[ApeAttack]

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They pay 3200 (or less) while expecting the grad student to work as instructor, grader, and lab tech, citing that this will look good on their record when they are applying for a teaching position. But a teaching position is really worthless. The profession has been going straight downhill for over three decades now. Weak pay and long hours. Summers off are a mirage. Sure, it's easy to schedule your doctor's appointments, but you can't choose what time of year to take any vacation. Unless your father-in-law dies or your sister marries at the right time, you can't go to the funeral/wedding.

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~1500-1600/month is standard for grad students (who only do research) at my university. I would be getting this much if I was only doing research instead of teaching.

From what others have told me, grad school has always been about long hours and weak pay. As T.A.'s we are only supposed to work 10-20 hours a week, but that is often unrealistic. But I will be leaving grad school with zero debt and a degree that opens a lot of doors. I feel that it is a fair trade-off.

The amount of time off depends on your adviser. My adviser is very flexible and allows me to work from home (computational work is fun). All he cares is that you are making progress in your research projects.


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The standard management style is for the administration to harrass and have no appreciation for nearly every single professor, even the few who excel in all categories. ... No matter what you accomplish, they will always want more.


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Publish or perish is the norm, of course. I don't see this huge management vs professor fight that you are describing though. But this might just be my department or maybe I am not involved enough.


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Promotion and tenure bear almost no relation to accomplishment.


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It seems that if professors are doing a decent job (publishing often enough, getting grants to pay for research and graduate students, etc.) they will eventually be tenured. It is rare that a professor doesn't publish often once they are tenured. But maybe this is just my department and/or my university.


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Ape, I'm telling you this, because I wish someone had told me.

Thank God, I'm out of that scene now. Poker is such an easy and stress-free job.

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It could have be that my work environment is very different or it could be that I'm not being exposed enough to all the crap you were exposed to.

I have already made up my mind not to become a professor at a major university because I am getting sick of doing research constantly (I much prefer teaching).

I will ask my adviser what he feels the management vs professor environment is like.