Hi Pennyfarthing

If you're full-time, I think you should be putting in close to full-time hours, like you are. Funding agreements will also say how many hours you're expected to do. You're right, your colleague isn't going to make progress fast and it will take her ages to finish. This is noticed by supervisors, and as you mentioned, students who put in the work, get the opportunities. But it's also a matter of individual preference and you might want to experiment a bit with different working styles. I work every day and only have the occasional day off, and this works fine for me - I have a couple of mornings and evenings off a week. But find out what works for you, while putting in the hours. I'm also in social sciences.

Hi Leanne

Welcome!! :-) Lots of people here find it difficult balancing studying and everything else, so you're not alone. You're also not alone in feeling alone! This is mainly a UK forum, although there's others (like me) who are not in the UK. I'm not even in that time zone, so when this lot is asleep, I'm working, alone again! Ahh well, this is a great forum and hopefully will be useful to you.

Gosh Walminski, you are sounding like a Smith's song! ;-) (Which to me, is a good thing!).

But I hear ya, absolutely. I'm in the same position, except almost at the end of the third year and will need to seek an extension. I've also been thinking about this a lot lately, and have decided that I honestly can't face anymore of this monk-like existence after I finish, so don't want to do any more research work.

I think research work is different from a PhD, as you do get the interaction of field work (depending on your discipline) and also colleagues, and it's more like a job and not a bloody sentence. But the academics I know also do spend a lot of time alone, researching and writing. And also being a research assistant, I do all my RA work alone, in my room. So yeh, it's grim, and not a lifestyle I think I want to pursue. But it also depends what sort of an academic you want to be - if you're also teaching, then you'd get lots of stimulus and would welcome the research time to think and write. I think that would be a better balancing of tasks. But can also lead to overload, and academics I know put in horrendous amounts of unpaid overtime to get the research done, and then seem to quite resent all the time they need to spend on teaching and associated tasks.

I also think you should not plan to spend all your time in monk-like solitude, and build in time every week to meet with friends, get drunk, forge relationships etc. Otherwise you'll crack up, and be a sobbing mess in your dingy room, and we don't want that.

Hi Tasha

Yes, just to back up what the others have said - choose another supervisor and stick it out. Your ex-supervisor is a bully, and I'd like to think most aren't like this!! I can't believe he expected you to be in the office so he could 'check up' on you!!! Most supervisors meet with the students, set a work plan, then leave the student to get on with it! You should be able to work whenever and where ever you like and not be dictated to by your supervisor. 48 hours a week is also more than a full-time job - great if you can do it, but shouldn't be expected and I doubt you'd funding stipulates you need to do this much. An cancelling your holiday - also not on, just outrageous behaviour. Good luck finding a new supervisor.

Hi KC

Nice to hear that you're doing fine! Sounds like it's much needed after your gruelling u'grad degree and all that work and poverty. How far are you into the PhD? I think for the middle bit (if that's where you are), it just ticks along, and I know I kind of went into cruise control (and any other metaphors that are applicable!). The initial excitement and impetus has worn off, the stress of writing up hasn't yet kicked in, and the middle part just flows along...I also didn't feel overly ambitions during this period - and am still not, despite theoretically being 6 mths away from submitting (!). But I can relate. As for others doing more, well, obviously you've set your own work pace and it works for you, which is great. Don't compare yourself to others, therein lies madness. But have you considered that maybe you do need to push yourself a bit more? Are you doing conference papers and journal articles? These are painful but necessary. And if you want to stay in academia, are you doing any tutoring? Teaching experience also does count.

While it's essential to pace yourself, you also need to make the most of opportunities, so maybe you should have a chat to your sups about taking on a bit more...

Hi Slowmo

You're not going crazy, and you have a right to feel irritated. The other posters are right - you need to talk to your second supervisor about your work, and also your career hopes and plans. If she knows that you can cope with more challenging work, and are actively seeking it, she might give you more. Supervisors and employers will always have their favourites though, and there's not much you can do about that - try not to feel resentful as this can really sour your time at work. Just remember though, that at other times you'll also be someone's favourite!

I don't know your area, but I think in regards to a lit review, you should do it formally and academically, with proper references. You'd need to do this later anyway, so might as well start off by doing things properly. Start off broad, covering the general field, then get more specific ie main technologies and improvements. Your supervisor might be casual about this as this is really de rigeur to him, and is often the first step when starting research.

And don't worry about looking stupid!! Or rather - get used to it!;-) Lots of us feel stupid a great deal of the time - part of the PhD process.

Good luck!

Hey there

Yep, this is a lonely business all right, and the job prospects are grim - but you got shortlisted for a postdoc, which is great! If you're being shortlisted, this means they think you can do it, so it should only be a matter of time before you snag one. I'm also in the writing up stage, and starting to think about how it all hangs together too. I think you're right, chapters should be arguments, more than descriptive stories. Have you done mapping of how they contribute to one central argument? I'm planning on getting a whiteboard and doing some mapping to tease these things out. And can't your supervisor work out the big picture too? This is really hard, and I also think 'so what' about mine - but suspect everyone does.

Yes, just stop reading and maybe think a bit more. Doodle on paper, throw ideas around, see what comes out for your main point.

You've also said in previous posts that living and studying in another country will look good on your cv - hang onto this thought! And really, altho it feels interminable now, it's not long and you'll soon be done. Won't that feel great?!!

I'm supposed to be submitting in March, but doubt I'll have a first draft done by Xmas - I think you're doing really well! Press on and good luck!

======= Date Modified 22 Oct 2009 07:49:53 =======
No, the horror continues!!



Forced myself to read and summarise a book on the methodology I'm using, and the doc crashed and I lost 3 hours work. AARRGGGHHHHHHHHH!!!! This methodology chapter is the most torturous, tedious, boring thing I've had to do for this thesis so far, am well over it.



Hope everyone has a better Thursday than me, I'm off to the pub to bore a friend about this...:-s

Hi Ardelia

Sorry to hear you're feeling so awful! Bullying is one of the worst things that can happen in the workplace/at uni. My advice is to change supervisors asap. Bullies don't change, they just find new victims. The longer it goes on, the more more insidious it gets and it just eats away at your self confidence. I've been bullied, and like you, was a confident, outgoing person, but bullying reduced me to hiding in an office, crying, day in and day out, until I left. So, find a new sup as quick as you can. In the meantime, get some counselling to give you some coping strategies, and document everything this person says/does to you. The fact that you can't see an end to this is also a real worry, and sounds like you could be depressed, so you need to take action and get out of this situation.

Hugs, and good luck.

Hey Walminski

Have you conceived this under the influence? ;-) Here here for drinking beer instead of studying!

I'm nearing the end of my third year, and can assure you that my PhD is also going not so well! It's a toss up between so-so and poor, so already there's flaws in your research, as it's influenced by my particular mood at the moment. But I guess that's the nature of social science research!

And hey, up until recently, the highlight of my day was watching 'On the Buses' on Foxtel at lunchtime - I think that beats out A-ha for poor taste! And I saw Human League earlier this year, and they were just fab.

Thanks for the fun post - a nice change from all the others asking about where to do a PhD/find money (!).

Hi everyone

It does sound as if everyone had a bad Tuesday! Procrastination, pain, stress, tiredness - my sympathies!!! Hope the motivation is up now and the words are flowing and the rellies are leaving people alone (!). I'm around too, start of a new day here and the sun is just coming up. Am writing a methodology chapter, which is just soooo tedious - but am determined to get a zero draft finished today.

Push on!

Hi

In regards to Australia, it would depend on your discipline. I'm in social sciences, and yep, people don't need to have a Masters, but it does help. Otherwise you'd need to have a good undergrad degree with first class honours. I don't think there's a site like findaphd, but I didn't need to search for mine - I contacted a potential supervisor with an idea for a topic, and went from there.

Here's a site that might help: http://www.studyinaustralia.gov.au

Good luck!

Thanks Wj, for your rather grim post, and I hope you find something soon. No wonder you're disheartened, sounds absolutely soul destroying and I wish you luck.

You've added another layer of evidence to what I've seen and suspected, that there are few academic jobs around. I'm in Australia and the job situation here is terrible too, from what I can make out. Seems to be either casual teaching, mostly tutoring, or short-term contract research work, and there's precious little of that around too. Neither of those offer options decent long-term prospects! I've also been thinking about life after the PhD and have a public service job to go back to, which is an option...otherwise am thinking maybe of private research companies...either way, these are sobering thoughts.

And like you Stressed, I'm only young at heart too (!) and sometimes wonder what the PhD will get me - but then am not doing this to get a job, which is just as well!

Looks like we all need to work on our back up plans a bit more!

Hi Sheena

Thanks for your comments. I'm not down so much as just over this!! Altho it does get lonely...and yes, I do some of the things you mention - I take walks with the dog, I reward myself on Fridays with nice food and wine with the partner, and am counting down to when I want to have my first draft done - only 63 days and am not even half way yet! So, better crack on...the Fear will keep me going.

Thanks again, and hope your work is going well.