I am doing my PhD in computer science, I started in October 2007. Funding has recently run out so I do a (awful) job for 3 days a week. I have a wife and two young children to support, and my wife only works part-time. Along the way I have developed major mental health problems, as has my wife, and we have learned that my son is autistic.
My subject is artificial intelligence/computer-aided design. It is necessary for me to construct a specialist CAD tool in order to do my experiments, and I reckon I am about 90% of the way to constructing the tool. Its been a LOT of programming.
Along the way I have also presented my work at 2 conferences, and I have one journal publication. I am also well into writing one of the early chapters in the thesis.
All this is encouraging but then sometimes I remember that.. I've not even started the real experiments yet that will give me the results I need. All I have is some theory and a nearly completed (And very sophisticated) tool.
Uni has given me an extension until October 2011. However, I definitely won't have it done by then, I reckon it will be some time in 2012 (and not necessarily early in the year either!).
We have two people in our department who are still doing a PhD (as far as I know) and have been there for 6 years. The uni is clamping down on this now, though.
Is there anyone else who is taking over the 3 years to submit??