Just a suggestion:

- sleeping bag (as nights in the lab can be long and cold ;))
- tooth brush
- tooth paste
- shaver (if you belong to the lucky gender)
- headache tablets

Good luck!

A lot of.. ("darling, love, dear etc.") going on here

Strongly dis-agree with the advice given by Melt. Distance MBAs are usually no good and a waste of time, money and resources. They also don't offer the same content as not everything in an MBA course is purely theoretical. You need to be there phisically to get the most out of it, from your fellow students with different cultural backgrounds, case discussions and so on.
I'd recommend a FT MBA if you can afford it, it's perhaps the better option.

Never heard of this quote by Winston Churchill. Where can I find it, Juno?

Perhaps you could consider completion of your PhD before you start thinking about an MPhil in a different field. There really isn't much logic in thinking about it now.

To follow it through: determination and optimism

Red flags:

1.thinking that a first class honours or distinction in UG or masters will make the PhD a smooth ride
2. arrogance
3. not getting on with the supervisor
4. giving up in the second year when morale is low

what are the wages for a nurse these days?

I know what I'm talking about as I live the dream.
Whereas you just hate the laboratory, apparently.

I see where you are coming from, you're right, a PhD is no necessity in my current job, but it's no harm either. In management consultancies, for instance, many employers give you the money and opportunity to do an MBA or professional doctorate after a few years in the profession, so it's certainly a time advantage if you already have one of these qualifications once you enter the profession: whereas you still have to start at the same level as someone straight from university, the PhD will then make it easier for you to proceed smoothly up the ranks (that's what I've been told). Anyway, the money is good and the sense of achievement gives me confidence which I perhaps wouldn't have had three years ago prior to my PhD research.

I wish you good luck for your "fight against the establishment"

"However, in your current job, is it PhDs only? "
Answer: not sure yet as I've just started but probably not. I reckon PhDs will be minority.

"Because if it is that case, what stopped you doing your current job with your BSc and extra experience? In short what was the point in you doing your PhD in the first place?"
Answer:The whole PhD thing just happened without it being my lifelong ambition. However, it then occured to me that a PhD is actually quite a distinctive and extraordinary qualification, thus stopping me from going into industry straight after BSc, etc.

Hi Shani,

danke fuer den Veloland Tipp, ich bin allerdings nicht sehr weit gekommen - die Schweiz war doch zu bergig.

But you have no idea how the industry sees you: as a highly qualified, very ambitious high-flyer. Now it's up to you to make the most of it. Polish your CV and shoes, buy the best suit you can afford, read all the right books and get out there. And I don't think you need a stable career and a home to get a girlfriend. What you need is self-confidence in order to get a career, the girlfriends will then come along automatically.

Alternatively, continue to live like a student and to complain how badly life has treated you, then you will still be here on findaphd.com in 30 years while the world has moved on.

to 1), 2) and 3)

Life is tough. There is pressure in universities and industry. Without my PhD I wouldn't have been able to get an extremely well-paid position in a very well-known management consulting firm. I also had an offer for a lecturership in Limerick. The thing is, even if the university system is not always fair, I am very grateful because it gave me the highest academic title. You think you are fighting a system but in truth you appear to fight yourself. The system is not unfair, it's just like the real life: only the toughtest survive, not necessarily the most intelligent. You have already proven that you are a tough guy as you completed your PhD. Still, you continue hanging around on this student forum because you still feel like a student. Like a poor student. That's your self perception.

P.S.: please replace the "don't cry like a girl" with "don't cry like a little child girl OR boy". Thanks.

I'm not attacking you, I'm just completely dis-agreeing with every single word you say. Your negativism wont help you to change anything. Yes, there is a dark side to academia, but if you're so concerned about it why don't you just leave it behind. And if you're so concerned about not finding a materialistic girlfriend, then you should perhaps consider earning more money (outside of academia).

Besides, Paul McKenna's books are available for £12.