Tag: fail your viva

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news writing

Eight Years After Room 524

It dawned on me a few days ago that today is eight years since I started my life as a skills trainer. On September 15th 2008, I registered my business. I was a guy with a PhD in maths, a few ideas about what I might do as a freelancer, but no real clue. This was me:

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My last day in the postgraduate office

I left behind Room 524, my workspace for nearly four years. One day I was working surrounded by interesting people who loved research. The next day I was working alone at the dining room table: What to do? How to start? It seems like yesterday sometimes, and also like another life. A lot has happened in eight years (I got married! I have a daughter!). Work highlights include:

I’ve been fortunate to work with a lot of great people, and I know that I’ve learned a lot along the way. It’s not always easy to be a freelancer. There can be a lot of disappointments. But you can work to your values: it is very liberating to realise that you can step back from something that isn’t satisfying. You can say no to things that you think will get in the way, and say yes to things that excite you or you think can make a difference.

One of the things I like most is the freedom to do fun things, to play. You can do something “just because”. I have thoughts for more little experiments and “just because” ideas; let me know in the comments if you want to hear more.

Thanks for reading!

Nathan (@DrRyder and @VivaSurvivors)

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news viva

Workshop Goodybag

My independent Viva Survivor workshop is on June 29th, and I’m really excited to share with you what participants will be getting on the day. I’ve been delivering this workshop for six years. There are a couple of handouts that I’ve used in the past, and on occasion universities have paid to provide ebooks for participants.

I know that the information and insight I deliver in the workshop is valuable for PGRs, but for my independent Viva Survivor I wanted to add to that by providing a really valuable participant pack. I did some brainstorming for this with my wife, and we’ve built a really great goodybag for each person that comes. Want to see some of the things that we’ve put together?

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news viva work

Books and the Workshop

My independent Viva Survivor workshop has helped me a lot and it’s not even run yet. It’s got me making very quick progress with some ideas I’ve been considering. With workshops run through universities there is a limit to what can be provided to participants in three hours or via handouts. I knew that I wanted to give participants at the independent workshop my ebooks to supplement their learning, but I’m also a print enthusiast despite my Kindle addiction.

A print copy of Fail Your Viva, my first book, seemed like it would be a valuable resource as part of the participant pack. I’ve been thinking for a couple of months that I would like to expand into print with my books, and I’ve had some experience through other new ventures of producing print runs. Deciding to do the independent workshop pushed me to get it done, and push past any barriers, real or imagined.

And I thought, “If you’re going to print thirty for a workshop, you may as well do a modest little print run to go along with it…”

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The print run!
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writing

Book Reviews Please!

I Need You!

Have you read either of my books? If you have, would you consider posting a review on Amazon or on your blog? If you do, and send me a screengrab or a link that proves you’re the author, I’ll send you a 50% off code to my books on Payhip – you can either buy a copy of a different book for yourself, or give the code to a friend so that they can give one or both of my current books a try.

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news viva work

The Viva: Who? What? How? is out!

"The Viva: Who? What? How?"

The Viva: Who? What? How? is out now!

What is this?

An ebook. Twenty-seven chapters, nearly 20,000 words, and answers to the most frequently asked questions about the PhD viva in the UK. I deliver viva preparation workshops, and over the last five years I’ve got a great understanding about the questions that distract PhD candidates. This book helps eliminate those distractions.

There are more details below, but if all you want are the purchase links, here they are!

  • In the UK, The Viva: Who? What? How? is in the Kindle Store here.
  • In the UK and around the world, The Viva: Who? What? How? is available from Payhip here.
Continue reading “The Viva: Who? What? How? is out!”
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news

Fail Your Viva now available via Payhip!

I’m now using Payhip as a platform where people can purchase my books. My creator page on Payhip is here, and you can go straight to finding Fail Your Viva by clicking here. My book being available on Payhip means several cool things:

  • If you have wanted to buy a copy of Fail Your Viva but couldn’t because the Kindle Store doesn’t operate where you live, now you can buy it: whoever you are, wherever you are, the book is available to you.
  • When you buy via Payhip you get access to both .mobi and .epub files, both DRM free, no restrictions of any kind on what device you read them on.
  • There is a permanent 10% discount available. Simply click the “Share & get 10% off” button to tweet about the book and save.

And from now until midnight on the 31st of March, I’ve set up a 20% off coupon for the book! If you want to buy it, click on the coupon link and enter the phrase FYVLAUNCH to get the book for 20% less. Simple as that.

I’m really interested in using Payhip for future digital releases. I will still be selling my ebooks in the Kindle Store, but will be exploring various possibilities for Payhip – and when my second book is released, I’ll be doing something very special… Watch this space!

Thanks for reading!

Nathan (@DrRyder and @VivaSurvivors)

PS - now available via Payhip!
PS – now available via Payhip!