Postal Letter

why is it that I cant live with self respect?

I am a grad student. As you can imagine, I barely manage to live out my "sentence of poverty" on a stipend that, despite being treated as salary by the IRS, does not give me a worker status. I am not a slacker, in fact I carry a well earned reputation for hard work. But, this is what it boils down to at the end of the day: the univ claims to be actually indulging me by paying tuition; the univ (and society) claims to be doing me a favour by letting me have my measly TA job. So, despite the fact that I work my life away each and everyday, i am made to feel like a parasite. What is my crime? People tell me that I should "love" my job; is it wrong to ask for pay if you are doing a job you love? I am poorly paid, I work extremely hard and I am made to feel like a thief.... Why is all this happening ? A mailman, a janitor, a waiter, a cashier makes way more than I do; I walk everyday and they drive cars; what have I done to deserve this fate?

Public Comments

1. Your self-respect is in your head and the magnitude of your pay isn't likely to change your drive or how you feel about yourself. When I was a grad student, I was paid just barely enough to cover housing, tuition, books, and cheap food. I owned essentially nothing but clothes, books and a bike. It was a lot of hard work, but certainly never had any self-esteem problems. Get yourself a good circle of friends and enjoy your time in school.