To reiterate what HazyJane is saying, if you're going to do a quantitative study then you need to know how you're going to analyse the data prior to collecting it - you can quite easily end up in a situation where you've collected loads of data but there is no appropriate statistical test/method for analysis.

You need to refine your research question in terms of the types of statistics you are going to be doing - are you looking at inferential statistical tests looking at comparing the differences between groups in response to some independent variable? Or are you looking at the relationship between variables where correlation or regression analysis might be more suitable?

You definitely, 100%, absolutely, never want to be in a situation where you are collecting data without knowing what you're doing with the analysis. Otherwise you can easily end up either not being able to do the analysis at all, or in some sort of fishing exercise.

Hey!

I commented on your last post, because I took a leave of absence to deal with some mental health issues. I think you've made a sensible decision, and importantly it actually shows you're on the way to getting better - you have taken the decision to prioritise your health and look after yourself - people with depression who are at the depths really struggle to recognise that it's okay to put their own needs first.

So, well done on making the decision to take a break :-)

I continued to work during my break (but not on research), but the big thing I did was engage with my therapy properly, go to the gym and get some exercise, read books for pleasure and just figure out what it meant to be me again. The most important thing for me was making sure that every day, I left the flat - and not just for work. Every day had to involve something outside of my flat that wasn't my job. Some days it was just therapy, others it was a trip to the supermarket, but each day I did something. And, at least once a week I met up with friends for lunch, coffee or a drink (though I was off alcohol at the time).

It took a while before I was able to sit in a coffee shop on a Wednesday afternoon without feeling guilty that I wasn't working on my PhD. But getting to that position was really important for me.

Good luck. I'm sure you've made the right decision. I'm now less than 3 months away from submission and working full time as a lecturer. It's tough, but I can see now that the work I did when I was ill actually had a lot more merit than I thought. Working at getting well is a full time job in itself to be honest.

Be kind to yourself. Always.

Can you take a leave of absence from your PhD? I took 9 months off from mine, while I continued to work teaching at the University, because I was too ill to do my research. I came back better and stronger, having gone from "i've got nothing, my work is awful, everything I do is awful" to writing up now (in my own time, outside of my full time academic post) and will be submitting by Christmas.

I needed that break to spend some time and energy getting well. But also, to reach the point where I just knew that finishing was a necessity to get me to a place where I can do the job that I love.

Might this be an option for you?

Like with many of these questions, the ease of returning to academia can be very subject dependent. For example, in my field of Computer Science and Media it's often considered a positive to have useful industry experience. But, I think one of the reasons it doesn't happen so much is the discrepancy in salaries between industry and academia. Once you get used to all the money and the lifestyle it can be hard to give it up to return to academia and many people choose not to.

Yeh, I've never heard of this for postdocs in academia before... Officially my contract specifies flexitime hours, and I'm supposed to be at my desk between 10 and 12 and 2 and 4 everyday. But... no one cares if I work from home, or if I work in the evening instead. It might be different if there were more people involved in my project. But, as long as the work is getting done no one seems to mind when it gets done. E.g. right now I'm in my office but am having a 10 minute internet break because I am struggling a bit with the whole "being smart" thing this morning.

Do they do the same with the academic staff? I know administrators at my uni officially have flexitime but there's no formal clocking in and clocking out. However, admin staff are expected to adhere to the flexitime rules more stringently but that's largely because a lot of their work can't be done elsewhere and they work more as part of a team.

How do the other postdocs handle it?

And do you actually get overtime pay?

I'm guessing there will be better career development prospects at the University college so I think you've made the right choice.

Congratulations on the new job. I hope you enjoy it :-)

Are the jobs the same in every other way? Are they both permanent posts? Are they both full time? Are they both at prestigious institutions? What are the opportunities for career development? Etc. etc. etc.

If you're comparing apples with apples then I'd go to the closer institute and say that you've got a higher salary offer at XX and are considering it. Could they do anything to come closer to that level because you'd really like to work at this place because all the people are amazing etc. etc. etc. but if not you'll have to take the higher salary offer.

Edit: Obviously, if you do this you'll have to be willing to walk away from the closer place if they won't match the offer. But salary negotiations are perfectly normal.

I think you're focusing on the wrong word. It might be simple, but is it interesting? Is it important? That's the thing to focus on. That's the aspect that matters. If you're following rigorous methodology on an interesting or important problem then you should be fine.

I totally get that you wanted to go into academia and it's disappointing that you haven't made it. But, there are tonnes of computing jobs which would relish someone who has a PhD and are interesting and fulfilling - i.e. not tech support related positions. Heck, there are loads of industry-based research positions available too (e.g. Microsoft Research, BAE, Thales, etc.)

I'm doing a PhD in Computer Science and am working as an academic at the same time. Most of my friends who have done PhDs in Computer Science are now in awesome, fulfilling and interesting jobs that use their skills. I'm surprised you have been unable to find anything that interests you. Where are you looking? Do academics in your old uni have any contacts in industry? The undergrads must be getting jobs from somewhere... can't they help you out?

Can you be a bit more descriptive about what you mean by non-probability sample? Like, did you only sample from University students? If so, then as long as you are careful about your generalisations (e.g. not saying the outcomes would be applicable to the whole world, or older adults) then it should be okay.

The key thing with inferential statistics is that you're not doing the tests as a fishing exercise looking for significant outcomes. You want to go into the analysis with a hypothesis and test for that. The type of test you need to do will be dependent on what your data is, and the set up of the DVs and IVs.

It's definitely possible to finish a PhD in 3 years. It's not easy, and if it's your main focus it can be done. But, if you're teaching, publishing papers, going to conferences/summer schools, taking training courses, helping with open days etc. etc. etc. then it's really quite hard to fit it all in. Now, of course you don't have to do all those other things, but if you're trying to keep in academia it's going to be very difficult to get a job without those things on your CV as well as the PhD.

Hi, I'm so sorry to hear about your dad :-( I think the best course of action for you will be to apply for a Leave of Absence as soon as possible.

A LoA temporarily suspends your registration, so it's as if you aren't a student anymore for a specified period. There should be some instructions on how to apply for the absence on your university webpage - at my uni you just fill in a form requesting it, provide some evidence of the situation (in your case, you might need to provide a copy of the death certificate - I had to provide a letter from my doctor saying I was unable to work), and a supporting statement from your supervisor.

Also, it's usually easier to come back from an LoA early, than it is to extend it. So, I would apply for more time off than you think you need, just in case.

I'm sorry again about your loss. Be kind to yourself.

Funding for a 4th year is super rare nowadays, which is ridiculous because most people need that final year. Frankly, you're going to have to get a job. Any job will do, obviously the higher paid the better. But, there is some benefit to doing some low-paid work that doesn't require a lot of thinking capacity - i.e. you'll get the money without wasting much brain energy on the work, leaving more brain capacity to work on the thesis in the evenings.

If you can survive on a part time job while writing up, that would be best. Working full time while writing up is incredibly difficult - that's what I'm doing for the next 6 months. My life at the moment is as follows:

7 am - get to the office, eat breakfast while working on my thesis.
10 am - start working on research/teaching job
6 pm - finish research job, go home and eat dinner and watch Emmerdale/something mindless
8 pm - more thesis
10 pm - bed

Rinse and repeat. I'll also try to do at least 5 hours on PhD at the weekend, but that doesn't always happen.

I'm getting about 5 hours a day done on my thesis, which is great. But it's utterly exhausting.