Up late at the Lab
I'm doing some homework here at Marston 112, one of UMass' many computer labs. I'm very close to the end of my undergraduate career, close enough in fact that they let me participate in the funny square hat festival last Spring. Thing was though, I was five credits short (even after 6 years) so I had to come back to finish the last three classes. It was a geotech lab, a physics lab and an art requirement. So I'm passing these now and this other problem has cropped up. See, I was paying for my schoolin' with a mix of work study, loans and scholarships, with some support from my Dad, too. But Federal loans require you to be at least part time, aka, six credits. Who knew? So I'm finally finishing my degree, and ta da, I have an outstanding balance of $1,785. The University won't give me the diploma until I pay them, which I understand completely. Fair is fair. I however, must procure proof of my validity as a member of society from said institution of higher learning so that I can join an engineering outfit. If I can land a job fairly soon, I will be able to pay the bill, get the diploma and begin paying off the rest of my student loans, which total upwards of about $24K, $35K or so if you count the interest.
The inverse of selling out is buying in.
A brief tirade about money:
I take a great deal of solace in the fact that our entire civilization is based on the "I'll pay you double if I can pay you later principle." What's my own personal debt compared to the trillions we collectively owe everyone else? Literally, trillions! I vaguely suspect that the net worth of Earth is, at best, constant. While I realize that money is simple a model of authority to direct and command, I must wonder where everyone thinks the money actually comes from. You can't spend money on goods, only services. A pound of copper can not take your money. It's the way we organize labor. Only a more efficient system to tell people when to be where, doing what will replace currency. It's a tall order, but it will happen eventually. That was my favorite part about the pilot episode of Star Trek: Next Generation.
So, the long and the short of it is that I would like to find employment subsequent to my studies here. Apparently, this "job" thing is very popular.
The inverse of selling out is buying in.
A brief tirade about money:
I take a great deal of solace in the fact that our entire civilization is based on the "I'll pay you double if I can pay you later principle." What's my own personal debt compared to the trillions we collectively owe everyone else? Literally, trillions! I vaguely suspect that the net worth of Earth is, at best, constant. While I realize that money is simple a model of authority to direct and command, I must wonder where everyone thinks the money actually comes from. You can't spend money on goods, only services. A pound of copper can not take your money. It's the way we organize labor. Only a more efficient system to tell people when to be where, doing what will replace currency. It's a tall order, but it will happen eventually. That was my favorite part about the pilot episode of Star Trek: Next Generation.
So, the long and the short of it is that I would like to find employment subsequent to my studies here. Apparently, this "job" thing is very popular.