long_time_lurker

Lost here in many of the arguments pro and con protesting income inequality is the fact that there are people living in a public park. This is not something that is necessary to have a protest (e.g. the 2004 RNC) and quite a few who go to some of the protests aren't camping out in Zuccotti Park. People have a 1st Amendment right "peaceably to assemble". Anyone who wants to protest can do so legally by getting a permit. I took part in a protest in 2004 with lots of other union members during the RNC. There were no problems, no arrests. People showed up, said their piece, we got our media coverage, and we went home. Whether it was even effective or not or whether streets should be closed for this sort of thing is something I question now, but people have a right to do that. On the other hand, over the past 5 weeks we have people living in a public park. There have been numerous illegal actions including blocking traffic, blocking bridges, noise complaints, and public urination and defecation. They have also attacked the police and even police animals. They pay no rent and no taxes but have cost the city over 3 million dollars so far. The whole concept of "occupying" conveys a disturbing premise that one can take over public property by force. Again, they have no right to their exclusive use to it, it is not private property that they own or pay taxes on. For instance, if they want to open a storefront on/near Wall St. (like Park51 the so-called "Ground Zero Mosque") where they could base an unpopular operation to attack capitalism or excessive wealth, they can do that. Instead they choose to break the law and then complain about it when they get arrested.

This was a pretty poor selection to prove your (or really, the image creator's) point. The way I see it: On the left we have people sitting in a park. They happen to be exercising their 2nd Amendment right to bear arms. It does not appear that they are "occupying" the park either as there's no camping equipment and no filth. No laws are being broken. On the right we have 4 NYPD officers (not "riot cops" by the way) arresting a law-breaker who clearly is not being compliant; he is engaging in a known protestor tactic to "play dead" instead of just walking to the vehicle he would be led to. The police are restoring order; if there was order you would see foot and vehicle traffic there. Also NYPD does not use tear gas (NYPD spokesman Paul Browne, 9/27).

Though I'm for a return to higher income tax rates for the rich, and for capital gains and dividends to be taxed at the same rate as work income, I'm 100% opposed to this Occupy Wall St. It's obnoxious, even bordering on tyrannical, in that they are using a park for their private use, making life hell for their neighbors, marching without permits, and creating not just inconvenience but danger by unilaterally shutting down streets and bridges that people rely on to get to work and more importantly when lives are on the line (e.g. fire trucks, ambulances). Bloomberg should have done what Chicago and Denver did and never let them "occupy" that park to start with. The NYPD (God Bless them for dealing with all this crap, 99.9% of whom have done so with tremendous restraint) cleaned out Tompkins Square Park in the 80's the old-fashioned way with "hats and bats" and it's time to do the same today. Give everyone fair warning and then return our city back to us. I'm just thankful that these people haven't destroyed my commute yet.

OK I am 32, married, with a baby on the way. My field is part of psych as well. And my wife is underemployed and unlikely to return to her original career. So we're very much in a similar boat. I'm in a PhD program (I already had a Master's) and my stipend is about 25K. Other schools offered similar stipends. I work another job in the morning teaching high school (which was my original career) to pull in extra cash. So if you think you can do it on around 40-45K, then you'll be ok. Watch out for benefits and keep in mind you may be paying out of pocket for an entire premium. Child care costs too, if your wife won't be home to care for the child. Can you use your degree to get a social services job? Lots of those places are hiring people for part time and per diem work. Loans are available if you think you'll have trouble making ends meet and/or you think you won't be able to work. I think PhD is the way to go for you if you have interest in academia because you will get a stipend whereas with a Masters you will be footing the bill (most likely).

What was your Bachelor's in? That's an important piece of information.

smaturin, try Boost Mobile. I got it in August and it's been great. You can do unlimited web for 35 cents a day if you want (so at most 10.85 a month) and calls/texts are only 10 cents a minute/per text. I used to have the AT&T Go Phone which was only about $9 a month but having the web is a nice upgrade. I also am with you in regard to giving yourself rewards. The Premack principle works very well! To everyone who responded to my post, thanks. I'm actually getting a new boiler this weekend, so hopefully that will help. It will probably be a few years until the big culprit, the windows, can be done. As runonsentence mentioned, these are huge up front costs and since I don't own the house outright (I am a next of kin) my hands are somewhat tied. Also, we're only talking about 3 months a year, so while it's tough, it could be worse if I were in Boston or something.

A BS in Math is good! Do you have any interest in becoming an actuary? Also with a pure math degree I'm sure you can get a job at an accounting firm while you do your MS. Also you can teach math too. That's what I do part-time (used to be full time, for 8 years). A guy I worked with did the opposite, he worked in accounting and got burned out so he became a math teacher.

Unfortunately, no. 2 oil deliveries a month, about 180 gallons each time, and $4/gal or so for oil. My house is about 60 years old. The only good thing is I like the heat, so in the summer I have way lower electric bills (rarely more than $125) than most people because if I put an A/C in (I don't always d0) I use it very sparingly.

Well as compared to undergrad, yes the aid picture is entirely different. Things like Pell Grants go out the window. You're expected to shoulder the cost of your education either by working and/or by taking loans. The good news is the loan limits are much higher, and you'll probably be considered an independent student for FAFSA. What ktel is talking about would really only exist for you if you are going for a PhD in Accounting. It doesn't hurt to ask though when you apply to schools. The whole stipend scene though is more geared towards "professional students" (for lack of a better term) who are doing research or TA'ing and/or studying for a PhD. Guys I knew who went into accounting/are accountants said they took jobs after their bachelor's for small firms and studied for their CPA exams. One of them ended up at a big firm after he got certified and was going for his MBA when he changed gears and went into education (which is how we met). You going into Forensic Accounting? That's a big deal right now.

I don't know how someone lives on 14 grand. Then again, when my wife and I made about 100K (before I went back to school and she got laid off), we didn't feel rich, and on the other hand there are billions in this world who would feel rich with 14 grand. Then there's the Congressman the other day who lamented only having 400K to invest in his businesses after "feeding his family" on 200K. It's all relative. My stipend and fellowship are about 25K, also in the social sciences, so yours is comparatively low. I have a part-time job (if I were you I would ask about this, my department doesn't allow it either but you can get permission from the Dean), and my wife is underemployed so we're under 60K, but housing with utilities is on average about 1500/month for us (this is averaged out, winter is much higher). Don't know where you are smaturin but please double check the heat, because here in the winter it's about 1500/mo. to heat the place in the depths of winter. I don't want you to freeze! Finally, I look at it that we're lucky to be paid to go to school. Really, I wonder sometimes if it's even worth it to the school or the professors. TA's are expensive compared to adjuncts, and I'm sure researchers can be found for cheaper than the combined cost of a stipend and tuition. The only way we would get higher stipends is if there was suddenly a higher demand or lesser supply. (edited to remove some potentially identifiable info and recalculate housing cost)

I honestly don't see why going to school would keep someone from practicing his/her religion. I know a guy whose religion requires him to pray 5 times a day and being at work didn't stop him. As for me I'm Catholic and it's not as if I can't take Sunday off to go to Mass and spend it with my family. This really is no different than anyone else. Some people are very involved with their places of worship, doing things during the week, but even then I don't see how that's different than any of us who spend a few hours during the week on specific nights playing cards, at a sporting event, at happy hour, at the movies, at another job, etc. I think it's just a matter of deciding whether or not religion (or your place of worship) is a priority to you, if so then how much of a priority it is to you, and then making it a point to devote certain time (e.g. 2 hours for choir practice on Wednesday nights) to your religious activities.

Does it really matter what people on an Internet forum think in the grand scheme of things? Even the other people in your lab, are they going to pay your bills, do your research or write your dissertation? You know what you're there for. Do what it is that you went there to do.

I used to put $1000 a month into a 403b at my job, but now that I'm only part time there I lowered it to $250. The sooner you save for retirement, the better. You folks who only earn stipends really ought to look into an IRA because you'll qualify for the retirement savings tax credit, plus the money you put in the account isn't taxed (the money will be taxed later in life when you take it out). As for saving on expenses, using coupons and cooking at home is a biggie, though I must admit I've been a profligate spender on food thus far this semester, whether it's the pizza place or the diner. I also like hot weather so I rarely use my AC in the summer, and in the winter I keep my thermostat at 68-70 now and wear thermals instead of putting it on 75 like I used to. I save a lot of money on oil that way.

Not only is it possible, but better. I went a few years without having a cell phone until a month ago when I started my program, and I still barely use it. I have Boost Mobile and only pay 35 cents a day for unlimited internet which I use to check email on Gmail and check the traffic. I spend a dollar or so a month on calls (10 cents a minute) and text messages (10 cents each). I say better without one because it gives you freedom. People have to deal with not being able to reach you 24/7. Not to mention I can't imagine spending close to $500 a year (40 a month) on a cell phone. I don't even pay that for my cell phone and my home phone combined.

Hmm Hejduk we may be in the same school and department because I teach in a lab just like yours!! The first 20 minutes I teach them at a whiteboard and they sit in the middle of the room. Then I let them go to the PC's and I do the demonstration. I have the same issue, the instructor computer is at the end of the students' row. At least I can move the monitor and I have a wireless keyboard and clicker. So I typically stay in the middle and work off those. We have software called Insight where I can spy on the students but honestly I really don't do that. The key for me is I give them a brief assignment to do in lab and submit on their way out. This way it behooves them to pay attention and I get a little artifact to base their lab grade on (and yes, I make it very easy for me to grade so I am not swimming in paper!)

Sorry Jaxwolf to hear of your ordeal but glad to hear there was a happy ending. Let this be a lesson to all who read this in the future: don't ever believe the landlord! Definitely visit the place and definitely do a dry run to try the trip. Also Unlikelygrad glad for you that your move is working out so well for your family. I'm sure that makes whatever minor inconvenience you may experience on your travels small in comparison! Hell, on Friday after I had my first 3 hour ride home of the semester, I got a smile on my face 30 seconds after it finally ended the moment I picked a butternut squash out of my garden for my ravioli! We all have our reasons for doing what we do.

It's not ideal but you can take loans. Rates are as good as they'll ever be (it's essentially no interest counting inflation) and they don't have to be paid until you get out of school. Also, assuming your Bachelor's is also in religious studies, I would look into religious schools in the area. You don't need to be certified to teach in private schools. I don't know your faith but in my school (Catholic) the religious (i.e. nuns) aren't getting any younger and the school has been hiring especially part-timers for whom they don't have to pay benefits. So it won't kill you as far as time is concerned, and you'll make about $50/hr.

Whoever thought of making this a big business has a good idea. I know in undergrad I sold a couple notebooks usually with a textbook to someone taking the course after I did. However I wouldn't be a purchaser, simply because I find the activity of taking notes to be a learning experience. It's really not as effective to me to use someone else's notes to study with. As long as we're talking about notes and not a transcription of a lecture or verbatim copying of PowerPoint slides, I see no issue in regard to copyright or IP. That's really a stretch.

Try to schedule something in advance particularly on a weekend so us "older non-traditional people" (if that's the case for the OP) can make time for it. I know I'm certainly not above grabbing a few pints with the guys in the program, but our schedules generally don't correspond. We live in different places and have wives to go home to and jobs to get up for in the morning or jobs to go to at night.

As far as an online profile I think I would ditch the "professor" part. However as has been mentioned most students when you're adjuncting or for that matter lecturing as a TA (note lecturing not just grading and such) are going to call you "professor" even though you're not a Professor. Also, at least in my department, it is customary for those of us without our PhD's yet - including TA's as well as adjuncts - to put "Instructor" on the syllabus.

New York Super Fudge Chunk, with Smuckers hot fudge and extra chocolate chips.

It's an IRS rule. It doesn't depend on what school you attend. Students are eligible for a "Student FICA Exception" provided they meet certain IRS criteria. Most students should not have FICA taken out. Note I am talking about the 5.85% everyone gets taken out of their checks for Social Security & Medicare, not your regular Fed/State/Local tax. However there are distinctions between work and non-work (as Eigen mentioned), you must be registered for enough credits, and you can't be eligible for a retirement plan - this would've been a problem in one of the schools I got into, as their TA's are unionized and receive State employee benefits including a 403( b ). If you're really interested you can search and find the relevant documents on IRS.gov. Also, although this can be a nice coup - at $25000 you save $1462.50 over the course of a year - being called a "full-time student" can have negative consequences. For instance, the Retirement Contribution Savings Credit for me will go out the window because a "full-time student" is ineligible to take the credit even if he/she has another job at which the contribution is made.

+1 for saying Belfast is in Ireland. At least it would be more relevant than the one I had to sit through the other day, that asked us out favorite food. Talk about 5 minutes of my life I will never get back. Others might say though that the point of an icebreaker is that it's not particularly thought-provoking. Tiochfadh ár lá.

Ugh. Group work. I feel bad for you. You all signed up to stay until 10 so really this is the most sensible thing to do. However, you must put your foot down about going past 10, tell her this is a safety issue if you're taking trains and/or buses. Really no one else is going to want to stick around there either. Coming early is going to be hard for people because getting there before 7 isn't going to be easy for anyone who gets out at 5. And honestly, you're not going to want to make an extra trip, 3 hours on trains and buses, just to do group work assignments. That would make me jump on the tracks!! I wish professors would think of this before doing this kind of thing. Not only is it unfair to grade on a group basis, but it is a tremendous inconvenience.

YES. +1. Everyone should take special note of this. It prevents students from thinking they can contact you anytime, anywhere, and expect an immediate response. It seems a symptom of their millenial culture to expect everyone to be glued to a wireless device and be instantly reachable.