is this what everyone thinks?

Question

I am a graduate student in a math dept. as you can guess, i earn very little money; however I was always proud that at the very least i am not taking charity from anyone (my undergrad had a full tuition schol and stipend so i never took a dollar from parents after age 18) of late i have been wondering why all univs from harvard to whatever, agree that my salary should be the lowest of all, inlc janitors, security guards, etc. we all know that some work is high and some work is low, else all pays would be equal(let's be practical) and that those above despise those below, so is my work the lowest of all? recently i disclosed this to an elderly woman who is a friend, and she tells me that i should be thankful to have tution and TAship and the chance to stay alive. all of a sudden, i feel like a parasite; is the univ doing me a favour by keeping me alive; so the air i breathe, the food i eat, is it all just robbery? in that case, should i die? Am i a burden on society?

Answer 1

You are obviously an educated person, so I have trouble reasoning why you would question your self worth to such a degree. You should be proud of your achievements and believe in yourself, only you know how far your dreams can take you and only you can make that happen. Why listen to other people who want to put you and what you do down?

Answer 2

Grad students like interns in medicine work long hours for little money. This has always been sen as part of the process of education. It is really a kind of Hazing. It is perpetuated by people who feel that they had it bad as a grad student so they in turn should make it hard on their students. Hopefully at some point this will all change. Try to remember once you complete your education to work to make life easier for future grad students. Until then just work hard and try to avoid to much introspection.

Answer 3

ummm....not sure i completly understand... what exactly is your job? In any case, I think it's good that you're studying, at least you're not bumming off welfare. You are preparing yourself for the future!