ooh, didn't see there was another page to thread. silly me!

Phenomenology is the lost science of determining the personality or character traits of an individual by studying the shape of the head and physical landscape of the said individual's scalp.

No - that's phrenology.

I have to agree with robber. I'm not saying that PhDs are better than 'proper jobs' but why should they be seen as 'lesser' somehow. I have had many a 'proper job' and they were all a lot easier than this.

Ha ha!! Good to know I'm not alone. The expression I hear a lot is 'eternal student'. And I know that a lot of people who say this think that means I get up at midday, spend the afternoon watching chatshows and the evening in the pub. I wish!!

I sometimes say "I'll meet you after work" or "I'm working on sat" and they say "oooh, have you got a job?" and I reply "yes, at uni" to which they do a funny smile which says they think it's cute that I call my 'uni course' work and try to elevate it to the status of a 'proper job'!!

LOL!!! It's true, you can't even ask 'how's it going'!

What are you going to do after. I get that too. When are you going to get a job? I get asked. I think, I already have a job. A bluddy hard one. Feels like 2 FT jobs!

Please tell me that others out there cannot respond to this question in a sane manner. When people innocently inquire I have to deeply inhale, clench my jaws and wait for my eyeballs to come back to the front from rolling right back in my head. And people repeatedly ask. And they say, "but you've being doing it for ages". No. I. Haven't. Are others hyper-sensitive about this?!!

Well Done AnnieG.


But have to say, so true UFO. I used to wonder what PhD stood for. I now know it stands for Permanent Head Damage.

Hi, I too can totally identify. I am also finding it v hard to 'keep going' now that I am in my data analysis and write-up stage. Sometimes I simply cannot get going, but most of the time I just try to be 'strict' with myself. I try to have a reward in mind and think 'if you work for the next 3 hours' or 'if you finish this or that' you can have the reward. Unfortunately mostly my rewards are food, alcohol and cigarettes, so god knows what my health will be like when i finally finish!

Hi welcome I just joined too.

It is normal to feel overwhelmed and struggle at times. A lot of times! Like golfpro I too have to restrain myself when I come across B****d's taking a walk in the park. I personally cannot find that park!!

Hi Pinkneuron, I’m sorry to hear about the scholarship. I’ve not experienced this myself, but have experienced many disappointments in other ways during my PhD and seen the same with many others in my department. And so I just wanted to say that although it is so, so, so frustrating, with persistence things do come right. I think that for most people, doing a PhD is an exercise in tenacity as much as anything else

Thanks everyone for your welcoming words

Oops, meant to also add, psychology. I'm in the data analysis and beginnings of write-up stage. very beginnings!

Thanks

hello all

I found this site a few weeks ago and have really enjoyed reading the posts - so nice to hear someone else voice all your concerns and doubts!! Anyway, I feel like a bit of a voyeur so thought I'd introduce myself and join in. I am in my third year of a PhD and currently feeling that it is most definitely Persistence in the face of Hopelessness and Despair!