Right now I am supposed to be writing a paper for a conference in April. The deadline is March 8th. That seems like a lot of time, but it's not; especially when you have to have it approved by three separate people. It's also especially difficult when you have lost faith in the purpose of your research.
This has been a growing problem with me lately. At first I was extremely excited about my project and even left my first research group to join the one I am in now. But this group is really just me and my adviser. We exist in somewhat of a vacuum, without a lot opportunities for discussion. And now that I know that my adviser is planning on leaving the university in the near future, I feel even more isolated.
On top of that, I see papers come out all the time relating to what we do, but often more advanced than what we are capable of. It's nearly impossible to keep up when it's just the two of us, and the authors of these other papers have entire research teams devoted to their project.
At this point I just want to graduate as soon as possible. My classes are done, I've passed my qualifying exams, I've finished my TA requirements... now I just need to publish. That might be the hardest part.

Right now I am supposed to be writing a paper for a conference in April. The deadline is March 8th. That seems like a lot of time, but it's not; especially when you have to have it approved by three separate people. It's also especially difficult when you have lost faith in the purpose of your research.
This has been a growing problem with me lately. At first I was extremely excited about my project and even left my first research group to join the one I am in now. But this group is really just me and my adviser. We exist in somewhat of a vacuum, without a lot opportunities for discussion. And now that I know that my adviser is planning on leaving the university in the near future, I feel even more isolated.
On top of that, I see papers come out all the time relating to what we do, but often more advanced than what we are capable of. It's nearly impossible to keep up when it's just the two of us, and the authors of these other papers have entire research teams devoted to their project.
At this point I just want to graduate as soon as possible. My classes are done, I've passed my qualifying exams, I've finished my TA requirements... now I just need to publish. That might be the hardest part.