Yeah I agree with pm133, age won't be a problem with most supervisors or unis. They don't really care about you being too old. Though as you said funding might be the limiting factor.

Authorship is fun issue and I can feel the frustration. You also have the added fun of being in a multi-disciplinary linked PhD project with no clear leader. Your position would always have authorship issues, so not your fault.

Though has the other student got any first name papers? I mean this is their PhD as well. If this work/paper is key to their thesis it would look very bad if they don't have a first name paper. Even if you did all the work they still need to write up the biochemistry side and defend their work, which is very hard if you have both first name papers.

Honestly, I think your supervisor shouldn't have promised you that. He should have known this and your problems. In hindsight there should have been a more equal division of work for a linked PhD, which is not your fault. You probably have made this clear and can potentially leverage this to "politely" ask to get your name on a side project.

Since day one my supervisor has made clear that I shouldn't share my raw data until authorship has been decided. I think that might be applicable for you. If you are clear about your future work that you want first authorship they might be willing to do more of the grunt work. As the person who controls the raw data controls the paper. But this is only applicable in future.

Write this paper yourself. Seriously, if you write the first draft with all the data and your name first. As you have taken the initiative and are leading the work, they have to argue against you which is harder. I would recommend making it clear to the other group that you are unhappy and want a better authorship split with regards to lab work.

BTW, if you have no intention of staying in academia and don't care about relations. You can email the journal and make a complaint about authorship. Most journals will immediately freeze the process until authorship is fully agreed.

Rejection can be really tough especially after putting so much effort in. I can feel for you. Also the experience problem happens to all graduates and is utterly frustrating.

It is only been a few months, I think up to a year is fine even then it doesn't really matter. Though you might want to figure out what you really want. If you are writing tailored letters for every job you can find it is time consuming. But if you are applying for similar positions it can be a lot easier. Also are you willing to move or want a specific area? Being more flexible with location might be better if you want the dream job.

Gaps between jobs/studies is normal. As long as you working towards something bigger it is fine. A lot of people are jobless for a few months after a PhD but most people find a good stimulating job in the end. So the possible temporary unemployment is worth it in the long run. In my opinion.

I am glad you went the doctor and have been seen. Listen to professionals and don't focus on the viva. It is literally making you sick!

They would probably prefer if you asked for 3 at one time. They will copy and paste them and print them together. They know that applying for more than 1 uni is normal so won't see anything wrong.

Its good to hear positive stories like this. Beat the external examiner, straight into a job and have a real career. You are showing us there is a light at the end of the tunnel!

I am also second year of my PhD (lab based though) and have the same thoughts. I am trying to broaden my skills by doing those outreach events and conference organisation. It means more work but you will learn something from all the non-research roles that may come in useful in non-academic applications.

I would take a break of some sort of maybe a few months. I regret not taking a few months to recharge and pursue other interest after university. It means you can go into your PhD fresh.

Though I agree with TreeofLife, join with the biggest cohort. Most universities (in the UK at least) have 3/4 intakes of PhDs a year and they vary in size. In the UK September is the biggest and you will make the most friends that way. It may vary round the world but you want to start with as many people as possible.

Sort out your mental health first. Call someone ASAP and manage your health first. Your life is your priority not the PhD.

Though you do have a book which is amazing. Not many people get a book before they have even finished their PhD. That is impressive. Your external may be harsh but you have the potential to do very well. Don't let some words bring you down when you have achieved so much.

You are right, reputation matters a lot in academic hiring. I would consider if your professor's reputation in his field and your ability to do good research with him (ie publish) makes up for the anti-Asian bias. If other graduates from his group are getting good jobs that is a good sign of your own prospects. You also have a good working relationship which is great to have (there are some horror stories out there). And you have basically described the perfect PhD; famous prof, successful lab, publications and good working environment but is in HK. I think you would be lucky to get as good of opportunity in the "west".

A disseration is nice in that you have actually achieved something. You have written a 10,000 (or so) word piece on a specific topic and come to some conclusions. You have shown writing, critical analysis and knoweldge skills that are transferable to a lot of applications. It is also the closest thing you will do in university to real work.

Though a lot of jobs don't require it and if you want a job outside your field it doesn't matter if you did a disseratation on it. My dissertation was on something completely different to what I am doing and will never be useful outside the skills I got. Literally the only time I talked about the content was in my PhD interview. But again a dissertation is a great interview question/answer, it shows knoweldge and skills. You can use to answer stuff like "how did you deal with a difficult/hard/large task?" or use it as example for strengths/weaknesses. Also if you are equal in the job process the person with a dissertation will look better.

Basically, the advantages of doing a dissertation is you build your skills and have something to talk about in interviews. After 5 years there isn't much advantage.

PS: This is all my opinion and consider other people's advice.
PPS: You will need to write a dissertation for your Master's so doing 1 now will be a lot of help

Not an expert but would depend on the masters course. If it is a taught masters it doesn't really matter but is nice. If it is a research masters with intention of a PhD, definitely do a dissertation.

Depends. If you find a funding source and write a draft grant application yourself it should be fine. Write the proposal as best you can and ask would if they will support you in the application. Ie you are doing all the writing and they just give support. If you need advice with writing it, people on here should have some great advice.

It is not acceptable to suggest a source and expect them to do the legwork.

I did a year of distance learning during a placement year where I wrote my masters dissertation. It was awful getting time to write until I found a neutral space where I could blaze any music. At my work there was an old office that had been converted to storage that was empty (of people). I could go there and play my music as loud as I wanted and only thing I ever did in that room was disseration work. I would go there for an hour after work each day with a laptop that only had my disseration stuff and music, to reduce temptation. But I had a space and a time dedicated to it, which signifcantly improved my concentration

Maybe come in an hour early every day aand go to a coffee shop? If you keep to that routine you might get more consitent results.