I'd second the suggestion of downloading a more user friendly front end like R Studio. You will still have to deal with the command line approach, but it will make it a little clearer for you.

It's worth appreciating the differences in R compared to other packages, in terms of how to think about what you're asking the package to do. This article is worth a read:

R is not an easy program/language to learn in a hurry. What's your background - do you already use a stats package like SPSS, Stata or SAS?

I'm guessing that if the test specifies use of R, they will be assuming a certain level of existing competence.

I agree with bewildered that you should discuss this with one of your supervisors first. They may have an alternative approach to this which you haven't thought of, which could ease some of your anxiety. Also, it might cause more problems for you if you withdraw without their knowledge.

Have a check to see if you your uni/faculty do training courses on presentations/public speaking. Lots of people find this challenging, and it's worth getting training and support. Though it may feel incredibly daunting now, it genuinely is one of those things that gets easier with practice.

Do you have any PhD friends/peers in your department you could talk to about this? They may be able to offer helpful advice, and it might make you feel less anxious to realise that other people can find these experiences challenging too.

Good luck with whatever you decide.

I'd still exercise a little caution. If that's what the materials are for then why doesn't it say that on the website? And how are they going to turn a profit to pay you if they've not launched yet? They may 'pay per report' but I'd find out how soon after finishing that you'll get payment - would it only be if someone purchases the resource? Their business model doesn't seem particularly transparent, which is a concern.

Also, neither the CEO not the Director of Content have a current university affiliation listed, and they don't seem to mention any named academics involved, just a list of unis from which they're recruiting. Seems potentially dodgy.

Had a look at the website. Sounds a bit fishy to me. All this stuff about generating content, but no real mention of who that content is for. Is it to rival Wikipedia? Is it to get teaching/book content on the cheap? Is it an elaborate essay selling business? It's hard to tell from the information provided.

If your uni is listed as one of those participating, ask the company for a local contact with whom you could discuss this. If they don't consent to this, I'd be suspicious. TBH the fact they're not answering the phone doesn't bode well.

Hi BrownPolarBear

In what country are you doing your PhD? From what you've described, it's not clear why your supervisor would say that you can't complete enough work for a PhD, which might be achievable by changing the direction of your project. Are published papers a mandatory condition of passing a PhD where you are?

Overall, it may be possible to get a research fellow/research associate job in bioinformatics without a PhD, particularly if it's a technical role. But you might find that your career progression is ultimately limited by not having one.

In short, it's my perception that it is only a minority of PhD students who finish in bang on three years. Lots of people take considerably longer. It's not worth wasting energy in reflecting on not ticking the magic three year box. If you can get by financially, and there are no constraints from your uni, then you have nothing to worry about by going on for an extra 6 months. Just make sure you have one eye on whatever comes next and don't delay job applications etc until the PhD is all signed off.

I'm afraid to say I'm with Badhaircut and Bewildered. If you're willing to take out a CDL because you think the PhD will be an investment in your career...well I'm afraid to say that in the current academic job market the investment isn't worth the money you would spend as a self funder. It's certainly not worth getting into substantial debt over.

Go the part time route, see what other funding you can secure, and in the long term make you career plan has a plan B and plan C should it turn out that the PhD offers you no additional benefit with respect to employment prospects.

I think you're very sensible to be thinking ahead.

If you've still got a year's worth of funding to do, taking a couple of weeks off is not going to jeopardise your project. It might even do you good to have a break, and help you stop worrying about your next move. You're entitled to take time off anyway.

If you think your supervisor might raise an objection or some concerns, how about presenting him with a plan of how you will make sure the work stays on track (PIs seem to like seeing Gantt charts for example) and say that you'll work harder to catch up when you return, or something like that.

The function of a PhD is to train you to become an independent researcher. Of course, there are other aspects to it, but from a training/study point of view, that's what distinguishes it from, say, a research assistant position.

Why do you want to do a second PhD?

This isn't my area, but the advice that a broader masters course might be more likely to be available sounds sensible. If there are a few to choose from, perhaps select a university where research on that topic goes on, so that you have the opportunity to make contacts for PhD study.

One place which might be worth looking at would be the Institute of Psychiatry at Kings College London. They have a centre for Military health research: