In the Beginning...

...was university. And it was awesome. Work, play, money it all came so easy. Then came graduation. We were fortunate enough to regard this as a minor hiccup and sailed happily into baby-grad land, taking our first steps in research *cough* but mainly focusing on the lack of exams.

That was a year ago. In four months we will be stripped from the familiar comforts of college and booted out into the cold cold world. A world where getting Phd funding is more like joining the circus (or jumping off a cliff not knowing if your parachute works). A world where jobs don't grow on trees or at least not in this climate. A world where we can no longer pretend David Cameron isn't running the country.

For many of you this will no doubt be a situation you are well familiar with, for others this is all to come and for you few, you happy few with some stability ahead to thank God for your avoidance of such a fate.
We are arts grads. We say this proudly, we're not ashamed. Say it loud and say it proud just don't say it to the funding bodies apparently or at least not without some serious public backing.

Well to be strictly accurate we're not arts students- well not the stay in bed till 12 with Doystoyevksy- we are the scientists of the art world, outcasts from both camps wandering in the wildernesses of academia. *Sob*
So what, you may be wondering (and congrats for making it this far blind) is this all about? Well, its a guide of sorts to what lies beyond. Do we have all the answers? Not even close, but we know some people who just might.
When starting this project we recognised that our limited experience would only get readers so far and would really only help those in our position. Luckily for you we are extremely popular and have some helpful friends on hand.

So this blog will have frequent 'guest' posts from other walks of grad life: tune into Moving On but Going Nowhere- a section that will deal with staying on as a graduate at the same university, with alll the challenges and perks that entails.

Up and Out will chronicle the excitements of those with the golden tickets- postgraduate positions both inside academia and out. Despite the initial boost these people still don't have it easy and its just possible we can learn what they did right and replicate it.

The Great Unknown is our no mans land of post-university life. For those who really don't have a clue what they want to do or, more pressingly, quite what they're going to do when september rolls around. If this is you then stick around- might be helpful, might just make you feel better about yourself; its win-win.

Finally there's The 'Art' of Getting a Phd, penned by us. We'll share our frustrations, our discoveries and our successes and failures as we attempt to make it into a funded Phd over the next year- either in the UK or abroad.

So keep reading- we might not have all the answers but we're getting better and after all, every little helps!