I Need Your Advice
I thought I would bounce this off as many people as I can. I hope to get your advice on an opportunity that has just presented itself.
I received a Teaching Assistantship(TAship) with Carleton worth approximately $9000. This summer I secured an excellent summer job with the a certain crown corporation. The past few months have been incredible, I really enjoy my work here, and I often receive compliments about how they are going to miss me (and my excellent work) when my contract finishes at the end of this month. They have asked if I would be willing to work one day a week in the fall.
My BA is in Sociology and Canadian Studies, and would most likely be a TA in the Sociology department (but this has not been confirmed as of yet). My Master's degree that I'm starting this fall is in Public Policy (course-based) with a balance between economic/math/stats courses and practical/theory seminar-type courses.
Here is my dilemma.
I know that I can't do both the TAship and work part-time for this crown corporation from a time-management perspective. One thing I let pass at Trent is that overloading in 3rd and 4th year required me to drop extra curriculars (volunteering and clubs/groups). I feel I missed out on the social aspect of university and don't want to make the same mistake again. Thus, I will have four courses per term, extra-curriculars, and I also have a partner of three years who I will need to set aside time to see on weekends because he's doing his Master's at Waterloo.
My future career plans is what is driving me to consider this opportunity. There’s that catch-22 of graduating and having the education but not the work experience. After I graduate in the Spring of 2009 I will have very little work experience of which to speak or place on my resume. My three years working as a receptionist for the Undergrad Student Association will not be the type of work experience (assumably) that employers will be seeking. I have very little work experience related to any type of policy. I’ve learned that this Crown Corp is the type of organization that there is a lot of internal movement and opportunity. Therefore, when I graduate in 2009 will the people I even worked for still be able to speak about my work.
The reason for my haste is that I have this ten-year plan. While I know that it must be flexible for change, I also know what I want. After my Master's I want to work for 8-10 years and then settle down have a family, stay home with my children until they are in school full-time and then go back into the work force full time. I have no plans to do a PhD or stay in academia.
The other part of the equation is the monetary reward. At this Crown Corp I am paid very well and I will have to work 13 hours a week to meet the same amount I would have receive with my TAship. The TAship says that I will work 10 hours per week but clearly this will be change depending if I have papers to mark etc.
Therefore, do I decline the TAship and use this excellent opportunity to stay with this Crown Corp, which will provide me with solid and longer work experience. While housing policy is not what I was initially considering, as I am more interested in health care and education policy, I really like what I’m doing and learning here. Additionally, when I graduate I need to set myself apart from other candidates. On the other hand, are there skills and experiences that a TAship will give me that I am not considering?
I apologize for the length, I thought I would get it all out though. I value any advice or feedback you can give.
I received a Teaching Assistantship(TAship) with Carleton worth approximately $9000. This summer I secured an excellent summer job with the a certain crown corporation. The past few months have been incredible, I really enjoy my work here, and I often receive compliments about how they are going to miss me (and my excellent work) when my contract finishes at the end of this month. They have asked if I would be willing to work one day a week in the fall.
My BA is in Sociology and Canadian Studies, and would most likely be a TA in the Sociology department (but this has not been confirmed as of yet). My Master's degree that I'm starting this fall is in Public Policy (course-based) with a balance between economic/math/stats courses and practical/theory seminar-type courses.
Here is my dilemma.
I know that I can't do both the TAship and work part-time for this crown corporation from a time-management perspective. One thing I let pass at Trent is that overloading in 3rd and 4th year required me to drop extra curriculars (volunteering and clubs/groups). I feel I missed out on the social aspect of university and don't want to make the same mistake again. Thus, I will have four courses per term, extra-curriculars, and I also have a partner of three years who I will need to set aside time to see on weekends because he's doing his Master's at Waterloo.
My future career plans is what is driving me to consider this opportunity. There’s that catch-22 of graduating and having the education but not the work experience. After I graduate in the Spring of 2009 I will have very little work experience of which to speak or place on my resume. My three years working as a receptionist for the Undergrad Student Association will not be the type of work experience (assumably) that employers will be seeking. I have very little work experience related to any type of policy. I’ve learned that this Crown Corp is the type of organization that there is a lot of internal movement and opportunity. Therefore, when I graduate in 2009 will the people I even worked for still be able to speak about my work.
The reason for my haste is that I have this ten-year plan. While I know that it must be flexible for change, I also know what I want. After my Master's I want to work for 8-10 years and then settle down have a family, stay home with my children until they are in school full-time and then go back into the work force full time. I have no plans to do a PhD or stay in academia.
The other part of the equation is the monetary reward. At this Crown Corp I am paid very well and I will have to work 13 hours a week to meet the same amount I would have receive with my TAship. The TAship says that I will work 10 hours per week but clearly this will be change depending if I have papers to mark etc.
Therefore, do I decline the TAship and use this excellent opportunity to stay with this Crown Corp, which will provide me with solid and longer work experience. While housing policy is not what I was initially considering, as I am more interested in health care and education policy, I really like what I’m doing and learning here. Additionally, when I graduate I need to set myself apart from other candidates. On the other hand, are there skills and experiences that a TAship will give me that I am not considering?
I apologize for the length, I thought I would get it all out though. I value any advice or feedback you can give.
posted by Spitfire at 10:21 AM
5 Comments:
My sense from reading your message is that you have already answered your own question I would concur with your logic -- i.e that the work experience you will get at this crown corporation would serve you future plans well. If you have no intention of pursuing an academic career there's certainly nothing sacrosanct about TAing. The only thing that TAing would do, in the context of your question, is to vary the work experience you do have.
On the other hand, you already know the expectations of this employment position, so you will not have to learn on the job. This will leave you time to focus on your academic work, your extra-curricular interests and your relationship -- which are all more important than any job (if I may say so). I guess I'm always urging young people to think less about career and more about life. Life is short and should not be confused with a career. I am speaking as someone who never
worked a day in his life. Keep smiling (also very important)!
So there you are. It sounds like you already have a good gut-level sense of what you'd like to do. If you're not interested in moving beyond the Master's to a Ph.D., then there's probably no harm done in skipping out on a teaching assistantship. My two bits, for what they are worth, would be to stay with this employer, especially if you're hoping to find work with them once you're done school.
I like your approach to this stuff - whenever your life gets too cluttered, your desk too covered, just start pitching stuff over the side to make room for what really matters. And extracurricular university life is really worth investing in.
You're right: teaching assistantships can be very unpredictable. My first year at Trent, for example, I got stuck with ninety students, massive overwork, and eventual tendonitis from marking over five hundred assignments in eight months. Or, as they say in American politics, why change horses in mid-stream? If this job/company works for you, why bother changing things up?
Bestest,
Mark.
Ditto.
Only a couple of things to add:
1) Ten-year plan, hein? Is that anything like a Five Year Plan? ;)
2) As far as I can see it, extracurriculars are almost a red herring. The real question you appear to be asking is whether a TAship or a job would be better for your career, and given your preference for going to work for a Crown Corp or think tank or whatever.
3) The only other thing would be what they said about law school: "Everyone gets the same grades here, so what sets everyone out from the pack are extracurriculars and the like."
My sense is that many many people end up as TAs, but not so many have the kind of work opportunity you describe. Which one would set you apart more?
I certainly think you will make the right decision. All I will add is that I too had a certain x year plan and they very rarely turn out. That is not a bad thing. Just the way life is.
I think it was John Lennon who said life is what happens when you are off making other plans.
If my 'plan' happened, I probably would have become a lawyer by now. I would perhaps have more money as opposed to this 'struggling artist' thing, but I never would have met my lovely wife.
You are very smart and I am confident you will make the best decisions for yourself and the ones you care for.
Best.
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