Coconut Water
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Posts posted by Coconut Water
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We've had different orientations sessions last week and classes officially started last Thursday. Having classes only Mo, Tu and Wed, we'll practically start tomorrow but we've had the syllabi, suggested readings, powerpoints, handouts etc ahead of time to do lots of reading before classes even start.
I'm freaking out now because we've moved last month and there were lots of stuff to take care of... and I'm already exhausted even before classes start...
Totally relating to your post, educdoc. I moved (and it was only a local move!) but it took a lot out of me. All the loading and also downsizing and then moving in one single not-so-big car, with not a lot of help. I had wanted more time to prepare for my first couple of week's readings but my employer had me working until the very last minute so by the time I was free of work, I had to jump into moving sans any studying/reading. This took a few days (again, locally!!) Was far too busy to attend various welcome events around campus, but did make it to one bbq where I had some interesting conversations with a few people in a related area, and also a campus housing meeting which took far longer than it should have (I regret eating the pizza though…not really into junk food!).
Had been planning to get ahead on my first week of classes but at least NOW I can focus better. And my new apartment looks less like a disaster zone now that I've been organizing here and there, but still not as nice as I want it.
So far, I feel I am somewhat on time with my reading, but this feels behind schedule to me. And I might be adding a half-course. So I need to get ahead, damn my slow reading habits! Time for me to pick it up!
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Can you ever imagine needing to use this job as a reference? If so, give notice. If not, make sure you can make money.
I thought of that too…and thinking about it again, I might just give fake notice on Monday as a week's notice, and then I will just need to take a day off before that supposed last day of work.
I have been making progress on my packing and downsizing, and so if I absolutely have to, I could theoretically work til next Monday - later than I was planning to. But if they let me go, at least I tried to be professional.
It's not my first choice reference but the job does look ok on paper, seemingly related to what I see myself doing after school. I interview applicants for a networking organization, and I am interested in going into a new role down the line where I work with people in a social work type of function.
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That's when being "let go" means you are being laid off and through no fault of the employee. In my case, if my employer sends me home, it's not being laid off - it's being fired.
To clarify on my point - this is my knowledge as applicable to California.
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I think that playing with your cat everyday at least 30 minutes (or as much as possible?) will help. In the transitional period, and if you're into natural solutions, you might try "Rescue Remedy" by Dr. Bach/Bach Flower Remedies - for both you and your cat. It's an herbal liquid that comes in various forms, made for humans to help ease anxiety. When I was buying my newest bottle at Whole Foods, the cashier swore that he used it on his own pets while traveling in the car (I think they were cats but could have been dogs). He said it makes his pets sleep. For your pet, you'd want to use the spray form. So, maybe it could help your kitty calm down (or sleep) while she adjusts? I've also heard of some other herbal thing - I don't know what it's called and can't say if it works - but I'm picturing something like an air freshener that plugs into the wall, but instead of fragrance it distributes herbal cat calming stuff.
Maybe you can get/make a cat wheel…you could look them up on youtube. It's like a hamster wheel, but for cats. Good for small spaces because it mounts on the wall…
I used to be a pet sitter and clients were always changing. Sometimes I have these recurring bad dreams where I've forgotten to feed someones pets!
But in real life and since then, I raised two kitties I found in my backyard - I was very invested in them and they're now happy and healthy. We got lucky and found their "forever home"
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Correct me if I'm wrong, but if you're let go rather than allowed to quit, can't you then claim unemployment?
That's when being "let go" means you are being laid off and through no fault of the employee. In my case, if my employer sends me home, it's not being laid off - it's being fired.
I thought my boss was going to can me early too. But the reality of doing that is she'd just be screwing herself.
Having waited til the last minute and not given appropriate 2 weeks notice, they may be pissed. But I think it's better to give some notice than none at all. Especially if you ever plan on using this place as a reference. I get money being tight, but still, be a good sport about it.
The reality of my boss is that they have so many employees filling the same position, one single employee doesn't matter. Which is why they can afford to fire anyone at any time, with the most noticeable difference being that a chair is empty.
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Give the notice. It's the right thing to do, even if you can't stand your employer.
I actually gave my boss a LOT of notice. Everyone knew I was going to school, she knew I was leaving, and had mentioned to someone else that she was miffed I hadn't mentioned it to her myself, even though I had two months left.
I initially gave her about a month's notice, which she appreciated cause our hiring process took forever. Oddly enough, I ended up taking medical leave for that month due to a death in the family.
Thanks Lifesaver. My feelings about my employer aside, the real problem with giving notice is the loss of control of my income because they may terminate me on their terms. But the clock is ticking, and so I may only be able to give a few days' notice, if at all.
Perhaps say you recently found out you were accepted to grad school and are seriously considering accepting the offer??? If they respond well, tell them you are accepting it, shortly afterwards. If not, tell them you will decide by the end of the week (the last day you want to work) and either they will let you go or you can quit on your last day.
I like that this is kind of a hybrid solution.
I probably won't know what I'm going to say, until I get into the manager's room and gage the vibe of him/her (another complication? Not knowing which manager is the one I have to report to that day). I guess really, I just want to be as honest as is practical… and simply need to decide what day that will be on.
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It's so damn hot in LA this heat wave is dangerous. Last night was the second night I couldn't sleep. I tried the fan, a wet towel, sleeping in the downstairs living room, nothing worked until I settled on my car for the night. At least I got a few hours of sleep camping in my car with the windows slightly ajar. But we have A/C! WTF. My roommate/master tenant/lord of the house was sleeping and I didn't want to wake him and deal with the consequences. Managed to get through day but realized how depressed I was at the situation
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It's been many months since I began the countdown to quit my job. It wouldn't be so dramatic if I had not lost almost all respect for my employer. In a nutshell, it is my pleasure to leave.
I have only a week and a half until logistics will absolutely require me to leave the job. I was going to give a week's notice of my resignation. But based on my employer's unpredictability (and pretty unsavory ways of treating employees and others), and the fact that I need cash that I could get from working about a week longer, I am second guessing whether to give any notice at all.
I usually prefer to "not burn any bridges" and so I could have work references down the road. But a coworker told me that one person gave a week's notice and they sent her home that day. But then, another person who gave a week's notice because she was moving out of the area, was allowed to stay and work that last week, ending on a positive note. I thought school was similar to the moving scenario, in that I am not quitting to find another job. But it's so hard to know how my employer will react to my giving notice, for sure.
I have said that a few hundred dollars of cash I can earn now over the next week will be worth gold in my coming academic year of not working. However, there are other factors! Getting over a terrible cold with allergies, and also needing to finalize downsizing and packing up to make my local move into my grad apartment are all at play. Not to mention wanting to get ahead on my class reading.
Any advice? Or perhaps stories of your own resignation for school, which do not have to be at all in the same vein as mine.
P.S. The idea for this thread came from my trying to maneuver a day off work so that I could attend an optional campus-wide grad student orientation next week.
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Update: Still don't know if I'm attending the optional campus-wide grad orientation. If I go, I have to miss work. My job blows but every day I can work before school is a few bucks I can use over the next academic year of not working. Cash for medical services, food, etc., maybe even something recreational. I feel like a few pre-earned dollars will be gold.
Further, I am unsure if I would be calling in sick to my job to go to the optional campus-wide orientation, or if I should just quit by then - it's only a difference of a few hundred dollars at most (but dollars = gold). I feel this is complicated by the prospect that I don't know how much longer I will work if I give notice to my employer. My employer may fire me once I tell them I plan to leave for school - I could pretend to give notice but really know that it's my last day. But what if they let me continue to work for a week? Guess I then call in sick or explain I have this thing that came up unforeseen, etc. Or, I could just outright quit on a certain day..not my chosen way of doing things, but my employer is somewhat unpredictable.
My Masters program is only a year long, and I feel this is a once in a lifetime opportunity to enjoy any kind of grad student opportunity there is. I do have a mandatory department orientation, so I will be going to that. But a campus wide grad orientation seems fun. -
I don't officially start for another couple of weeks but I already know of reading due BY the first class - who knew? One is supposed to be an "easy read" but I need to get over trying to grasp all the details in it. The second is definitely an easy read so far. Not in a hurry for things to get harder (I've been out of school for years and don't consider myself the most efficient reader OR writer - to be honest)
Being close to campus already, I took a workshop on strategic reading. It helped me realize consciously that I don't need to have a perfect grasp of all the little details. Still figuring out what works best for me, though. The workshop introduced me to text mapping. Need to learn how to balance the amount of effort I put into my readings, and get over perfectionism.
A little anxious about my Qualitative class. Hoping the official syllabi for my 3 classes come out soon, the structure would help me plan...
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I don't know the Boston/VA Beach job market.
What is most likely to get you in the door to where you truly want to be working? (Also, does either option provide any kind of job networking opportunities after you complete your Masters?)
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If you are walking a mile to save on parking, that's a mile of free exercise.
Due to a series of life events and settling for less than ideal jobs, I feel I have been living like a student for years! But I figure things will be even tighter once I am official! I can relate, for sure. I do eat out occasionally, though-nothing fancy. A coworker helped me get into thrift shopping and now I'm much better at bargain clothes shopping, I get kind of mad at stores charging $15 for a T-shirt. I am now considering doing more of my laundry by hand once school starts, instead of paying for the laundry cycle!
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Hello Coconut water,
INR -> Indian Rupee. I can't blame you for not knowing what it was.
Where exactly are you looking for housing?
Do you know the approximate date for the start of fall-2014 session?
Sorry - I realize now that I never answered your question about housing. I was looking close to campus. Actually am going into Weyburn Terrace, one of the on-campus grad apartments. Even though I was advised against it on thegradcafe, I couldn't resist. I wanted to be in walking distance of campus. My program is only a year long and I felt that this may be my last chance to get the full campus experience. I've missed it too much!
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Too anxious to be bored!
Even though I hate my current job and can't wait to leave it.Lotsa downsizing left to do for the tiny grad apartment, but am making progress - getting rid of lotsa extra paper weight. This week I took off from work so it's been good to have large chunks of time to prepare. And once I quit my job I will be busy moving and then will have an department orientation to attend and a BBQ that night before the first day of class. No time to be truly bored. A little apprehensive too, because of a recent annoying health issue but I think I've got a handle on it.
When I'm not at work or downsizing, I read for fun, like the novel I just started, Beautiful Ruins. Am also working my way through a book on how to write for academia. Sentence structure has never been my strongpoint (or to be honest, essay writing in general), so I hope to address my weaknesses while I have time!
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Alrighty then. 1.5 months to go til Fall Quarter. Woohoo!
Til a couple weeks ago, time couldn't go by fast enough. But now --- school's just around the corner and I must prepare!
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If you can't have the professor help you here, consider addressing the colleague directly. Can you use some variation of, "Excuse me [first name], but I can't hear the professor well/concentrate/focus. Maybe I'm hard of hearing or something."
But be ultra polite and courteous (hide your annoyance). Try to be downright sweet (even if you're a guy). That way, you're just a nice, courteous person who is here to focus, and may have a special, humble need (even if your hearing is just fine!)
I once did something similar at work. You see, I had a colleague at a phone sales job who was extremely annoying. She was really loud and constantly felt the need to motivate others around her or utter her train of thought aloud as the day progressed. Her style was very distracting and actually made it hard to do my job. I once heard her tell someone she was hard of hearing, which explains her terrific volume, and validated my own problem!
Really seems worth having your prof. do something. If you can, politely tell the professor your issue (that it's distracting/you can't focus), and ask if he/she has any suggestions? I mean, if you are getting headaches, it starts to be a real health issue! You might even mention the headaches. Anyone else in your cohort have the same problem?
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I pay all of my credit cards off in full each month, so I have no clue what the interest rates are on any of them. I basically just do the 5% Target Card to save money there since I'm already shopping there anyway. Similarly, I buy pretty much everything on one of three cashback/rewards cards I have in my wallet. I even use them to pay my rent currently, which is awesome for increasing your cashback. Obviously the rewards are only useful if you only buy what you need and pay off in full before you get hit with interest charges.
This is exactly my thinking in getting the Target card - to save money and pay it off every month. However, I realize I need to simplify before even considering another card to manage. Your input - and everyone's here - has been really helpful!
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5% really isn't that much, though. Even if you spent $1,000 at Target, that's $50. And given that the interest rate is likely to be around 20%, you're going to be repaying more than that $50 in fees and interest, unless you pay it all off immediately. It doesn't sound worth it.
The card feels like high maintenance that I don't feel like worrying about, and it might encourage more spending than necessary, even if I am pretty strict about what I put in my shopping cart at the store. Conversely, even $50 is money that could go towards feeding myself and other essentials.
Even so, I am passing on the card for now.
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You could check Amazon Local, Groupon, etc for local deals and eats, too. I always mean to try a new restaurant or pastime this way but never have the time!! And unfortunately I am most likely grinding at a really unsatisfying full-time job until school starts.
Caltrain is excellent, you can take it to SF and then take BART or MUNI within SF.
From a former long-time Bay Area resident:
There are some great trails with pretty views of the ocean as you head north towards SF and I distinctly remember one where I hiked/biked/walked along a water reservoir around San Mateo/Half Moon Bay. Been too long to recall how to get there, but you could google the trails which always seemed to run parallel to the 280. I also used to access this one trail right by Skyline College, where I noticed signs of horses. You probably need a car to get to those trails by the coast.
This all depends on what kind of things you're into, of course.
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Make use of as much vertical space as possible. For example maybe you could stack and reinforce the two bookcases, and then reinforce into the wall using studs in the wall for safety. When you move out, you could fill in the holes and paint so you don't lose a ton of your deposit.
If you can go loft-style, I think you should do it. If you can't find one in your budget you might look for secondhand bunk beds and use one of the levels for storage.
Or, you could get a set of "risers" that will raise a conventional bed frame up a bit so that you have *some* storage underneath. Or, search craigslist, etc. for a simple high bed frame - they make ones that give so much room underneath you could fit entire file boxes and drawers underneath. Based on my experience, not recommended for those with bad backs though - and I think it's designed for use without a foundation. Then again, maybe it's okay for bad backs with a good mattress. I had a crappy mattress. I used to have this kind of frame:
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Anyone attend the UCLA Grad Student Resource Center's optional orientation? Did you find it worthwhile? I will be attending my department's mandatory orientation, but it's not the same….
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I use it and just make sure to not buy things that I won't be able to pay off at the end of the month. Plus, if you're on any medications, you get a 5% off card for every 5 prescriptions you fill there and it stacks with the 5% of the RED card. It's been a huge help and I buy all of my groceries at the Super Target, so it really adds up.
Huh, I actually thought pharmacy is excluded in the 5% off.
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What size is the studio?
I recently moved into a 400 sq ft studio. Sadly, I couldn't find much furniture that was suited for a small apartment and inexpensive. I found that every piece of furniture needed to have at least two purposes, otherwise the space felt too crowded.
Another option you may want to consider is building your own furniture as a DIY project. I decided to use this as a chance to learn how to build my own furniture and ended up building:
- a console desk that converts into a dining table
- a platform bed frame that doubles as storage and a bookcase
- a paneled room divider
- a set of chairs that stack and double as storage when not in use
It did take a while to build everything… but it was definitely worth it! (not to mention cost-effective)
Wow, you built a lot!
I am loving the DIY craze. You've got me hooked on watching DIY clips on Youtube!
It's just under 400 square feet (385 or so), so smaller than your's! I should have mentioned the studio will be furnished. It will have the basics:
* full size bed with some drawers underneath
* work desk, chair, and work lamp
* floor lamp
* loveseat
* coffee table
* 2 end tables that nest into each other
* short bookcase
I think the bed might have a wooden frame of sorts, but I might look for a combo bookshelf/headboard that's like a hutch but over the head of the bed, or maybe will try a partial DIY for that. I guess I could look into seeing if I could elevate the bed to make more storage underneath, but I have a feeling the given frame is really heavy and cumbersome.
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To save some money and situate myself very close to lab, I temporarily shared a 1-BD with another woman, where we each took a room. I had the living room.
I bought this at IKEA -- slightly lofted bed. It's from their children's department. Only drawback is it's a twin size only, so I had to do the traveling/visiting to see my long-distance partner for those 4-5 months; he could not stay due to the size of the bed and the agreement I made with my roommate. There is a celestial-themed tent/cover you can purchase put over it. It was pretty cool...anyone who came over and saw the setup raved about it; it was like a little fort.
For the space under the loft, I found that a certain size of IKEA's very popular and inexpensive modular bookcases just fit. It's here -- the 4x2 squares one, and you can get baskets, fabric drawers, etc. at IKEA too to make it entirely or partially like a dresser. I filled it with my books and kept it flush with the front of the bedframe. This left a small corridor behind for a ton of boxes, camping gear, and other storage.
In my new apt, I ultimately kept the shelving unit. It's our entertainment center now and holds our DVD/cookbook collection. I also kept the twin mattress from the loft bed -- it was so comfortable and we can store it handily for our guests. I left the loft behind...once assembled, it was too wide for any door...but I sold it to the next incoming roommate for that apt.
I would have probably gotten a loft bed like you described (what a space saver) but my place will be furnished - a pro and a con.
I used to have a larger version of that popular IKEA shelving unit when I had a business, I had been assuming that it would be out of my budget, but the one with two columns might work. The key will be if the depth will fit! Great comment to use it as a partition, as well!
Masters Thesis based on qualitative research
in Writing, Presenting and Publishing
Posted · Edited by Coconut Water
Howdy,
How detailed should a social science Masters Thesis Proposal be?
I am conducting a qualitative study on which I plan to base my Masters Thesis. In my understanding, qualitative research tends to be 'inductive' (rather than deductive like in quantitative) and very participant based, very exploratory, more concerned with "how" rather than proving a hypothesis (But I do feel my study is somewhat "if" oriented anyway). I plan to adapt my pre-existing qualitative study proposal to be my Thesis proposal. But I feel the qualitative study proposal was pretty open ended, in part because of the nature of the methods, and I'm wondering how much more detailed I should try to make the Thesis.
My committee already knows that I am extending out my qualitative study to my Thesis, and they are aware of my qualitative study topic. So everything seems fine there.
I'm thinking that if anyone here can ask me some clarifying questions, that might help me to clarify for myself how to proceed. Sorry I can't be more specific, I'm protecting the topic.
Thanks!