I'm not popular and never have been, even at school. I smile, shake hands, make eye contact, make small talk, but I still come across as withdrawn and not bubbly, whether I'm at an interview or a party. I don't see what else I can do - I'm a natural introvert and with the best will in the world I can't make myself into a social butterfly, nor do I have any desire to be one. I know many people who are not universally beloved (in fact in some cases their staff hate them) but they still have jobs. I understand that people like to work with a pleasant colleague, but I am pleasant and apparently that isn't enough - and it should be, because ultimately I'm there to work not to chat!

One of the major problems is that it would have been much more feasible to start at the bottom in my 20s. In my 30s I've advanced beyond the life stage where I could survive on an entry level salary and have the motivation to work my way up. Also - and I realise this sounds entitled but I do have a lot of resentment - what was the point of the PhD if I still have to start at the bottom? I might as well have skipped the PhD and started at the bottom several years ago, and I'd have worked my way up by now! I'm extremely angry about what a total waste of time and money the PhD was.

In addition, I think perhaps my lack of enthusiasm for most jobs comes across to employers. In most cases I applied because I need a paycheck and I'm capable of doing the job. Most people don't love their jobs! Why isn't it enough to be qualified and willing to work extremely hard? I don't see why I have to be excited about a job to work hard at it. I'm selling my labour, not my soul.

Four years since my viva and I'm still unemployed. I survive by tutoring teenagers and working as a supply teacher as and when they call me to offer a bit of work. It pays peanuts but keeps me from the humiliation of having to claim benefits and admit I have a PhD but no job. I worry that my neighbours think I'm lazy because I always seem to be at home. I worry that I won't be able to give my own child a decent life and a good education because I have no money.

I grew up dirt poor and vowed to work hard to make sure my own child never has to go through what I did. I feel like I've let everyone down, let myself down, and disappointed my parents who had such high hopes for me. My mother has always wanted to go to Hawaii, so back when I still had high hopes of a good career I promised I'd take her as soon as I got a job. She's had a photo of her dream Hawaii vacation on her wall for the past 20 years and it breaks my heart every time I see it, because she's going to die without ever going there. I told my daughter she could have piano lessons when I finished my PhD and got a job, and she's still waiting too. I feel so guilty because I let them both down.

I suppose my point is that you're not the only one who is suffering. Cold comfort, I know. As a smart person I know that the only solution is to write the PhD off and start again - maybe start a small business doing something completely unrelated. It's so hard though - I spent so long focusing on my field that I don't know what else to do.

For my final year of writing up I was self funded with a bank loan. I spent the absolute minimum to survive - no nights out, no new clothes or treats, and I lived on toast and got quite skinny because I couldn't afford food. It was depressing but I had no other choice unless I wanted to quit. My colleagues tried other strategies such as shacking up with an older woman in order to live in her house for free, donating eggs for IVF, selling their entire worldly possessions on Ebay, etc. I wish I was kidding...

I spent an entire month before my thesis submission working 20 hours a day, 7 days a week. I don't recommend it! Adrenaline and panic can work wonders when your deadline is approaching. The conclusion is actually one of the easiest bits to write as you're reusing stuff from other chapters and basically summarising and discussing. I think everyone has to go back and add bits to their literature review to make it more current - I had to anyway.

The thing that helped me most was having an assistant - a delegated friend or relative to whom you can say "fetch me the surveys from 2012", "check this for spelling mistakes", "find the paper with Jones 2010 written on the front", "change all the headings in this document to size 12 bold", or even "make me a cup of tea". It made me feel less stressed to know I had that support and could ask for anything I needed, and it was easier to stay motivated because I felt like I wasn't working alone. It doesn't have to be someone who has any clue about the work you're doing, just someone who is willing to support you.

One professor actually told me (off the record) that they already had enough lecturers with local accents and it was damaging their image as a multi-cultural institution which attracts talented staff from around the world. There were undoubtedly other reasons for them not employing me, but that one seemed particularly unfair as it's out of my control.

I've applied for numerous jobs in industry - my skills have value but it appears that my personality puts employers off. One employer said they were impressed by the quality of my past work but they felt that I wasn't personable enough, I was too withdrawn and not "bubbly", and they felt my personality was a better fit for the academic environment I had worked in previously. I already know this, but there are no jobs in academia! I'm aware that I'm quiet and teacher-ish, but I can't make myself be "bubbly" no matter how much I want a job! Add this to my lack of recent commercial experience and I have no chance.

The difficulty with freelancing is that it's hard to advertise yourself as a freelance consultant with zero past experience, in competition with large established consultancies. I'm not good at selling myself and not outgoing enough to convince a company to hire me. I've tried applying for consultant jobs but apparently I'm not "bubbly" enough to work with clients. This doesn't bode well for me getting any freelance work, and indeed I have been unsuccessful thus far. Not that there are many freelance opportunities in my field anyway.

I have absolutely no idea what to do. Retrain in another field? Difficult if you can't afford another degree, and feels like such a waste. I read these news articles about unemployed PhDs committing suicide and I totally understand why. You're probably one of the brightest students of your cohort, hence why you went on to do a PhD, you've been top of the class your whole life, and now you're totally worthless.

Worked hard to complete masters degree and PhD in Computing, and worked for two years between degrees, doing everything from bar work to IT-related jobs. Published several papers including collaborations with other universities, was a student volunteer at conferences, taught at my university for four years and also completed a teaching qualification.

Four years after completing my PhD I'm still unemployed.

I support myself as a supply teacher covering A-levels. Work is unreliable, salary is barely more than minimum wage once you factor in the marking, students are disinterested, and I'm not entitled to any benefits such as sickness or holiday pay.

I've applied for numerous postdocs and lectureships without success. Perhaps they already had someone in mind for the job but were required to advertise it anyway. Perhaps there was an over-supply of qualified candidates so they were able to hire someone with significantly more experience. Perhaps they wanted to enhance their multi-cultural staff and I wasn't foreign or exotic enough. I've been told several times that only the cream of the crop will land a lectureship nowadays so I might as well give up. My published papers are now out of date and I have no opportunity to produce more. I've been out of academia so long that I have no chance of returning.

Applying for commercial jobs hasn't yielded success either. I've been repeatedly told I'm overqualified and not suited to work in the real world, or they won't hire someone more qualified than the boss, or I lack commercial experience, or I come across as too studious and not bubbly enough. I've also been turned down for "menial" jobs because I don't really want the job, wouldn't be happy, wouldn't stick around, wouldn't fit in with the other staff, etc.

I feel like I'm out of options and have no future. My PhD was a total waste of my life and I don't know what else to do.