Thursday, May 05, 2005
Not that scary
I did a course today about thesis submission regulations and generally feeling quite positive about things overall. I still don't have enough results and due to various lab issues I'm not going to have the coherent, organised super results thesis that I originally planned (I'm not sure anyone does really to be honest) but I've found out I can have the lovely chap as my external examiner and that if I start writing up everything now and as I continue to go along I only have to write about 300 words every day. It sounds quite managable if I look at it that way. I just need to get my arse in gear and make sure I do the quota each time so I don't get bogged down, overwhelmed and panicky.
Also feeling quite positive about jobs. There's always the worry that having changed disciplines quite drastically, and still being a bit sketchy about broader stuff of the new field, that I will be a bit inept at it but I think overall changing fields has been ace. The way I see it is that it marks me out from most other postgrads and that I'm not afraid to try new things/new technologies and am very good at picking up new ideas and techniques competently and quickly. Thinking over the research I've done in the past I've always tried new techniques and tried to do stuff I've never come across before. One of the things I liked about this PhD was that it was another completely different technique and then some. Despite the many moments of doubt I think I should be really, really pleased with how much I've achieved so far as I'm pretty certain I don't think most of my friends would have managed it so well (and being the bighead I am tonight, I'm pretty confident I could have done their projects quite, quite well)
I think with all that gloating I'm setting myself up for a big big fall. Or maybe this is coming to the crest of the wave after being way down in the doldrums for pretty much the past year.
Right I'm off home for a bath, dinner, bed and maybe a list about why my PhD research is original.
Also feeling quite positive about jobs. There's always the worry that having changed disciplines quite drastically, and still being a bit sketchy about broader stuff of the new field, that I will be a bit inept at it but I think overall changing fields has been ace. The way I see it is that it marks me out from most other postgrads and that I'm not afraid to try new things/new technologies and am very good at picking up new ideas and techniques competently and quickly. Thinking over the research I've done in the past I've always tried new techniques and tried to do stuff I've never come across before. One of the things I liked about this PhD was that it was another completely different technique and then some. Despite the many moments of doubt I think I should be really, really pleased with how much I've achieved so far as I'm pretty certain I don't think most of my friends would have managed it so well (and being the bighead I am tonight, I'm pretty confident I could have done their projects quite, quite well)
I think with all that gloating I'm setting myself up for a big big fall. Or maybe this is coming to the crest of the wave after being way down in the doldrums for pretty much the past year.
Right I'm off home for a bath, dinner, bed and maybe a list about why my PhD research is original.
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Qualifications and stuff is all very groovy. But there are plenty of examples - I am but one - of people who specialise themselves into corners by their qualifications, and then by chance stumble into something completely different which turns into a vocation of sorts.
I use my degree sparingly, and in practically no way outside of my personal interests. I support a decent lifestyle playing with computers for fun (and it is mostly fun) even though my only IT related qualification is a level 2 NVQ.
If what you're doing prepares you for something, great. But it's worth pointing out that if the qualifications happen to lead to a dead end, there's always something turns up if you look hard enough.
I use my degree sparingly, and in practically no way outside of my personal interests. I support a decent lifestyle playing with computers for fun (and it is mostly fun) even though my only IT related qualification is a level 2 NVQ.
If what you're doing prepares you for something, great. But it's worth pointing out that if the qualifications happen to lead to a dead end, there's always something turns up if you look hard enough.
I quite agree about the specialising into corners which is something I want to avoid. There are a fair few people in various departments who I've met who have stuck to the same thing for 20 years then found it reached a dead end or no one wanted to fund it anymore.
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