I'm back!

After an incredibly long absence, I’m back to being able to write more regularly.  I want to thank all of you who have continued to check in with my blog and Facebook page while I’ve been away, and welcome to everyone who has newly ‘liked’ said page.  I’ve had some lovely messages in the last year; some people who have found previous posts helpful, and some who have sought advice.  I really love hearing from you, so please keep getting in touch!  But make sure to check out my updated contact information.

Before I start posting about all the PhD things I’ve learned in the last year, and would like to share, I thought first I’d give you an overview of what I’ve been doing since my last post.

We moved to the Isle of Mull on the west coast of Scotland, and stayed for four months while my other half worked on an estate there as groundskeeper.  It was beautiful and an incredible experience, though one that taught us while we love country-living if you need to get on a boat to get to Tesco, it’s too remote.

  

I made some decisions about my career, and decided that academia is not for me.  Instead, I’m going to return to my previous path of Clinical Psychology.  I got a full time job as an Assistant Psychologist, and I now work for NHS Borders.

We got married! 

I submitted my thesis, and I passed my viva voce with minor corrections, which are now submitted.

As you can see, it’s been a really busy year!  However, the upside is that I now have lots of great things to write about and to share with you.  So keep your eyes peeled for posts coming soon about:

• ·         10 things I learned while writing up my thesis
• ·         Dealing with final-year PhD stress
• ·         A PhD and your mental health
• ·         Balancing work and your PhD
• ·         A real-life account of the viva examination
• ·         Finishing, or not-quite-yet-finishing, your PhD
• ·         Corrections: get it done!

Hopefully these posts will answer some of the questions you might have about some or all of these topics, but I’m also open to suggestions for anything you might like me to write about.  I’m considering doing an FAQ post, so if you have questions you’d like answered, add them in the comments, or let me know on the Facebook page!