a real milestone in Fireland

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Posted: Tue Jan 20, 2009 3:43 pm

Well, it's been more than a dozen years in the works, but I can now officially call myself "firehouse5, PhD". I passed my viva voce (aka PhD defense) with flying colors and my thesis has been accepted as is.

Baiting played an important role in my completion of this degree:

1. I probably would have finished in 8 years or less had it not been for the time I spent with lads, and time spent on baiting forums.

2. I used numerous baiting excuses to avoid meetings with my supervisors and examination committee.

3. I used the word "modality" fifteen times in the thesis.

4. I used a quote taken verbatim from a next-of-kin format to make an entirely different point related to my research topic.

5. I tried to get a couple of mugus to hand-write draft versions of one of my chapters, but I was not very convincing and have nothing to show for it. One of them gave me some valuable feedback which still serves me well ("this writing is worth nothing, please focus on the business at hand").

now if you'll excuse me, I have an appointment with a few pints of beer.

Posted: Tue Jan 20, 2009 3:45 pm

Congrats dude!

Baiting Guru Joined: 08 Jul 2004 Posts: 11857 Location: UK

firehouse5 wrote:

I passed my viva voce (aka PhD defense)

Well done mate Thumbs up

, can you explain what a "PhD defense" is, doctor of ?

Baiting Guru Joined: 04 Dec 2005 Posts: 3551

firehouse5, that is awesome news! Congratulations! Thumbs up

Posted: Tue Jan 20, 2009 3:59 pm

Congratulations. Now you can exhale.

Posted: Tue Jan 20, 2009 4:03 pm

Scam Patroller wrote:

can you explain what a "PhD defense" is, doctor of ?

Basically I sit in a room with a few experts in the field of ? who have read my 120+ page thesis in great detail. They spend a few hours asking me difficult questions about my work and why it is great, and all the little details they can think of. My job is to convince them that I really am an expert in the field and have not just bullshit my way this far. Or else that I am a top-notch bullshitter. Either way, I made it through.

In the UK (or at least at my university) this is done behind closed doors, with a small number of experts (just 2!). Other places the examination committee is larger, and sometimes this is a public event.

Posted: Tue Jan 20, 2009 4:41 pm

I don't understand, but congrats! Very Happy

Posted: Tue Jan 20, 2009 4:46 pm

I was on a way to a PhD too, but the project crashed down...

Here, the defense is always opened to public.
It's generally a 4 to 6 years work.
There are generally about 6 experts from different universities and private societies.
It last about 1 hour for the presentation, and 1 hour for questions.
Yours seems to need more efforts Very Happy

Master of Master Baiters Joined: 06 Feb 2008 Posts: 720

Well done

Posted: Tue Jan 20, 2009 4:59 pm

Congrats! What is the PhD in? Hopefully not English, because I just ended a sentence with a preposition.

Posted: Tue Jan 20, 2009 5:37 pm

Scam Patroller wrote:

can you explain what a "PhD defense" is, doctor of ?

I thought it was a kung fu move.

Congratulations. Smartarse Very Happy

Posted: Tue Jan 20, 2009 6:18 pm

Should we call you Doctor 5 or Doctor Firehouse? Congrats.

Posted: Tue Jan 20, 2009 7:19 pm

congratulations! Very Happy

Posted: Tue Jan 20, 2009 8:04 pm

Nice one mate - Well done! Very Happy

Baiting Guru Joined: 03 May 2007 Posts: 18313

A great accomplishment!! Congratulations. Very Happy

Posted: Tue Jan 20, 2009 8:07 pm

Congratulations, Dr. Firehouse! Well done!

Posted: Tue Jan 20, 2009 8:35 pm

firehouse5's lad wrote:

"this writing is worth nothing, please focus on the business at hand"

Congrats f5 clapping

Posted: Tue Jan 20, 2009 8:35 pm

Congratulations, Doctor! Now we have backup when Dr. Soludo is being difficult with us BS* types.

(* Bachelor of Science,etc.)

Posted: Tue Jan 20, 2009 10:28 pm

Congrats DRing@F5 clapping

Posted: Wed Jan 21, 2009 3:10 am

Cool. Now, how much does this equate to your salary increase?

Posted: Wed Jan 21, 2009 12:58 pm

Thanks everyone. I see I have finally earned a custom title which I value even more than the PhD. No pay rise just now, but I think soon I will get a desk in an office instead of a toilet cubicle. That glory hole causes me all sorts of trouble.

Posted: Wed Jan 21, 2009 8:59 pm

Congrats. Doc. clapping

Posted: Wed Jan 21, 2009 9:37 pm

Congratulations, Dr. firehouse5; that is a splendid achievement ! clapping

My dissertation defense took place in the USA with three faculty inquisitors -- er, "committee members" -- questioning me for about an hour-and-a-half,
in front of an audience of about ten doctoral students in our program who were themselves working on their own dissertations/theses at the time.
Presumably I was a role model of how to justify the meaning and quality of one's work -- or if things had taken a turn for the worse, what not to do.
The three professors then dismissed me and the "audience" to wait in the hallway while they deliberated about whether I had met their standards.
Fifteen minutes later, they called me back in to say "Congratulations, Doctor xxxxx."
Then they and I signed the official document which would be sent to our university registrar, along with a copy of my dissertation.
It was one of the very best moments of my life.

That afternoon I phoned my brother to tell him that I was now a "doctor."
He returned the call by leaving a message on my answering machine to say that his back was hurting.
He asked if I could now tell him what medicine to take to ease his pain.
< needless to say, my degree was NOT in the field of medicine > Very Happy