• Set out what your aims are at the start of your PhD (and let your supervisor know) for instance if you would like to spend time in a different lab or learn a specific technique.. TELL THEM. They aren’t mind readers
• Plan, write plans (revisit and revise plans) and keep showing them to your supervisor (even if your supervisor appears uninterested)
• Get to know your supervisor, learn how they work and how to get the most out of them
• Learn to communicate what you are doing to someone outside of your field (and your parents/loved ones)
• Adapt, learn that plans are not set in stone and things have to change and shift. Learn to live and love(if you can) this
• Things will take longer than you plan them to
• Read the PhD comic strips (http://www.phdcomics.com/comics.php)
• Join a select number of societies related to your field (when the time comes to present work at conferences most societies insist that you have been a member of their society for 12 months in order to apply for travel funds/grants – I wish I had known this!)
• ‘The Unexpected’ WILL happen. You can’t plan for it. You don’t know when it will happen. But it WILL ARRIVE. Promise.
• There will be additional courses, learning and support you can get from the university along the way (for example presenting, writing or computer skills courses). Identify where your weaknesses are and find out what courses will be able to help you
• Learn to communicate with your supervisor and lab mates/others in your group
• Gain a set of friends who are all at different stages of their PhDs, you can draw on their experiences, pass on your experiences and go for tea breaks with them when ‘the unexpected’ happens 
• Politics will probably create more problems and stresses than your research
• Not all research is ground breaking or exciting, but it all helps
• Something you have to do will be incredibly dull
• Something you have to do will be exciting
• You will find yourself in a different world where only your PhD project exists (try not to spend too much time in this world, it helps to get out from time to time)
• At some point someone will ask you to teach someone else
• Blog it. Blogging the trials and tribulations of your PhD can help get you through it and you might make some friends along the way
• Think about (and plan for) what you want to do when it ends. Although it may not feel like it eventually you will finish it!
• You will not tick off everything on the plan you created at the start of your PhD
• Your PhD is your project you need to OWN it, manage it and be responsible for it.

I probably need to add something about ‘being organised’ and ‘writing everything down and filing it properly’ these two will probably become more of a concern as I try to put all my work together in the thesis!

“I’ve found out the hard way that a PhD does not make you more employable outside of academia, unless the job in question is explicitly related to the PhD. Most employers won’t know what a PhD entails, and you’ll be at least three years behind everyone else in the job market.”

Given that Vitae tell us over half of PhD students will leave academia (only 48% of PhD graduates working in the UK remain in the education sector), most of us need to be prepared to account for that 3 (or 4, or…) year gap in our employment history when we eventually face the interview panel.

So what does the PhD graduate have to offer to the real world?

Independence
We have got to be among the most well versed in working without a manager’s direction, or agenda, or oversight. Surely this is an attractive prospect for any potential employer? Although, entry level positions might require you to show that this quality doesn’t simply mean we’re stubborn hermits, and can submit to authority when appropriate!

Commitment
Were you listening to the bit about it taking 3 years or more? That’s a long time to be working on one project. Completing a PhD shows that you can be dedicated to a task and to getting it finished, whatever that takes.

Time management
Again, the PhD is a long project. By the end, we’ve learned to identify our tasks, accurately predict their demands, prioritise them, and get them finished, often while working on more than one thing simultaneously.

People management
It might seem lonely and isolated at times, but we do encounter a number of people, and so can give evidence of working successfully together. We manage upwards when we engage with our supervisors or other academics in our home departments or at conferences. We work with the administrative staff in our universities, and comply with the regulations of our funding bodies. We organise things together, attend things together, and advise each other.

Problem-solving
We don’t start our research knowing the answer. Doing a PhD demonstrates the ability to work on something new, cope with the uncertainty, and find a solution.

Quick to learn
By the end of the PhD, we’re the experts in our chosen field (even if it is rather niche): that’s what the assessment criterion of originality really means. By that time we’ll have taught ourselves what we need to know to get there, demonstrating independent learning.

Writing skills
90,000 words. Legible ones. Comprehensible ones. Interesting ones. Structured ones. Engaging ones. Necessary ones. This is the bit most ‘normal’ people find most incomprehensible, so celebrate your achievement.

Can you think of any other ways of articulating what skills we doctors of Philosophy can offer to potential employers?

P.S. If you’re an English Lit student, like me, you don’t have to worry. See here for a vision of your future.

These are the questions I asked her:

1)      Do you think I can finish in 1 year? Am I on track?

2)      Is my PhD so far, ‘good’…  – what would make it better?

3)      What would make me more employable as a scientist?

4)      What do I need to focus on?

5)      Do you think I am performing to my potential?

Before speaking to her and while I was putting these questions together I carried out a little self assessment. Where did I think I was, where did I feel I could do better? I did this so I could target the discussion towards issues that would really help me, to be better.

I had the meeting this afternoon, it went really well. We had a very open, frank but relaxed chat about my PhD using the questions that I had asked as a guide. She liked the idea of the appraisal, felt it was lacking from the PhD structure and was pleased I had put these questions together. I gained an awful lot from the discussion we had and have pin pointed some things that I should focus on. Mostly though, this discussion helped me think clearly about how I work and about what I would like to do once I finish my PhD.

If you are feeling a little lost, confused or are just at a decisive point in your PhD (or anything for that matter).  I would recommend arranging to have a discussion with your supervisor with some targeted questions and the idea of getting some constructive feedback/criticism out of them! Don’t be afraid of asking, or wait for your supervisor to ask you. A PhD is your own project and you, not your supervisor, has to manage it.

1) Sit down and spend a good amount of time going through what I have done already

2) Work out what is a) Useful and finished b) Useless and rubbish c) Useful but needs finishing off d) What is missing

3) Put a plan together to finish the unfinished and tackle the missing bits

4) Put a realistic, priority focused timeline together on what I want to acheive and by when – I don’t want to try and do too much and end up not finishing any of it. What parts are essential and what is ‘nice to have’?

5) Start putting a plan of attack together for the thesis writing…

I am interested to know why people fail to write up their PhD. Please share any reasons you know of or have experienced, all the better if you can share how you overcame them!

I found the transition fairly straightforward, although it did take me a few months to completely settle.  I am glad I made the move and so far I have really enjoyed my PhD. My workplace was extremely busy and organised and I found academic life to be a lot quieter and a little more….haphazard (in some respects). There are a whole range of ‘transferable skills’ that can be taken from the workplace straight into a PhD. Presenting & organisational techniques I learnt whilst working, alongside many other attributes from the world of work have supplemented and enhanced my PhD over the past two years. On a day to day basis, what about the similarities and differences between The Real World and PhD life?

Similarities

Mostly I find myself working 9-5 although sometimes I do work the odd evening and weekend (no different to when I was in The Real World). I have goals, targets and deadlines to meet. I am responsible for the work I am carrying out, I need to make sure everything is organised and conducted properly. I do get stressed about how much work I have to do. I worry about how well I have completed tasks and about what other people think about my work.

Differences

Being a PhD student gives you the freedom to explore, to make mistakes and learn freely, that time wasn’t available when I was working. In my PhD project, I am the boss, I own it and it is up to me what happens to it. I can plan my work and get on with it without being dragged into meetings and moved projects because the company plan has changed. One negative difference I find is the solitude of a PhD, although I work in a lab full of people I am working alone on my project and sometimes that can make me feel incredibly lonely. There are no rewards (not really, until you finish). No matter how much work you do, you will never get a pay rise, the best you can do is get the satisfaction of getting a paper published, getting your name on a patent and/or giving yourself a big pat on the back.

They both have problems and they both have good points, good days and bad days. If you want to leave work to escape pressure, I am not sure that starting a PhD is the answer. If you are incredibly passionate about a particular subject, can work without instant gratification, can work well on your own and are sure the move is right for you, then go for it!

There is a temptation to take no holidays at all. I always have a list of personal deadlines to meet, a long list of work that I could be doing and as I am about to enter my final year I am beginning to enter the start of the ‘panic zone’. I believe however, that holidays are extremely important!

1) They give you a time to stop and reflect. Reflecting is important, it gives you a chance to spot if you are going down the wrong path

2) They stop you from getting bored and frustrated. Taking time out allows you to relax, recharge and refresh yourself ready to get back to work

3) Give you a chance to catch up with friends and family, spending time with these people are important as they will help support you through the rough times

4) They are fun, you are entitled to take them and shouldn’t feel guilty!

As for how many holidays you should take… that is up to you. Never let your supervisor make you feel guilty about taking a holiday. Of course you have to handle it properly, make sure you tell them in advance of the holiday and don’t schedule a holiday in the middle of an important piece of work or study (if your research demands set periods of your time).

There is a nice discussion thread here about academics and holidays. One point that is emphasised is, planning, plan well so you can take a holiday. Taking a day off does not count if you spend it at home answering emails and writing a paper or grant proposal…

Personally I will not take the whole 8 weeks as holiday. I will use some of my ‘holiday’ time to persue other interests which are ‘work related’ but not part of my PhD, such as producing Au Science Magazine (a science magazine for Aberdeen).

I have just taken 2 weeks as a proper holiday and it was fantastic. I feel ready to get back to work… but part of my mind is already starting to plan the next holiday.. which will be before the end of 2011!

Get specific

Don’t just search for a generic term like, ‘travel funding for PhD students’ although you may have some luck, I have noticed that there is more funding available for specific groups of people or research topics. For example, there is money available to support students from certain countries and even certain areas of certain countries. There are funding opportunities specifically for women, or specifically for research that will benefit women. Funding can be linked to researching a particular disease or need. You will have to spend quite a lot of time searching through websites to find these funding opportunities, but they are there. Do not be worried about fitting the criteria 100%,  if you fit 60%/ 70% of what they are asking, give it a go.  You might be the closest match they receive. These groups do appreciate that you will report back to them after your trip – I suggest you propose that will meet them to give a short presentation when you return, or that you will send them a written report from your trip. The majority of these funds are smaller amounts (£100-£500) but every bit of money raised helps.

Stay close to home

Funding might be available right under your nose, from your university or the institution that you are involved with. Take a good look through their website, ask around and you might find something. You may also find that there is someone dedicated to finding or circulating funding opportunities – they may be able to help you find some local funding or some of the niche funding opportunities I mentioned above.

Join a society (or societies)

Societies usually have funds available for PhD student travel (e.g. the British Pharmaceutical Society). Just a watch out with this one, most societies require that you become a member before you can apply for funding and some require that you have been a member for a certain amount of time or that your supervisor/sponsor is a member of the society. They all have different rules and regulations and funding application procedures. It takes time to go through all the information but some do have larger pots of money to give (into the thousands). If you are travelling to a conference, the society organising the conference nearly always have travel bursaries available for attendees that are presenting at the conference, so make sure you check that out.

All in all, it takes time and effort (mostly evenings and weekends). Some of the applications can take what seems like forever to be processed. Keep trying and applying and you should reach your goal, eventually. I am over halfway there, with some applications still being written. My philosophy is to just think of it as good practise for applying for research grants in the future!

I have been learning a lesson recently, one of patience and taking time over things. PhDs do not happen overnight, they take time, an awful lot of time (and patience). My PhD is lab based. Experiments that I think are pretty simple and will not take any time to get going have been the ones that have tripped me up. I had a reminder this week that thinking time is important and can save time in the long run. I launched into doing something in the lab thinking that I could repeat what someone else had done and it would be OK – it wasn’t. Now I am having to peddle back on myself to work out how I can make it work. A learning curve – but I am getting there and I have learnt from it. Take a an hour/half a day/ a day out to think regularly to make sure that what you are doing is correct and plans for the future will work out as you wish. I think thinking can be as important as doing!

All PhDs run differently, do not make the mistake of trying to compare what you are doing with what someone else is doing. PhDs typically run in peaks and troughs – quite often people spend their first year(s) wondering what they are supposed to be doing and not really getting anywhere, the rest of the PhD is usually then spent working every hour under the sun to get as much done as possible. People don’t set out for this to happen – it just does.  Spending time creating a good plan from the offset can help reduce wasted time but do not be too disheartened if the plan changes or if the work you do at first doesn’t lead to anything. All PhDs are different which is a good thing – but also can leave people feeling frustrated, unmotivated and very lonely when things do not go to plan. There are plenty of resources for people if you are feeling a bit stuck. Universities offer support systems under different guises (some through student support services/HR )– I know my university even offers a ‘time management’ training session for PhD students. So, if you are feeling like you need help there are plenty of places you can get it from. Don’t be afraid of speaking up and finding out where you can get help (and importantly, help can be found outside of your supervisor).

Of course the Internet offers up advice on any subject imaginable and there are plenty of sources for help with PhDs and time management – whatever the difficulty is you are having, here are just a few:

•  The PhD Doctor @ Sciencecareers.org  
•  Staying on track 
•  http://www.postgraduateforum.com/home.aspx
•  http://www.phdinprogress.com/index.html

 Not to get too bogged down with the serious stuff….there’s always:

 http://www.phdcomics.com/comics/archive.php?comicid=1384 

Which will provide amusement and support that you are not going through this alone!

Backing up of work is a standard instruction we get when we join the university or start a job. But how many times have we lapsed into that dangerous zone of complacency? It may be useful to keep the following in mind:

• Backup on networked user space
• Backup on your personal computer
• Backup on a detachable hard drive, rewritable CDs.
• Reminder: the age of floppy disks is over. Please don’t use them. They are risky!
• Organize your files into folders so you can find them easily and back them up easily.
• Save current work as regularly as possible.
• Backup regularly.
• On networked computers, save files in an appropriate directory. Find out which folders are private, which ones are shared and which ones are backed centrally. Saving on desktops is not very safe.
• It may be a good idea to email really important files to oneself.
• Reminders to backup: sometimes I get too engrossed in my work and realize that I have not backed up work for two weeks. It is worth making backing up a planned task if one is forgetful like me!
• Always think of the worst case scenario
• Keeping the backup and the original together is not clever at all. Sometimes people keep their backup hard drive in the same bag as their laptop, which means that if the bag is missing, the data is also missing.
• If you become extremely paranoid, it might be good to keep some important printouts too.

Do you have any other safety measures? I’ll be happy to add to the list.