NCLSEA123

To be honest, I probably wouldn't be taking on any debt at all if I did the internship, and if I did, it would be under $5000, and I have no other debt whatsoever. (I work another paid job 20 hours a week with another federal agency in a job unrelated to my studies) I easily was able to get A's being a TA and working 20 hours a week with the feds last semester, so I doubt it would be an issue if I did the internship instead. Also with both options, I would be enrolled for 9 hours, however the internship would count as 3, while if I were a TA, I'd have to take another class. The class I would be teaching is related to my major though, so I don't know........ Throwing the money issue out the window, what would you do?

I was a TA this past semester and really enjoyed it. An opportunity has arisen however, to work with a federal agency I hope to work for after I graduate. If I took the internship, the department would give me 3 hours of credit towards a course in my degree program, and I would get valuable work experience, however the internship is unpaid. It would also probably set me up pretty well to get a job with that agency after graduation. I would also have access to some excellent resources to conduct a research project related to my field. If I continued being a GTA, I would continue to get my tuition paid for, receive a stipend, and would be teaching an undergraduate course related to my graduate field of study. The MS I'm getting is most likely going to be my terminal degree and I'm not very interested in academia. Neither route should detract from my ability to maintain good grades. Which route would you choose and why?

It really all just depends on your program and how well you manage your time. I'm a half time TA (10 hours) and I also work 20 hours a week in another job. First year down and so far I've received As and one A-. In fact the A- class was probably the hardest in the program. If you're pursuing a PhD or are working in a research oriented TA position, I would opt against working outside of school.

This is my second semester of graduate school and my first semester as a GTA. I also got my undergraduate degree here and still know many of the people in the program. The department assigned me to assist with a senior level undergraduate course, and this week I have to teach it by myself because the professor had to go out of town. In addition, I'm actually one of the younger people in the class and many of the older students don't seem to take me seriously. Before this, I've mostly just graded papers and helped with powerpoints. Besides showing confidence, is there anything else you could suggest when dealing with an older crowd? Thanks