Add me to your boat... I have been writing but it is not going well... I blame the silver thing that is 28 inches and beams images into my living room. I also blame the internet... I can just about look for any irrelevant thing and spend hours doing it!

I am doing a traditional PhD. I did information systems engineering and now I am doing a multi-disciplinary doctorate which means I have to learn a lot of social psychology and computer graphics. The field was new to me. It wasn't something I knew about in my first degree and I did not do an MSc beforehand either. I don't think that you need to do a PhD in a related area and I don't think that all PhDs requires you to do a first degree which prepares you for it.

Almost all work involved after graduation whether in industry or academia, requires you do a lot of research and background reading. Also I have seen a lot of PhD students who did a MSc in a related area and then take 6-7 years to do it (some still working on it).

It just means you need to get the right place and supervisor.

I am a FT research fellow and a PT PhD student but I am lucky enough that the work stops when the thesis starts for now. I don't think I could live without the cash flow and just do a PhD. It would stress me out to have to budget and work hard on a thesis!

I am not in your fields but I will have a go at answering the general questions.

- It is easier if you know a guy you want to work with but obviously this is not the case most of the time. So email them and see. However do some research about their research and don't cut & paste emails. Take effort in writing the email and show genuine interest like read a paper or two by the potential supervisor.

- Every PhD student is initially registered as a MPhil. It is rarely a qualification aim on it's own. Go for the PhD. IF you are not good enough, they will ask you to do MPhil but this happens about a year and half into the PhD.

Yup need to get into industry. Show the world that I am not a geek who is afraid to go out of academia.

I can't marry rich. My boyfriend is a romantic which means he is dirt poor!!!

But people change their mind about being in academia after a PhD (ME), so hopefully it is good for a job in an industry in some related area... or non-related area. I don't care. I just want money now!!!

My interests are quite varied... shallow but wide!

I liked Jurassic Park... another one by Michael Crichton is Prey which I also liked.

:) Both the men's and women's loos are on every floor of our building but females don't have nail polish since males object to having it in their loos. Our (females) people are talking to their (males) people. Apparently one of the compromises is clear nail polish...

:D This post is completely useless. I blame insanity due to writing up! Mind you I enjoyed writing it!!!

Freddie Prinze Jnr. is cute!!! Also one of the reasons I sat through stupid Scooby Doo

I read anything and everything but the author has to come recommended through someone I know and share interests with. For instance someone told me about Bill Bryson and I then went out and bought one book after the other.

Let me guess... 404 does a PhD in philosophy?

Maybe my goldfish is looking for DJWickid's sponsored dog!

Also there is the other factor of who is going to bring up your kids: you or the day care center. I was brought up in a typical asian family where my mother stayed at home even though she was a qualified pre-school teacher. We lived in west africa so my mum could afford to stay at home and my dad came home at 6PM. I am gonna be living in London, where the whole family life thing is just not ON. So until I can afford to have them in an environment where my kids can get to know me and/or my fiance (atleast one parent)... no babies! I don't want someone else to bring up my kid.

They are born and look cute but then they open their mouths and scream for everything. Then they grow up and develop opinions about why balamory should be the only thing on TV and books! I don't have experience past that stage. My nephew (darling little thing) is 3 years and my niece is 5 months. I love them to bits but am so glad to give them back at the end of the day!!! Babies are hard work! I thought a thesis was tough! Babies are a whole different deal. So NO Babies unless I simply have to...

No babies!