Who can help Onebat with advice about PhDs or MAs? (Wanker's Corner 101 AND long)

[onebatmother]

Can any mother help me?

I am at a career crossroads, and floundering somewhat .

I'm fantasizing about completely re-training, but I'm uncertain which way to go. I resemble, more than anything, a 41yr old large-arsed Easter Bunny, paralyzed in the glare of The Headlights Of The Future.

But a vague memory has resurfaced from university days and I'd like you to tell me what you think. My degree was in English Lit from a University of London college, and I got a first. I seem to remember that one of my tutors told me that because of the first, I could bypass an MA and go straight to a PhD.

Does this sound right? And if so, might that still be the case? And if so, would it have to be an English literature erm... thesis thingy, or could it be in some other discipline which required critical thinking? My career so far has been in making (directing/producing) documentaries about "Society".

And if it could be in anything.. what can you think of? Anything, anything at all! It's quite likely that it will not be poss to go back to university bcs of finances, but if it is, I would really like to think that I had considered every option.

As a starter, I am interested in how and why people think. I've considered training as a psychotherapist, but I think it's a v v long process. Also not sure that I'm patient enough.

And that;s poss too literal an interpretation of 'how and why people think' iyswim. For example, I am also interested in the process of things, in culture, and how it is constructed; and why groups believe what they do. How the things that people produce reflect and disseminate the political necessities of their world - the power structures which underpin societies, etc, etc.

So people, politics with small p, power, pornography - all the p's really. Oh and cultures and what they express, erm, you know the kind of thing.

Obv v unlikely to be all of these - but I'd be really interested if anyone thought that they had, or knew of, a career where one gets to consider this kind of stuff (which -CRUCIALLY - pays a small mortgage)

I'm not sure that I want to continue being freelance: I'm a bit shit at it and there's an inbuilt anxiety which does me know favours. But it's not a deal-breaker.

Thank you, my dearies, for your attention to this matter.

Could you do a postgrad journalism course first? NCTJ do a fast track post-grad one. Very well respected. Jeremy Clarkson and me amongst their alumni.

I want you to beware of the curse of the middle manager though. Whereby you end up not really doing what you wanted to do and not being especially well rewarded either. Middle management are the ones who ALWAYS talk about their work, and feel terribly stressed by it. People at the top don't feel confined by their work and v rarely discuss it - perhaps because they don't feel stressed by it.

Onebat your career as a documentary filmmaker sounds pretty damn good in itself, would you want to use further study to develop greater understanding and depth to this field?
Or do you wish to leave it behind and go into another industry?

Sorry, just read that back, and it's mangled.

Q: is there any point in approaching cultural studies dept at UEL and saying:

'I made a doc about and I'd like to go into it further. Not decided the precise title of my proposed thesis yet, but here's the general idea. Can we sort the specifics out later, once I've got the funding?'

I don't know about UEL but UEA deadline was April 1st. Would you definitely have to have funding to do it? I am not really expecting to get it tbh, and I'll probably start part time if not.

Most people are pretty vague about their research area at first. You usually approach a supervisor and have a couple of meetings to talk about what you might want to do and then proceed with an application from there if they're happy to support you.

Might not be the same everywhere so I'd contact the post grad admissions office and ask about the procedure.

Swedes, v g point about middle management. I think that's what I've been so far: although technically the creative one, and with all the grinding daily responsibility for making hte programme, I've been actually quite low in the hierarchy.

Journalism quals wouldn't get me closer to my interests I don' think.

Clovis - yes, it was v interesting (and v stressful). But not compatible with children, dammit - 3am finishes. Not interested in the theory of film-making per se - it was a means to analysis of the subject, although I was quite good at the visual stuff.

Guadalupe - that's so helpful - but do people usually fund themselves then?

LG - likewise. Bit in awe though, htf do you just change what you 'know' - does someone pay you to do it.

Quick bit of RL - my most obv subject would be pornography. Any thoughts/suggestions?

LG but which organizations would possibly employ me?
Sorry, that's SUCH a huge question - but it's the key one.

If I knew that, it might change everything.

Apart from the p word, the other interesting and obviously adaptable thing I've done was about Surveillance.. all theoretical and now factually out of date.

Is your MP Jacqui Smith by any neat and wonderful coincidence?

i always find it interesting in this country [not yours probably onebat ]how we make films about pornography with a kind of pseudo intellectual/socially analytical viewpoint but actually people end up watching them to be titillated because porn is so unavailable on mainstream TV [does anyone remember the hilarious soft porn film channel 5 used to show?] I suppose you'd be in quite a unique position to study the shifting dynamics between the porn industry and the social documentary...does any of that make sense?

I'm not sure, onebat, but unless you go through an organisation or your employer, and I know nothing about that, then the main one is ahrc. I got that for my MA but most people were self funded iirc. You can either get fees only or a full award.

I agree with dittany, find a potential supervisor who's work you admire and take it from there.

Aha, ruty, yes very true about that symbiotic relationship. It's an interesting area but a little too specific, I think, because I want to have a sort of broad appeal at the end of the phd

dittany v g point - thank you.

I suppose thing that makes me anxious about attaching myself to an academic is that - for first time in my history - have actually thought it through for myself, rather than simply hijacking someone else's work. I'd really like to continue that non-reactive position, in that my thinking is not about the thinking of someone else. iyswim. (Sorry, late now) You're not CAT-able I see?

Hi OneBatMother

Just found your thread trying to kill time whilst my 6yo ds decides he is going to go to sleep (grrr).

First of all, good on you for wanting to do something. Secondly, have you considered social anthropology? A good friend of mine just finished a social anthropology course at a Scottish uni last year (she has two kids and managed to fit it in somehow ) and thoroughly enjoyed it. The way she described it to me, it sounds similar to what you are interested in. I won't even begin to try & put it in my own words - it's a bit like my dh's job - it makes sense when he tells me what he does but I couldn't ever tell anyone else what it is he does!!

Which brings me on to my next point...... I think my dh would love to give you a job. He is a senior director of a charity in London and is always on the lookout for people such as yourself to employ for various things. Previous paragraph mitigates me from explaining this in more detail cos I wouldn't want to stuff it up for either of you but if you want to CAT/email me, I can pass it on to him and ask him to give you a call or drop you an email. I have trained him well and he is very pro helping Mums do something for themselves.

Even if this is of absolutely no use to you, i just want to wish you the very best of luck and I really hope you get to do something that you enjoy.

LMF x

Just realizes what a Kant that last post makes me sound.

Can't quite explain it. Don't want to go in as a fan. Does that make any sense?

If you go into the world of reports, policy making, campaigning - possibly really increasing the intellectual and written work etc will you be ok to let go of the visual element of your current work?

(I ask because I have many degrees including an MA in critical theory type stuff and have converted to visual work so find it all very interesting but not sure I could let go of creative autonomy. Maybe you would have intellectual / written ownership and be happy with this? Hopefully making sense)

Blimey, LMF, how lovely of you! Will CAT you now.

Must go to bed now. But I must say before I go that a career crossroads/crisis is actually really marvellous. It's very 'alive' and makes you focus on likes and dislikes, strengths and weaknesses. I have always thought everyone should not be allowed to rest in a job for longer than 10 years. Change is really good for people. A change of career has all the rush and adrenalin of a love affair without the crying.