I wanted to be a Dr from being about 8 years old, my granddad was a Dr of engineering and I just thought it was so darn cool.

Followed a very long and windy path in industry to get a blooming great job only have the rug pulled out from under my feet, lost all confidence, PhD was offered and I decided that I would go for it - I don't ever see myself in academia, I am already so frustrated with the convolutions and political machinations, so once I'm a Dr (fingers x'd) I hope to work within industry on research projects as a contractor. I also want a bigger family so I'm intending on concentrating on that :p afterwards for a while.

I had the letter to offer me a full time funded PhD soon after I discovered I was pregnant. Uni allowed me to defer and juggling with husband as well as a slow start enabled my daughter to start at nursery at 6 months 3 days a week (I then had a day at a weekend). Initially very supportive of the PhD my husband now admits openly that he sees it just as a hobby and with small child at nursery I am the one taking time off with annoying frequncy for stomach bugs or hospital appointments. My daughter has additional medical complications and so I am unable to be flexible about who looks after her, I also have to do a lot of 1-2-1 physio and play therapy with her every day which is quite time consuming.

The situation with housework, cooking and cleaning is that I do it all while my husband plays games and generally relaxes after a day at work. Sigh. It all came to a head over Christmas and in fact I am currently looking at moving to a part time study mode which will totally eat up savings I have but hopefully reduce the pressure. I have started to be frighteningly organised, I downloaded an application onto eth family iPad called home routines - its a bit american but it works, it means whoever is home knows what needs to be done. Once a wek I write food menus and shopping lists, the house ticks over the 3 days I study and then I catch up on a Saturday (I work Sundays). I lay mine and my daughters clothes out each week, I lay the table every night with breakfast things and on work nights then its quick dinners galore. In addition my husband after much nagging has agreed to start working from home a day a week which means he can get daughter from nursery and I get one really long day at work which will give me an extra 2 hours.

I agree with leaving a study area to work at, also when you fnish for the day or session write a note of what you have done and what you want to do next - this one tip has increased my productivity immensely.

======= Date Modified 12 Jan 2012 15:45:20 =======
Hello - and I am sorry I have been away so long, there have been some really good threads on here recently and I have been reading at night but my phone invariably won't let me write replies!

Happy new year all!

The reason I come to you lovely people who speak plain english and explain so well is that I have reached something of an impasse.

Quick background - 18 years in IT, now somehow doing a PhD. Love it. But I am now well into my 2nd year and I am increasingly concerned at the time I have left, I've done a lot of writing and done a lot of application development. My sup team are keen for me to utilise public engagement methods to evaluate the applications I have developed, each of these workshops seem to take 6+ months to set up judging by my efforts so far and I have to organise three - 1 to evaluate each piece of technology. Argh. I am trying to find alternative robust but quicker methods while having no academic or social science background - writing the computer code is not an issue but evaluating it in order to be a sound piece of research is driving me insane.

Can anyone help or point me in the direction of good texts/papers?

As always - with thanks

(p.s. my other question was about writing but I saw the excellent thread below and now off out to find Writing in Plain English by Bryan Garner)


***edited to ask why I can't see HazyJanes reply???***

Hi everyone :)

Well I'm still here - still slogging away and STILL not out in the field! I am currently just finalising my research survey propsal for the first element of my research and I find myself wondering about how much I should share to others about the work which I am doing.

For example - I am using visitors to a small local nature reserve as a pilot for *the real deal* later next year and it would benefit the communication method to have the aims and objectives to the research on a webpage, and also when it comes to disseminate results. BUt I am concerned that by doing this I amy be opening up my research to someone else leaping on the bandwagon!

How would you handle this?!

Thanks in advance :)

Hi all, been a long long time ,-)

I am trying to get hold of but only have access from 2004 onwards which isn't really what I need!

Tunstall S., (2000) Public perceptions of the environmental changes to the Thames Estuary in London, U.K. Journal of Coastal Research 16(2), 269-277

Many thanks

Thank you everyone, really really appreciated. I started my PhD 4 months behind (In Feb rather than Oct) my peers, and in fact my research group is made up of 2 x 3rd years, 4 x 2nd years and me as a 1st year so it is very hard for me to judge what I am expected to have done at what stage. I have also been in industry rather than in academia so I have hit the ground running in terms of assessing the technology I want to use, creating a brief for work I want to have done externally (I know my limits and credit will be given) and effectively doing a feasibility study on my ideas's as well as writing a project plan for when I want to have completed various deliverables.

However what I don't know is the more academic side of things, I've been asked to write my Masters project up to submit as a paper and have given a talk on it at a conference, I've done a very draft review of the literature which gave me my three research ideas and I have drawn up empirical research questions within those three areas which my sup is *very* happy with. I started to go out of my mind and became very isolated doing the lit review, and eventually admitted as much to my sup informally and his take on it was well in that case get on and choose some reaserch questions and start researching! I have identified my study sites and identified willing participants, I've drafted my ethical approval document (to be signed off at this meeting) and I've gone some way to developing the feedback mechanisms I want to use.

I do need a writing task though, I shall ask for something tangible to aim towards at this meeting on Wednesday. As far as the mandatory CPD elements I have done a few sessions but I need 10 credits, thats 10 days, childcare is £45 - 50 a day, therefore CPD is costing me dear. I have done a paediatric first aid course which I intend to ask for credit for and I am learning sign language, I'm also doing a mahoosive cycle fundraiser which I am going to try and beg a half credit for.

Congratulations :-)

As always any advice much appreciated!

My supervisory team is meeting this week to discuss my work so far, this is only my second meeting with both professors and my friendly third more technical supervisor has had to at the last minute send her apologies, but we net last week so she knows what I've been working on.

I have to send the two sups a document detailing my work so far, I have chosen to keep this fairly short and in a bullet format with a quick intro outlining what I have done in The last 4 months, (I spent 2 months reading and drafting a doc with ideas and a summary of current research but it is nowhere near being readable!), and then I have written my three areas of research as empirical questions with a detail of what I've done towards each area.

Which got me wondering and not a little paniced, What are people expected to have done by now? I'm always chasing my shadow as I worry so much I don't put enough hours in, and whenever I see my sup he just let's me tell him what I've been doing but never really asks for anything tangible. I do have to have carried out enough work to present at a conference early next year, that is all I've been told!

Many thanks!

As always any advice much appreciated!

My supervisory team is meeting this week to discuss my work so far, this is only my second meeting with both professors and my friendly third more technical supervisor has had to at the last minute send her apologies, but we net last week so she knows what I've been working on.

I have to send the two sups a document detailing my work so far, I have chosen to keep this fairly short and in a bullet format with a quick intro outlining what I have done in The last 4 months, (I spent 2 months reading and drafting a doc with ideas and a summary of current research but it is nowhere near being readable!), and then I have written my three areas of research as empirical questions with a detail of what I've done towards each area.

Which got me wondering and not a little paniced, What are people expected to have done by now? I'm always chasing my shadow as I worry so much I don't put enough hours in, and whenever I see my sup he just let's me tell him what I've been doing but never really asks for anything tangible. I do have to have carried out enough work to present at a conference early next year, that is all I've been told!

Many thanks!

======= Date Modified 18 Jul 2011 21:04:02 =======

Thank you all, yes I think the issue is that my sup. is happy but I am not really able to develop a healthy work/life balance, I am lucky to get perhaps 20 hours a week in at the moment of quality work. I really want to do the projects I have developed, but also feel a conflict with ensuring my daughter gets the development opportunities and support she needs. We've also just moved house, bringing our chaos with us as we have no time or space to 'get straight' before we moved and the removals firm although careful with our belongings quite literally labeled nothing except the room it came from!


I have also just been diagnosed with PTSD, something which I have known is coming for a while but it has taken a while for me to accept that to get help (and move on in counselor speak) I must accept I have a problem. The University counselling service has been good but doesn't have the CBT which I think will be of real benefit.


I intend to take a week off next week - I see my sup. this Friday and agree with him I need to take a week away to get my house straight, get my daughters birthday organised and think through my priorities, I feel huge conflict not to wait another 3/4 years to extend my family but also don't want to give up on a very interesting project - a fully funded PhD is not easy to come by and I am so very grateful to have been given the chance. Once I have got head space (I'll be a bit naughty and send my daughter to nursery as usual otherwise nothing gets done) I can hopefully have time to think and decide if I would be better retiring gracefully, after all I do feel I have some extenuating circs!


I a

Well I decided that there was no point in hiding the fact this is a depressing post!

I am struggling with my PhD, I am F/T with a young child that has spent 8 days/nights in hospital since Jan, the latest being last night. My daughter goes to nursery 3 days a week and I work one day at the weekend. In reality my daughter is frequently away from nursery ill and I spend a lot of time worrying about her.

My sup. is pleased with my progress so far but I just do not feel I am doing the work I am being paid to do and I worry that I need to go PT for this year (so take 4 years). I'm worried that evenings are frequently a 'no-go' due to my daughters terrible sleeping habits and the simple fact i am mind numbingly tired much of the time. I also spend more time than is healthy when i SHOULD be working not working - willpower not being a forte of mine!

I am research council funded, has anyone taken a break to think about their options or made a FT a PT PhD for a year or so (i know money would halve) to sort out other issues? I know my sup is VERY keen I finish in 3 years but I am just not able to put in the work and concentrate the way i need to if I am to have even the fainest chance of getting this degree.

Thanks in advance :)

Good Luck, will await to hear a positive post later :-)

Thanks guys, I am not really sure what I'm up to either. Have been surfing the web and came across something interesting which said that an empirical question is almost like a statement e.g."Can 3D modelling aid understanding of issues within landscapes? And if so what groups of people are particularly receptive to this technology" Then how do I test that theory (Before/After/improved understanding of choices made).

I have eaten, drunk coffee (decaff) and now have no excuse to leave my desk until I have nailed this document and got those two little letters back from my sup (OK!).