Any of you are happily childfree?
I am aware that many PhD students decide not to procreate in order to focus on their (academic) careers. I wonder if any of you can relate to this point?

I am not judging personal decisions. People's priorities are different after all :-)

Lower class for me > I am originally from a tiny village in Eastern Europe. This is where I grew up. My family are farmers.

I love watching people's faces when I tell them that 'I am a student' - because I look my age. 35 years old. They think that I have gone bananas or that I am taking the mickey. I usually don't specify. I never tell people what exactly I am doing. It's not their business.

If I really need to break the ice and say something, I simply say that I write a book...

Then I talk to them about law, and normally people find the whole conversation very very boring. They change topic.

I think that most people are genuinely surprised when someone tells them that they do a PhD. Don't forget that not many people dare doing so...


Yet, I have to admit that many of us who do PhDs, well...we are a bit 'weird'. Big Bang Theory weird... ('the nice way). Yes, I also tell people that a PhD is for life (especially we carry on working on our research post-PhD).

I know. They have no excuse. But unfortunately this is not the first time it is happening. When I submitted (first time), I also had to experience a 5 month wait... Unfortunately for me - I chose to have an examiner who is a VIP academic... and travels abroad constantly... But for now I won't complain. This is because I will also go abroad for research soon and I will be back in late September.

A friend of mine told me about the Univ. of the People yesterday. Do you think it's a good idea to voluntarily teach or design e-learning courses for them?

So, when we submit or resubmit the PhD thesis, are we still considered to be university students by the taxman in the UK? I am trying to figure out what taxes the government will milk out of my wages (tax, national insurance, etc.). Oooops, sorry for the spelling on the title! Blame my Saturday night party mood.

I started this survey and I could tick more than one box, and then I could not untick it.

Cyanfield, good luck with your thesis. Thank you guys and girls. Yes, it feels much better. I knew that something better would turn up but I did not expect it to happen so quick. I have been patient with the other job, as I need the money, but no more patience now. I will make as much as I can and then go in a couple of weeks. Yes, the boss won't care, I bet you. And even if I p*** her off, what's the deal? I am not going to ask her for any references anyway. I still volunteer for an institution, and they are my reference, together with my supervisor.

But I need to give my current boss a week's notice, and (I suppose) work on that week. My contract states that if I don't give notice they will keep one week's wages. Which means that I should not announce my resignation until the very last moment, and work for a week after announcing it. I will probably write a very generic resignation letter, telling them that I quit because of going abroad for a long time, which is part of the truth.

Because I had a couple of masters, I started straight with a PhD - not with an Mphil. Therefore, I did not have any lectures to attend. My PhD is in Law and Human Rights. On the first and second year, I was on campus regularly, working from there, mainly in the library and my own study space. After that, I moved one hour away from campus. The tickets were very expensive. I could not afford going every day. I worked from home, and I only went to campus for supervision. Last year I moved 3 hours away from campus. I did the same thing.

In the last year I have spent a fortune on train tickets. You will miss out if you are not on campus. My experience says that if you are there, the university treats you better: e.g. they may offer you teaching assistantship, etc. Also, you get to network a lot. Something I was not lucky enough to do.

An update for those who have not read my previous posts: I resubmitted my thesis 1 month ago, and I currently work full time making sandwiches... with a funky job title 'sandwich artist'. I had to hide all my postgraduate qualifications in order to get the job.

News about my job: well, I have to quit my current job, as I found another one: doing some university teaching. It does not pay that well (fewer hours), but obviously I will take it. There is A LOT of bullying at my sandwich making job. People treat me like rubbish - this is normal in fast food jobs, I hear.

I am looking forward to quitting. Also, I have decided to go abroad for two months for research, before my new job starts in the end of September.

For once, I am now *realistic*. I prioritise: I place academia and my research first.

Considering the long wait for the thesis examination, I was told by my supervisor that the external is uber busy, and I won't get any results before the end of October... A 5 month waiting! (Pineapple, I bet that this reminds you of something?).

Question: OK, I will quit making sandwiches in writing, but I have only worked there for a month. I have to give one week's notice. Should I be honest and tell the boss the truth about why I am quitting?

Be positive and stay positive. Try to organise your timing right, your priority is your thesis. Focus on things that make you happy - your pet, your partner - stay away from anything negative.

Your deadline will motivate you. Motivation can work miracles. No matter what happens, thing positive because you are reaching the end of your troubles.

PERSEVERE!

First of all, keep your hopes up. You may get a revise and resubmit, which gives you more time to prepare a better thesis.

I think that you should submit an abstract. Worst case scenario is they are going to say no or give you a poster instead of a paper, but at least you get the practice to write abstracts for 'major conferences'. By all means, please do.

Google 'my tomatoes timer'. It worked for me. Also, I made promises to myself, such as: I resubmit my thesis and one day after resubmitting, I am going on holiday. It worked for me.