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Hi,

I was hoping to be in employment for the foreseeable future, but a job has fallen through. I would like to begin applying for both postdocs and lectureships, I have experience of the former (and have
secured interviews for both RA/postdoc positions), but have no experience of the
latter.

It seems incredibly tough looking for a job at the moment, I feel
completely bewildered having just completed my PhD, but not having anything
lined up work wise... I hope someone has some ideas to help :-(

Also, I seem to be good at getting my applications through the door to get an interview, but I
fall to pieces in the interview - I'm nearly in double figures for interviews now, with no job offers, so my confidence is very low.

I would like to find a way of improving my confidence, getting a job and working within my field, but I'm not yet sure where to start. A colleague is in a similar position with jobs, so we were thinking of collaborating for a grant...

Annie x

Hi Anon,

If there's anything I can impart after successfully completing my PhD, then it's not being too hard on yourself throughout the process... It sounds like if you're working 11 hours days, that you're really putting the effort in. I was in a similar position, where I was working hard, but just didn't feel like I believed in myself at all. I had a stipend, but I always felt that they would somehow "find me out" and then would know I wasn't any good! But now, I've had my viva, passed with minor corrections and all is fine! So, trust your instincts, try not to worry too much and work hard, and if it's all getting too annoying/stressful/etc. then I have always found coming on here a great place to discuss and explore your feelings.

Good luck and keep us posted :-)

Annie x

Hi everyone,

I am preparing for my viva at the moment - am sooooo scared, but also feel a bit excited. I didn't ever think I'd get to this point, but here I am. I have been reading through my thesis and am making a list of typos, corrections, and any points I think I should expand on (or be prepared to expand on). I am also writing a list of positive and negative points about the different methodological decisions I have made. But, although I feel a little better for doing this, I still have an immense feeling of fear. I am no good in interview situations, I can't even hold a glass of water. Feel totally scared about the whole process.

If anybody can suggest anything, how I can make myself feel at ease - have been working and am worried I have left everything until the last minute. But I was so tired/exhausted/wound up about my PhD when I submitted, that I couldn't face looking at it for a while. I have noticed what I would consider to be some very major problems - but I often predict the worst for things (just my natural way of thinking!). So I'm not sure if they are awful problems, or me going overboard with stuff, or a mixture of both.

Anyways, if anybody has any suggestions I'd really appreciate it. Thanks for reading this.

Hi all,

I am very lucky to have been offered an interview, the only thing is it's just under 150 miles away from where I currently live with my partner. I have been looking for a job for some time & am currently working in H.E., but in an admin job which pays little (Grade 4) and I have to commute 100 miles each day, so half way through the month I have no money left...

My partner's job contract will be up for renewal before the end of the year & my viva is in the Summer (this job is to start at a similar time)... Obviously I don't have the job yet, but have discussed a potential move and partner is currently adamant not to move.

I have friends within 20 miles of job, so it would be possible to stay with people & to come back home at weekends or to get a flat & come home at weekends - but I'd obviously rather live with my b/f of 4 years.

Argh, what to do? My heart says one thing and my head says the other & both keep on swapping from one minute to the next (not literally!). Has anybody else ever been in this situation, what would you do, do you have any advice for discussing this properly with partner?

Thanks,

Annie x

I'm trying to find out if there is any funding available to PhD students to help develop test materials (I need help with computer programming).

Thanks, Annie

Hi, I've spoken to people on this forum about potentially leaving my PhD before.
I have run four main experiments, but my experimental design is a bit poor, so I need to tighten it up and fix the bits that are wrong. I need to re-design my PhD, which I am part of the way through doing and work out what I'm doing next which I'm also nearly done with. My first supervisor moved away, and there is either no contact for weeks, or loads of contact in a day (which I find stressful). My second supervisor is more helpful but thinks I have an awful lot of work to do.

Good points to PhD: I might be getting somewhere
Bad points to PhD: Depressed/fed up/can't speak to anyone except my best friend and my mum/don't feel like going to bed/don't feel like getting up/rubbish idea/need to sort everything out/too many work commitments that I have to do (e.g. presenting/poster/etc.)/being in my 3rd year and feeling like I need to be in my second year again.

Basically, I feel as if my PhD stalled in the first year when my supervisor left and since then (and even before then) I feel like I have never been happy. I am bored of the monotony of doing the same thing day-in, day-out, whether it be writing or designing experiments. I also feel that the experiments I want to design are beyond me, because I have no idea how to programme computers, and feel like my supervisors both think I am more capable than I am.

I'm sorry if I sound repetitive(:-(), but I just can't decide what to do. Do I go, and potentially mess up applying for a different postgrad course (the one I should have done in the beginning - working in schools)/risk having no money/etc or do I stay and remain miserable???

I would be really glad and thankful for any comments,

Love Annie

Hey, yep you did say that in your PM's... It's the constant waivering that is making me miserable... Although feeling ill doesn't help either! I ended up going over to see family for a couple of hours for a chat and I think I've realised that it's the constant not knowing if I'm doing a PhD or MPhil that is getting to me....

Mind you, I remember from being an undergraduate that they never mark work on time at my uni, even doing the MSc they were similar.... And what with term starting over the next week or so, everybody is snowed under. So... Maybe I should just decide to do the work for myself.... What will happen, will happen and if I've tried my best, then no-one can put me down for that! :-)

Hi,

I'll give you a bit of background, started PhD, my supervisor left in the first year, but went to a near by uni, so is still my sup. I've always had trouble in my monitoring sessions, so despite upgrading me after 18 months, they asked me to write an additional report for my current and next experiments. My supervisor has been little help with this, so my 2nd supervisor got involved and helped me with my plans, etc. As it's been September, I've been away at two conferences this month. I've got to hand in a draft chapter or lit review or something substantial next week. I have some drafts written from a few months ago, but my ideas have changed a lot since then, so I need to update them.

I handed in the additional report 3 weeks ago and I've not heard anything from my monitors, So, I'm not sure if I'm doing a PhD or will be knocked back down to an MPhil. I am so stressed out about everything, hardly slept last night, which isn't helping me with my motivation (nor is having no feedback). I just don't know what to do anymore, part of me wants to run away and hide, the other part of me wants to... I'm not sure, today I'd say mostly sleep (but that's probably because I'm on antibiotics and had little sleep last night!).

Anyway, I feel like I'm totally stressed out, was considering going in and saying I can't do this anymore to one of the heads of year... But, the head of year is one of my monitors, who decides if I stay on and do an MPhil or a PhD. Help!!!!! xxxx

Hey. Yeah, it is just really annoying to feel so upset after finally feeling ok about everything. I'm actually quite annoyed! x

Hi, I've had lots of trouble with my PhD, and lots of soul searching in order to decide that I should carry on and make the best of what I have (a funded PhD and a good supervisor). At the end of last week I finally had a break through, it was so amazing to feel like I knew what I was doing. I have been asked to write a report for the end of my 2nd year, just a few pages to link together my studies, etc. However, this is where it all goes wrong.

I have been worrying about the report, but haven't written it yet because I've been writing up my other studies, these led to my new ideas which I needed before I could write the report. Then, the person who asked me to write the report asked me to come for a meeting, they told me not to prepare, they told me not to worry and that it was just to check how I am. Instead, they had a go at me for a short time (not long enough to check if I was ok, not long enough to have a proper conversation) and reminded me that "I had no time" and that it was "critical" for my PhD that I sort these things out - It's not like I don't know. I have been worried sick about this.

I feel pretty depressed and fed up of it all again now, last week was the first time in nearly 2 years that I felt ok, then this has come along and I feel awful again. I just don't know what to do. Part of me feels like quitting because I am so angry. Part of me feels like pushing myself through it all, i just feel so exhausted. I have told my supervisor about this (they were pretty surprised as they thought I've been doing really well) and they have been very supportive, but I still feel terrible.

I'm gone half way with my PhD, but whenever I think about it I feel really upset. I'm really happy at home, just moved in with my boyfriend... But, when it comes to work, I just want to cry all the time. Some days I do just cry about it. Last year I was on antidepressants for a while, but the feeling of being sad was more widespread, in all areas of my life (e.g. anxious all the time, not sleeping, etc.).

I've spoken to people (friends, family, etc.) they generally say to hang in there because a PhD is only a finite amount of time - it doesn't make it easy though. And, as the feeling is only there when I'm trying to work, I don't really think antidepressants are the answer.

I've found my topic difficult, my supervision ranging from brilliant to awful, my supervisor left (but supervises me from elsewhere), I just can't seem to put all the work I've done together and when I write anything I just think its rubbish, so, I suppose I'm just not enjoying the process at all (that with a rubbish uni and little support, hasn't much helped my confidence). And... I did get upgraded, but I'm required to write an additional report for next review and they're threatening that I might be downgraded to an MPhil if my studies don't link up better (which just makes me want to cry again, because I'm so fed up). Sorry for rant, has anybody got any suggestions, I'm wondering if I should stick it out or just leave? Thanks. x

Hiya, I hope you're ok. I could have written this myself. I'm not sure what i can advise you apart from to stick in there... You have been doing this for 3 years and it would be sad to give up now. I too ended up wandering around campus today, for about an hour just thinking "what is the point".

I don't know if i can be more help, talking about it on here helps, maybe visiting a support organisation within the uni might help too... This is the annoying thing about research, is that it doesn't always "work", it's very dissapointing when it doesn't, but that is only part of doing a PhD. What did the post-doc do earlier today? Is there anybody else apart from your supervisor to help? Have you got a second supervisor that is not the post-doc???

======= Date Modified 23 38 2009 17:38:48 =======
Help! I am worrying about my PhD, which I have found very (!) up and down. I have just organised to meet with my supervisor (who left during the first year) and my second supervisor is now becoming more involved with my work. The problem is that my research just seems really unfocussed (which has been picked up in my transfer interview). I just am not sure how to focus it in, I have some ideas, but I worry they might be rubbish.

I feel like I really need to sort this out. Has anybody got any suggestions to help/stop worrying/etc?

(EDT. Spelling mistake)

Hi, thanks for your replies. Yep, my first supervisor left but is still within commuting distance to my university. It was in my monitoring session that it was suggested that I might want to have another supervisor in my own uni who can help a little more. I'm still not sure how it will work out, because my 1st (away) and 2nd (here) supervisors have very different ideas/backgrounds/research interests. However, I think it will be useful to have the input of another member of staff in my work, at the moment i am worried everything is still quite vague and I really need to sort everything out.

Thanks for your repiles though, I might have a chat with some of the other postgrads at uni and see what they think too :)

Hi, I have recently been upgraded from an MPhil on to a PhD. I have been struggling with my research, but finally feel like I want to carry on and don't want to leave. My supervisor left half way through my first year and we still meet regularly. However, the supervision has been quite random, ranging from airy-fairy non answers to telling me the wrong thing to do (i.e. advising me not to do somehting when I should have done it).

I have been advised to have meetings with my second supervisor, which I did... And, I've been honest and said how I feel about everything. I figure if, half way through I am not honest, then I will continue to feel miserable and fed up about everything. I really like my supervisor as a person, but they have never supervised anyone before, I wonder if this coupled with my own lack of experience is making our supervisory sessions problematic?

Has anyone ever felt like this? I didn't want to drop my supervisor in it, and I feel like I have a bit because of the questions my second spervisor has been asking.