All faculty members that remain in CISE will have to stop their research program and focus only on teaching. About 50% of the faculty will be able to continue their research in other departments.
They will also be stopping all departmental TA support.
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Yep, this is exactly where my guilt comes in. What am I doing to help any of those millions of starving children? Very little.
So many people have told me throughout my life that I need to just ignore it, and you can't save the world. I can't help but think that's just their way of trying to invalidate any guilt of their own, even if they're right that it's not possible to help everyone everywhere.
Though that's why I invest on Kiva, because I can help make an impact in a "starving" part of the world helping to build up economies so the people can take care of themselves, rather than solely relying on financial donations.
No one can save the world, and no organization can save the world. People die, bad things happen and the measurable impact of any random person is zero. That's the simple facts of our existence. However, you can elevate yourself to where you have the ability to have more impact than a random person and you can direct your actions in a way that everyone you encounter is better for it (note that I say they are better for it and not that they think they are better for it). Those two things are how you have an actual impact because others follow suit, not because your individual contribution was overtly grand
"What am I doing to help any of those millions of starving children? Very little."
Feeling guilty isn't solving the problem, however. Guilt is just a pre-cursor to either resolve or apathy. If you don't do anything about it, you either get into a loop of guilt-> apathy-> guilt or you choose to ignore the problem (as you say your friends do).
Any action you take towards true progress for those in need, no matter how small, is good.
"The journey of 1,000 miles begins with a single step"
That's true. In my case, the emotion gives me an opportunity to reflect and determine a course of action.
My original intention for discussing my guilt was that I know it's a common feeling, and I wonder why so many people take action/interest for high profile cases. It's likely the overwhelming sense of apathy towards "saving the world" that people zoom in on particular people that they're familiar with.
But I still can't help feeling guilty for trying to help someone I know, versus a very needy person I don't. I'm not sure I'll ever be able to not feel this way. Ignoring the emotion only seems to bury it, only for it to resurface in the future (similar to your guilt->apathy->guilt cycle). One thing is sure though, even after I help someone, I still feel the sense of guilt and frustration that pairs knowing the rest of the world is still in need.
Like you said, any progress, no matter how small, is good!
That is exactly why I ended up adopting the concept (straight out of Atlas Shrugged) that I don't own anybody else anything except if we have made a previous agreement that I do. I don't feel I have to do charity.
So no, you don't have any ethical obligation what so ever toward somebody else. Even if eating out of your garbage could save their life you would be well within your rights to decline.
But really once you stop feeling like it is your responsibility to do something for anybody, no matter how great their need or how trivial it is for you, you feel so much better -- and you can still help somebody if you want to. You just have no obligation.
Live on less than half of your net(take-home) pay and save the rest. Now for every month that you work, you are also saving a month's worth of living expenses. After two years of this you have two years of fuck you money. Two years is enough time to learn python or something else significant.
Your savings can last even longer if you get a $10/hr job such as waiting tables part-time.
Work daily on developing marketable skills. Work daily on communicating how your work impacts the business you're in. Imagine your boss asks you tomorrow, "Why shouldn't I fire you right now?". What would you say?
Always have a resume prepared.
Once you have done this you can go up to your boss and tell her you are taking two months off and you won't care what she says in reply.
Recent grads are only making ~40k, some times less, some times considerably less (people have posted Ask HNs about this topic before). As someone who used to be in that camp, living off half your net at that salary range is not realistic; living on 75% is barely so, if you're eating bologna sandwiches every night.
Having a second job is a great idea, it's just too bad you can't get a good consulting job when you're a junior dev. Once you have a couple of years of experience you can start to get consulting work and from there you are pretty much set financially. The first couple of years are tough though. Vacations aren't realistic unless you have family that helps you out.
Up until January of this year I was making $40,084.00/yr. That means about $2k/month net.
I was paying $156/month on rent by living in a small house with two roommates. I drive a 15yo car that is paid off and I live 3km from work so I don't depend on it.
I can't imagine you were living anywhere desirable that you could pay $156/month in rent.
People living in high cost of living areas can't reasonably live on $12K/year. Luckily, they mostly get paid a lot better $40K/year because they have to.
Feudalism has been eliminated, you could always move. But you're absolutely right. People who choose to live in pricey areas don't get to enjoy extended vacations right out of college. It's your choice to make though.
I visited San Jose a month ago. It's a gorgeous area and the culture is something really special, but it's expensive as hell. But that's fine if you think it's worth it.
Where I live a 3br/2bth house can be rented for <$500. It makes a level of financial independence available that I couldn't have living in CA or most of the east coast.
I don't think people so much "choose to live in pricy areas" as that's where the jobs are. As a result, that's where the people are. As a result, that's where the most expensive living is. You can find a cheaper place to live, but it's likely cheaper, because there's less of a job market there.
Most undergrads are only making ~$0/year, and seem to get by just fine. Adding an extra $40k into the mix would only seem to help.
I made $37k at my first job, and managed to put $10k of that into the market for the first four years. So yes, it's possible.
Everything the grandparent says is good advice (apart from the waiting tables thing. Freelancing pays 10-30x as much.) Live cheap when you're young, bank away as much as possible, spend your 30s living on a beach. It's very doable if that's what you want.
I just mentioned waiting tables because it was a job almost anyone could do and that pays decently. It's something you could find quickly to stretch savings between jobs. I don't have any experience with freelancing but that's probably a better idea.
Dunno where you are, but in New England $60k seems to be entry level and you can get much more if you're skilled and have good college-age work experience.
Usually (or at least back when I graduated from college the first time) there was a six-month window before you had to start re-paying the college loan.
Depending on the loan, you may qualify for "Income-Based Repayment" plans, which reduce monthly payments to $0 if you are making little or no money. You still accrue interest, and the crushing psychological weight of all that debt is still there, but it's definitely an option for new grads.
I doubt it. State schools are still pretty cheap. After a minimal scholarship, UIC cost me something like $1300 a semester. That ends up being a not-that-crippling debt.
If you go to a University of California, it costs at least $10,000 in tuition a year alone,definitely more now, that's what it was two years ago. Plus books and rent for most people.
Improve your skills, build a portfolio, and switch into contracting as soon as you can. You make a lot more if you're good, can make your own schedule (including long vacations if desired, or working vacations), and the somewhat higher risk and uncertainty are easy to manage when you're young and without dependents.
You also get more diverse experience and contacts that increase your desirability if you want to return to 9-5 land AND if you're adventurous, you can go live in a developing nation with a low cost of living, which has the same effect as a big income boost, plus you get to spend your time somewhere that isn't yuppie land (and presumably has nice weather).
I did that as a mid level dev. I had timing on my side though. I waited until we finished a big project, and then I presented my two week letter and went on a month long trip. I came back and found a job almost immediately. My point being that when your body asks you for change, do not hold back, and make that change. Be confident in your skills and don't be afraid of telling your boss that you need a break. Because even though the Germans may think so, we are not robots.
I took the month of August off from my software dev job between my freshmen and sophomore years of college. That was in addition to ~3 weeks of other vacation time spread throughout that year. I spent the month traveling and volunteering. It was unpaid, but my expenses were pretty low at the time and I had enough in savings to get by just fine. I highly recommend it.
They will also be stopping all departmental TA support.
The proposal is here: https://docs.google.com/file/d/0BwzZsds2XcGnMWFpcnFiNEhvQkk/...