Adelaide9216

lemma, what I am saying that you're off thread. I am asking how much I should charge, not if I should charge or not. It's not about having everyone to agree with me. It's that it's not even why I started this thread for. Sorry I should have been clearer.

I don't appreciate being told indirectly that I am doing this for money when it is not the case. My intentions are genuine and have always been. Otherwise, I don't think I would get these requests for speaking if people felt that my motivation for it was the cash. I started this thread because I get asked, by organizations "How much do you charge" without me even mentioning money. It's coming from them because it is the norm.

My motivations for my speeches are the same and have never changed. Money is not and has never been the motivation. I am talking about a symbolic amount. And it's the people around me who keep saying to me that it makes zero sense that I keep on doing this for free.

Maybe I should not have opened this thread.

I went to the restaurant and then to the movie theater with my siblings tonight.

I am considering charging because I get 4 to 5 requests per month approximately (sometimes more, sometimes less). The largest one I did was 4000 people. At first, I was considering on doing it for free all the time but the reality is that it's a lot of time of preparation. Also, I don't own a car, so it's a lot of traveling time and expenses for that as well. As a full-time student, I do believe that my friend and my mother were fair into saying that I need to be paid because it is work. I am not saying that I want a 1000$ or live off of it. But I need a symbolic amount for my work at this point. It also gives "value" to what I am doing. And most public speakers are being paid for this, so why shouldn't I? Especially if the organizations that I get invited to are used to paying their speakers, why should I do it for free if they have the ability to pay the people they invite? I even think that you both should start considering charging as well because it's not sustainable to do talks on a regular basis without being paid. It is a lot of work (not only in terms of time and preparation but emotional labor as well.) I also want to stress that these talks have nothing to do with my research topic for my master's. To be honest, I don't want to start this thread about it being a debate about this. I need help on how much should I charge. Not on if I should charge or not, I've already made my mind about it and I do believe that what I am saying is fair. We all need food on the table at the end of the day. I've been volunteering since the age of 12 years old and I do offer my time for free in many different causes until this day, more than the average person, but it's just fair to be asking for a symbolic amount for this type of work.

This is good advice, thanks!

Hello, I am doing this "on my own" kinda of. It's not related to my research topic at all, I see this as a form of extracurricular work. I don't have an agent because I get most of my requests through Facebook and email and I am still able to manage it all. (And I think, having an agent is very costly, I don't even know how to get one). Yes, I've taken a look at how much motivational speakers/life coaches charge but I don't consider myself as a life coach or a motivational speaker so that's why I am confused. I'm just a social worker who shares her own journey to recovery on her "free" time.

Hello! I am asking my question here because I literally don't know where to go to have advice on this. I have been a public speaker for a few years now. I did a TEDx talk about my own journey and recovery regarding my mental health. Ever since I started getting requests to do more talks. I really enjoy doing it so that's why I keep sharing my story. At first, I was doing it on a volunteer basis and would never ask for organizations to pay me. My mother and a friend both advised me to start asking to be paid for my work because it is a lot of preparation and it would give "value" my work. However, whenever I am asked by organizations how much I want to get paid, I literally do not know what to tell them. I don't know what's the financial worth of my work and what's a reasonable price for it. Anyone here has been in a similar situation? I am assuming a lot of you are doing extracurricular work and have encountered a similar situation. Any advice? I was thinking of doing different prices depending on if the organization is a formal institution versus a community organization but I really do not know how to go about this.

I do have friends already. and yes, I know what I want from a relationship. Thanks for the wishes, hope you have a great holiday season too.

I also got a A and A- in two of my courses this term. I am still waiting for one last grade, but my CGPA is 3.85 on 4 so far for my first MSW semester.

I am turning 25 tomorrow! I'm also on vacation. It feels nice to have no assignments deadlines hahaha

Hello everyone, I plan on applying to a Ph.D. program away from my hometown. It's my top choice. But I've never lived on my own and I'm afraid that I will end up feeling lonely if I move out. I live with 4 younger siblings and my mother. I also have mental health issues and being with my family has helped me a lot to cope with some of the symptoms of mental illness. I'm turning 25 in a few days, I know that eventually, I will have to leave, but I feel anxious about feeling lonely. I'm not specifically always at home, but I find it reassuring to always have my home to go back to when I am away for work or volunteer opportunities.

I totally understand you! I was applying for a grant of one of my LOR sent their letter a few hours before the deadline, I was so anxious. Glad it all turned out well in the end. I hate when people are last minute too!

Officially on vacation! Yay! I took a loooong nap today.

A stranger asked me, politely, if I have fun in life. I just wanted to tell him "f*ck you" but I didn't do it. Getting those kinds of comments from total strangers is one of my biggest pet peeves. Yes, I am involved in my community. Yes, I am a volunteer. Yes, I prioritize school. Yes, I've won awards for my work and do talks/speeches, etc. But that doesn't mean that I never have fun in life. I do these things because I find them enjoyable. Otherwise, I would not be doing them. Just because I volunteer more in my community than the average person does not mean that the words "pleasure and fun" aren't part of my vocabulary. I hate when people project their own fears, insecurities and expectations on me just because they don't see themselves do the things that I enjoy doing. It makes me feel like an alien and I am not. I am myself. I just which I could be accepted for who I am. I wish people could see more than the tip of the iceberg. They would be surprised how often I laugh in a day. Just because I don't make a Facebook post about it, does not mean that it's non-existent in my life. /endofmyrant

I just handed in my last assignment of the semester.

I just got a 500$ grant for a conference to Paris in August 2018. The other applications will be done in 2018 but I'm really happy to have a little bit of funding secured!

I had the chance of having amazing discussions with people regarding transphobia, racism, islamophobia, classism, and other forms of oppression that are current in our society. It was a deep and thoughtful conversation.

I am just commenting to see everybody's answers. What's the added value of maintaining an academic blog?

They replied back saying that the news has not been posted yet but will be. So basically, I still have no idea if this is positive or negative.

Done. I hope I will be happy with their answer...

I am not a sociology major, but I took a sociology of ethnic relations course in undergrad and I really enjoyed reading Eduardo Bonilla-Silva's book called Racism without Racists.

Still no news. It's been two weeks.

Hello, I am not in the same situation as you, but I've been around trans folks in university and having them as friends and hearing their stories made me realize that to get to university (and even more so in academia) shows just how resilient they are. Just FYI, the University of Ottawa in Canada has just tired their first tenure professor who will teach and do research on trans realities. He is trans. Maybe you could contact him to hear a little bit about his own experience in academia? He teaches in social work.