======= Date Modified 09 Dec 2009 13:05:09 =======
OK time to set new goals. I got an official research permission that means that I now have access to schools for my research (up to now I relied to my friends and I begged people to help me).

So, I aim to do 5 more interviews until Christmas, transcribe them, translate them and do a first analysis. It is doable!!!

Along these interviews, I must keep on with my reading AND (this is a huge AND) I have to go to the dentist and get rid of the terrible toothache (the dentist has been working on my tooth for almost a month now, and he's finally almost finished!!!!!!!!)



Good luck everybody!!!!!!

Ohhhh and I shouldn't forget, I have to take the cat to the vet tomorrow.......

I guess it depends on the subject....Whenever I used quant I found that gathering my data was easy as a process. While, now that I am doing interviews.....OMG!!!!!

Maybe it's a matter of personal preference..... Of course both methods have their pros and cons!;-)