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January 21, 2008
Assisted Living
So in the Fall of last year--yeah it's already "last year"--I ditched my career of twelve years to go back to school full-time to earn a masters in something so totally cool that it surely will offer me a glut of new and improved opportunities when I get done--that's my fervent hope--if I can manage to not slip back into obscurity--I'm a total fucking wallflower business-wise.
My energy comes in cycles. When I'm up, I'm up. When I'm down, I vanish. Even when I'm up, I'm just doing an awesome job as a team member, propping someone else (deserving or otherwise) up into the limelight of recognition. With luck (it's happened more than once) they get swooped up onto a higher path to success while I, you guessed it, vanish. It's even questionable whether or not I was ever actually seen in the first place. Despite my best efforts, I am a master of obfuscation.
So here I am: unemployed and going to school full-time and with a family to feed. You know, typical American dream stuff. :P On top of that I'm paying out of state tuition rates which amount to about US$10K per semester! Talk about negative income! So I saddled myself with more of the "D" word: debt, student loans out my-- You get the picture. Loans offset the cost of paying for school, while my savings races toward $0 at unprecedented speed; budgeting be damned. Sooo glad we ditched the NJ house; heaping loss or no. I paid for Spring semester the same way: loans. Then a happy thing happened. I got an assistantship!
What is an assistantship you might ask? It's a position with an academic department at a university for graduate students. At least that's my understanding. In my case it's a research position. Or as my sister so cooly called it: a "working scholarship". Fuck yeah! I've got a scholarship! That sounds so much better than on-campus-department job, because it is! But the coolest thing about this is my tuition costs are reduced to US$25 for the semester! I'm thinking, "Fantastic!" at this point, but wait there's more. I draw pay too! All right, not a lot. But if you count the tuition waiver as income--and I'm sure Uncle Sugar sure as hell will--it's a nice chunk of change especially for the area.
My only concern now is if I can do the job being asked of me. I've yet to fail in this capacity, but there's always a first time. :P So I'll do my best, and I'm sure things will be all rosy soon enough; one way or another.
Woot.
Posted by Tacitus at January 21, 2008 12:04 AM
Comments
That's great! Congratulations! And good luck in a new job!
Posted by: Truskawka at January 21, 2008 04:06 AM
Given your willingness to drive yourself *way* too hard to do something that interests you, I have no doubts in your ability to tackle this latest wrinkle with a twee bit of dedication, even if it is 'new' territory.
Go, Team D!
Posted by: nakhira at January 22, 2008 08:43 PM
That IS awesome news! What a great way to get through school - and not starve your family in the process! WooHoo! :) Let us know how the job goes once you get into it.
Posted by: Kerrie at January 23, 2008 02:07 PM
Thanks! :)
Posted by: Tacitus at January 26, 2008 11:35 PM
Congratulations! You're gonna do great, there's nothing the PPP can't do when he sets his mind to it.
Posted by: Lemon Tartlet at January 30, 2008 02:00 PM