What do you do and where?

[stray]

What courses are you teaching exactly? That doesn't even sound like the comments of an undergrad, let alone a law student.

[Abagadro]

Sorry. I should have specified. It is basically an Intro to American Government class at a large university. These are undergrads, many of them freshmen, so I can't hold it against them really. In talking to other TAs the general consensus is that the high school system has an incredibly high level of suckitude.  Still somewhat surprising though, although it is a large class (over 100) so you will have a large distribution.

[Strazos]

Sounds about right. When I last took classes in the fall, I took a 100-level course to fill that last elective spot I had. My school is a fairly small University (sub-10k undergrad I believe)....

But all the damn freshman in the class...it made me cringe every day I was in the class. It was some kind of Intro to Logic class or something, which is painfully simple for a graduating History major.

Hell, the professor even decided to introduce a group paper into the curriculum more than halfway through the semester. It wasn't on the syllabus.

I was none too happy. I had more important things to do than do a stupid group paper with a bunch of freshmen. Luckily, I had a paper I had previously written that nicely satisfied the requirements of the paper. All I asked was for the other three kids to send me some material so I wouldn't be handing in the Exact same paper I had previously written.

Only 1 kid bothered to send anything, after I had pestered these guys, in person and via email, for about 3 weeks. I only put the one other kid's name on the paper....

Yeah...freshmen...god damn...though I imagine it might be mildly amusing to grade their papers and essays.

[Lantyssa]

Yeah...freshmen...god damn...though I imagine it might be mildly amusing to grade their papers and essays.

No.

The one or two amusing papers and handful of well-written ones do NOT make up for the other hundred pieces of crap.  Grading papers was the thing I hated most about teaching.

[Strazos]

Well, I get a small degree of sick satisfaction out of cutting up a paper giving constructive criticism. 

[Morat20]

Yeah...freshmen...god damn...though I imagine it might be mildly amusing to grade their papers and essays.

No.

The one or two amusing papers and handful of well-written ones do NOT make up for the other hundred pieces of crap.  Grading papers was the thing I hated most about teaching.

Don't luck at me. My papers don't suck anymore. :) Not that we get much feedback from TAs or professors, for the most part. I did have one prof hassling me to join his research project, but I'm chalking that up to "Desperate for warm and free bodies to man his project" rather than any positive evaluation of my skills.

[Strazos]

I guess that's one thing I liked about my school; They really pushed the whole "small class size" thing. There's really only 1 good lecture hall on my campus that I know of. All the other classes are iin "normal" rooms that max at about 30-35 people.

This all means that professors actually had time to look over everyone's stuff. Though, I can only speak for the History dept at my school. They don't have any graduate studies programs, so no TAs for them. There were adjuncts, but I never took any history courses with them.

[Yegolev]

This may be a general statement, but is probably directed at Straz: sick time is not vacation time.  For example, I don't get sick time.  Good luck finding that fantasy job.

I sometimes forget that the cost for building materials are through the roof thanks to Katrina, not just the unabated building in my area.  I remembered quickly enough, thanks to my recent home improvement efforts.  Copper wire is pretty rough, as is plywood and such.

Still have those two openings, if anyone feels underpaid.  You'd come in at a grade above me, in fact.

I make more than that. But I would have to live with a 2 hour commute to even come close to affording that kind of square footage.

Yeah, in 2002 the house ended up something like $450k total put into it, however the mortgage was only for $278k and that's the important bit.  This house would have cost quite a bit more in some other metro areas, and it would cost a lot more if built today due to material costs.

[Murgos]

This may be a general statement, but is probably directed at Straz: sick time is not vacation time.  For example, I don't get sick time.  Good luck finding that fantasy job.

We have what they call an 'honesty policy' towards sick time.  If you're sick, go home, there is no designated sick time.  What the truth is though is that if you abuse it (more than a few days in a year, depends on your manager) you will not get a raise that year and could easily screw you for a promotion.  However, if you are actually sick/injured it's a great deal as it covers you for up to 26 weeks and there is an extended plan you can opt for but it costs extra.

So, it keeps you honest about abusing sick time as if it were extra vacation but it is more than generous if you really need it.

[Morat20]

We have what they call an 'honesty policy' towards sick time.  If you're sick, go home, there is no designated sick time.  What the truth is though is that if you abuse it (more than a few days in a year, depends on your manager) you will not get a raise that year and could easily screw you for a promotion.  However, if you are actually sick/injured it's a great deal as it covers you for up to 26 weeks and there is an extended plan you can opt for but it costs extra.

So, it keeps you honest about abusing sick time as if it were extra vacation but it is more than generous if you really need it.

My company is much the same way. You're sick? Take the time off. I have something like, oh, 50+ days of sick time alloted a year before I have to do something like go on disability. However, if you miss more than three days of work in a row -- you have to produce medical documentation. They also have an automated process to look for patterns (people who frequently get sick on Fridays) and discuss the issue with them and their supervisor. The idea is that if you get cancer or something, they'd prefer you to work on "getting better" than worry about being sick. And HR supposedly will do the vast bulk of the work to transition you to disability if you are out for several months.

Since I routinely schedule my medical stuff for Friday afternoons, I make sure to note that to my manager so he knows I'm not just getting out early for the weekend. Then again, I end up only taking one to two weeks of sick time a year -- and that counts days where I'm not sick, but my kid is. So I'm not really abusing their policy.

[climbjtree]

22, US Marine. I'm an artillery scout based in 29 Palms, CA.

[Tale]

When are you going to Iran?

[climbjtree]

I wish I knew! I've got about 8 months left of active duty, but with these inactive reserves being called up, maybe I'll be coming back in. I plan to get out, obtain my degree, and return to the Corps as a pilot anyway, though.

[Cheddar]

I wish I knew! I've got about 8 months left of active duty, but with these inactive reserves being called up, maybe I'll be coming back in. I plan to get out, obtain my degree, and return to the Corps as a pilot anyway, though.

Do it!  MGIB is the greatest thing ever!  Right up there with VA home loans.  30k+ tax free cash?  Its rad!

[Scadente]

24, Icelandic. Lived most of my life in Norway (Signe is a norwegian name btw). Did some filmschool in Denmark, worked some in the norwegian film industry as a PA and decorator, edited some commercials and music videos during a brief stint in Iceland. Currently living in London, studying game design/killing time/pondering abstract concepts.

Finding it quite nice growing up, not thinking I am He-Man anymore.

[Signe]

Eric Clapton named me.

[Hanzii]

Cool - what did he name you?

[Sky]

Layla, obviously.

[Yoru]

Update! I now write UNIX server software in San Francisco.

It's not sunny sunny SoCal, but the food is good.

[Engels]

Awsome man. SF beats SoCal anyways. Lucky man!

[Cheddar]

Update!  Unemployeed. 

[Sky]

SF beats SoCal anyways.

A-fucking-men.

[Ironwood]

Cool - what did he name you?

Mud.

[MrHat]

Update: I now commute 2 1/2 hours on trains/subway to the USPTO(US Patent & Trademark Office) in Alexandria, VA.

[Strazos]

So...you're looking to move, right? That's more than 20% of your day just spent on commuting?

[MrHat]

Nope, just bought the house, and the wife loves her job.  5+hrs a day sitting on trains/waiting for trains.  Thank God for my Zen Vision M, and hopefully a DS in the near future.

I'm hoping that if I put in my time (2 years at this rate) I can work from home.

Alternative is to knock up the wife so she can't work, then move closer to my work!

[WayAbvPar]

I just bought a house and I thought MY commute time was bad! I would kill myself if I had to spend 25 hours a week commuting. That is cruel and unusual.

[Yegolev]

If I had to drive 5 hours a day, that would be terrible.  Riding a train while holding a DS Lite would be significantly more tolerable.

[Signe]

Alternative is to knock up the wife so she can't work, then move closer to my work!

Isn't that just replacing one time sink with another?  At least you can sleep on the train.

[Furiously]

Alternative is to knock up the wife so she can't work, then move closer to my work!

Isn't that just replacing one time sink with another?  At least you can sleep on the train.

Pull the brake thing and you can ding too!

[MrHat]

If I had to drive 5 hours a day, that would be terrible.  Riding a train while holding a DS Lite would be significantly more tolerable.

Ya, I wouldn't even drive 2 hours to work.  But I sleep on the morning train for another hour or so, and watch tv/game on the evening train.  Really, it's when when we get out at work at 5pm and it only takes me a 1/2 hour to get to the train station (late train leaves at 610pm) so I have to sit around wasting time until the train leaves.  That should change when I'm allowed to have overtime.

If you really think about it, how much time do you waste just sitting around watching TV/reading?  I do that all on the train now.

Then do some more at home 

[Signe]

Reading is almost never a waste of time.  Watching tv is almost always a waste of time.  Funny, that.

[Jayce]

I moved halfway across the country to get away from a 1-1:30 commute!

And most of it was on a bus, wherein I could also read or sleep.  The days just get long when you have that commute.  8+1 (lunch) + 5 (commute) + about 1 to get ready in the morning... 15 hour day.  Wow.

[Strazos]

And don't forget sleep.

[Sky]

Reading is almost never a waste of time.  Watching tv is almost always a waste of time.  Funny, that.

Depends on what you read or watch. Reading Dawkins is great, reading People magazine is a waste (imo, of course). Watching Frontline is great, watching Deal or No Deal is a waste (again, entirely imo).