Ask HN: What to do about a strike?

Re:Ask HN: What to do about a strike? by time_management on Tuesday December 09, 2008 @04:55PM (#391849)

If you're asking about whether or not to leave grad school for something that pays, I'd say this: excluding medical school and elite law/business programs, don't go into debt for graduate school, ever. You're much better off in the long run if you can get a decent job (which may not be easy right now).

This is just a matter of general principle. You should do graduate school only if you can do so with savings-neutral compensation at a reasonable (low, but comfortable) lifestyle. Otherwise, you're getting a harsh signal from the market. If you can't get a university to pay you ~$15k as a grad student, you have no hope of getting them to cough up $70k for you as a tenure-track professor.

$1000/month with 1/3 going to tuition? You're getting screwed. TAs simply should not be paying tuition. Professors' kids don't.

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Re:Ask HN: What to do about a strike? by yummyfajitas on Tuesday December 09, 2008 @10:50PM (#392434)

Quite right. In fact, I'd go further and suggest if you are not in the top half of your class after the first year, quit.

In my grad class at Rutgers, 3 are solidly on the tenure track (read: postdoc at good school), 3 did not finish (one is now in his 7'th year), the remainder are unlikely to get a tenured position.

I'm told that even at that other NJ school, only about 50% go on to get a tenure track job.

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Re:Ask HN: What to do about a strike? by time_management on Thursday December 11, 2008 @11:25PM (#395349)

Quite right. In fact, I'd go further and suggest if you are not in the top half of your class after the first year, quit.

If by "top half", you're talking about grades, I disagree. If you're talking about research potential then I agree with you.

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