Author: Alastair Watson

Some other elements to consider before embarking in the PhD journey.

I’ve jotted down a list of ten questions that I wish I had thought about more fully, or even considered at all before starting a PhD. Now, please remember (as mentioned before), I was full-time PhD (with teaching and marking commitments in my PhD Contract), and part-time at work. However, my employment contract was 27 hours per week (plus travel time), which is only a few hours short of what most people would consider a full-time contract (35 hour per week).

Now I’ve been accepted, arranged to stay on at work part-time (although it’s almost a full-time contract for normal people when you look at the hours!). I need to resolve being a student again, along with how to juggle reading, study, writing, teaching, marking, home-life, and work?!

If you recall my last post, I had just bumped into someone that I knew from years ago. He was completing his PhD and I was on a Masters course back in the UK at the time. Before I went home from another busy shift at work, I sat down to catch up on the past 8 years! His question was “So, when are you going to do a PhD?”, to which I replied “I’ve actually been thinking about that for the past six weeks, but how on earth do I manage it?”.