Thought I'd pose the question to find out if there's anyone out there who's a year or more down the line and still actively enjoying what they do.

Maybe there are large chunks of work that are not enjoyable (in my case, almost-constant chunks of work which are deeply deeply not-enjoyable) with sporadic 'enjoyable' bits, or maybe you're one of those weird people who live all their work?

Am I alone in hating having to do what I'm doing? Am I mad? :$

Hey Zinar! I have to say, I enjoyed the vast majority of my PhD. The last few months were very stressful, naturally, but for the most part I loved it. There were dull bits to it, but sometimes I actually didn't mind doing the dull bits to give my brain a rest! I don't think you are alone in not enjoying your PhD though- there are many people who treat it as a job and aren't particularly enthusiastic about the subject, and still get by and do a really good job at it. What is it specficially that you don't enjoy? Best, KB

KB, has summed what the PhD means to me to a T!

The first 6 months or so, I actually didn't like it so much. I thought things were progressing (if at all) at a snail's pace, I was constantly confused and found myself clock-watching alot. In recent months things are coming on OK. I'm actually bus,y which I like, and I'm ACTUALLY GENERATING DATA! I have my enthusiastic weeks where I'm in the lab at all hours just because I want to, and then the weeks where I'm just counting down to Friday 5pm as soon as I get in on Monday morning. So I do enjoy the challenge, despite the inevitable frustrations of things not working or dealing with slightly mad professors. I think I can get through my PhD, but I do still have serious reservations about whether I want this life beyond my PhD, but that's a whole different topic!

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Like the poster below said, for the first half year or so I didn't enjoy it much. I felt like everything was moving at a glacial pace, and I wondered if I had made a huge mistake.

Now that I have data, and significant results, I am snowed under with work and beginning to find it productive, and at times even enjoyable. But I still see it as a means to an end.

Once you have been in the further education system for so long (I started undergrad in 2001...) it seems like the only option left.

I'm similar to Delta in that I see my PhD as a means to an end. I enjoy it some days, other days I am either not bothered or don't like it at all (I wouldn't use the word hate, but a very strong dislike is not uncommon). I'm actually working as an RA, so I get paid enough to get by (though not nearly as much as I was in my old job!), so I really do see it as a job. I'm doing it to get experience in this general field of engineering, however I am not massively keen on the specifics of the topic I'm working on at the moment. If I get the right offer of a job in this field from a company before the 2 year mark I'll almost certainly take it. After that I guess I may as well finish the PhD!

The thing to remember is that almost every job has bits you don't enjoy. If you find you are hating coming into work most days then find another job (whilst continuing the PhD in the mean time) and leave once you have it. Don't keep doing something you hate, life is too short.

screamingaddabs, strangely enough, in the past, I've read your posts and very much identified with your views. So it is true that great minds think alike!!!(up)

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Speaking in the past tense, this I can relate most to. On the whole I enjoyed it and generating results and generating a lot of original data within a short time of the start helped. The only bits I really hated were the literature review and the final write-up (crucifying), though in the latter case it was the constant handing back of corrections that got me down. That said, I'm not a person to quit easily and was determined to see it through. (Viva day was strange as I've said elsewhere, but that's another story.)

As regards doubts, I never doubted wanting to do a PhD or actually doing it, though I did wonder if I'd chosen the right one (I had two offers at the start). I did my second post-doc period at the place where the alternative PhD would have been done and I'm glad I didn't.

As regards life after PhD, you'll probably never get a single piece of work as demanding as the actual PhD itself. It's more about satisfying clients and putting out papers and proceedings on the basis of data you generate if you go post-doc for a couple of years. Actually, going post-doc is a good way of having a reltively quiet couple of years after PhD whilst you sort out in your head what you're going to do next (i.e. academia or real world).

Ian (Mackem_Beefy)

Hi
Nope your not Mad, I started Feb this year and still havent finished my lit review. I had part of it worked out and my supervisor made me work for an extra 8 weeks to come back with exactly the same answer. Now Im 2 months behind and he wants me to work faster. I enjoy the learning and the different areas that my reading and writing is taking me into but I dont enjoy being told my writing is poor and then just left to work it out myself. I have found a couple of people to read my stuff before I send it to my supervisor and he goes nuts with his yellow high lighter. I dont enjoy having been asked twice in the last 6 months if I really want to do this PhD. I am very controlled when I answer yes of course I do, yes Im committed.
Cheers

Put me in the 'hating' column... or at the far end of the 'love-hate' line. I think that's because I'm not actually managing to produce anything at all, though.

I think one of the things I'm not enjoying is the lack of motivation or anyone 'prodding' me into doing work - I coped reasonably well at undergrad stage with working on my own at a project, but I had lectures and coursework to guide me into doing stuff, whereas my PhD work is largely solitary apart from meeting(s) with my supervisor(s) once a week. When I meet them, it's not like they say "Do this, do that, I want this by next week", they're very relaxed and say "Have a think about this, what about that?". I can find it difficult to motivate myself to do work when I don't see results instantaneously (or soon) or when I don't have anything _particular_ to do (just a lot of things I need to look at). I also take my sup's relaxed attitude and lack of "orders" to mean that I'm failing or not doing things properly, which can be counter-productive and also lower my motivation.

I enjoy the lifestyle - Working on my own for long periods of time, not having anyone on my back, but the lack of negative (constructive) feedback sometimes leads me to think that I'm doing things wrong but they're too nice to tell me! The lack of pressure from anyone is good, but that leads me to put on great amounts of (even more) pressure on myself, to the point when I don't know when a job's done or when I've earned a break.

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Delta - Thanks, I think we are in a minority doing a PhD for more practical reasons than for the love of it but it's always nice to know there's someone else in your boat isn't it? :-)

Zinzar7 - My advice would be to find another student or post grad, or anyone who understands the process but isn't your "boss" and set deadlines etc with them. They need to then play the role of "have you done this yet?" etc. You could do the same for them if they have the same problem (many people do!). Another good one is either the "my tomatoes" thread or the "one goal" thread on here. A final option is to simply say to your supervisor "could we please set more concrete goals together for my work as I feel that would help me keep focussed and produce better work.

I really should follow my own advice here too.... :$

I think I am enjoying it, but I still find the process of having to take time to read and understand even before writing anything very slow. I also feel very pressured to finish my lit review ( I am in year 2 from October). I don't feel my subject is defined enough and I seem to deviate very easily. I have recently ended up in an area which is waaayyy beyond me and and now need to get the project towards something more manageable and actually comprehendable.

This forum (I am new to it) provides a little bit of comfort that I am not alone in this....but I still very anxious about the whole process.

In short yes, I am enjoying it but not sure I want to feel anxious for the 3 years. Is it possible to care to much and do I need to develop a more '£uc* it' approach it will all work out?

Thanks, Screamingaddabs, that's a really good idea. I can see that working for me (and also giving me someone to chat to who may be able to put thing into perspective), so I'll think about sorting that out :-)

Zinar7- I see your once a week and raise you 4x (in the first year) and 3x (in the two subsequent years, although I have been abroad for a lot of them).