Hi everyone!
This is my first post here though I've been entertaining myself with yours for a while - and I'm getting more and more addicted!
This my first year as a PhDer (first progress meeting looming in 2 weeks time - gulp...), and I'm also a GTA so lots of marking and planning on top of researching for my subject (in Humanities). I'm also a mum to the most adorable 2 and a half year old (terrible twos? what terrible twos??! see the irony here...) and I'm starting to wonder what exactly I'm letting myself in for...
Whenever I'm researching I feel like I should be planning better lessons, whenever I'm marking I feel like I should spend more time with my child, whenever I spend time with my child I feel like all my free time is spent and I have no more time for my hubby, who bears the grunt of my bad moods.
Where has my life gone??
Anyone feels the same?
Hi Smilodon! Glad to see I'm not alone!!
Also very reassuring to see that you can come out of it still alive - hats off to you for being in your 4th year!
According to my calculations, you had your little one when studying? Am I right? In which case that's another reassuring sign - we're planning our second one once I get my 1st year out of the way. Crazy I know but Phds can wait; my biological clock can't unfortunately! That's my reasoning anyway.
Good luck with the work
:-)
I had her at the end of my second year. I took a year out and did a bit of writing during that time. I then took another year out but actually worked 2 days/week and then 3 days/week last year and this year (plus Saturdays). So the idea was that I would make the remaining year part-time over 2 years without officially going part-time (since that would cause funding headaches). So although this is technically my 4th year it's actually my 6th year - and it feels like it:p
I'd had a lot of problems with this project and I was quite behind schedule when the baby arrived. The teaching last year didn't help. Now I'm definitley keen to get to the end!
Waow! I admire your tenacity! I bet you will feel very proud of yourself for achieving so much in those 6 years, and you should probably feel like that already - I'm only 2 months into it and I can already see all the sacrifices I (and my poor hubb!) will have to make in order to make it all work.
I feel the same!
Now in second year, also GTA (actually GTF, so a bit more admin :-( and marking).
3 kids - 8, 6 and 1.
Wife who works lots of hours.
Also do a bit of self employed work to pay the mortgage.
Life is just one huge balancing act, involving lots of running around and a few too many excuses. It's hard to concentrate on what I'm doing, as I keep thinking about all the things I should be doing.
Good fun really though, isn't it?! Wouldn't change it for the world :)
Yes Smilodon, I know the feeling - without my son's childminder I wouldn't have time to work, even though it does swallow a huge chunk of our income and doesn't sit sit too well with the extra conscience that came with motherhood. Hubby works a lot; he gets a reasonable salary (although he wouldn't agree!!) but we have been dispensing with any kind of luxuries and it looks like we'll be doing so for the forseable.
But I totally agree Barnaby, it is good fun! My contract says I'm a GTF too - I wasn't aware that there was a difference between GTFs an GTAs, aside from the terminology...Could you enlighten me?
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