Posts Tagged ‘part-time jobs’
Part -time jobs: Introspection
Posted by: adonis49 on: February 2, 2009
Part-time jobs within campus; (Ch. #38)
I was denied any kinds of scholarship in my first semester (1985) and my saved money ($5,000) had evaporated by the second semester.
In the second semester I received a quarter time scholarship that enabled me to pay tuitions at the same rate as US students. My scholarship was raised to half-time the next year.
Throughout my PhD program, I had to work on at least three part-time jobs, at minimum wages inside campus by regulation, to make ends meet: I could not earn a residence status to work outside the perimeter of the campus. Not many foreign students cared about these mean limiting laws, but I was raised to obey the law!
I used to wake up at 4 a.m. to start my first job cleaning libraries and class rooms, buffeting the floor, vacuum cleaning the sofas and on. I then rushed to attend a few classes, and off to serve lunch in banquets of hundreds of persons… I tried to study some more and then back to the main library in the evening to dumping the waste baskets, cleaning the restrooms before it closes at midnight. I had to keep clean from trash four ultra vast floors of the university. A clean space for the students to have a proper place to study and chat: The Students job was to dirty the floors again and again.
Other “sanitation engineer” employees would make the round once before closing; I did more than two rounds. I had a kernel in the library to study in isolation, but I mostly used that tiny quarter for moments of solitude. In addition to all these menial chores, I had to correct and grade countless homework and exams to satisfy the requisite hours for my scholarship.
The worst part was that I was excluded from the exciting projects that I applied for, of grants received by my department from companies. Most of the time, I was denied access to projects under the pretense of military or security credentials. For example, operation and quantifying the capabilities of jet pilots, or the control and displays in the redesigned new Ford motor series.
I had attempted twice to present proposals not in the line of my advisor’s wishes, until he finally gave me an ultimatum to do according to his directives because he would no longer extend any grants. I thus worked hard for a semester on his project that was related to safety and risk perception within a make-shift experimental chemistry lab environment.
I have to mention that the company contracted by the university to publish dissertations sent me a letter stating that there is a page lacking and it needed corroboration or correction and I was no longer in the mood of handling anything related to my dissertation.
I had paid over $100 for my dissertation to be published and for a copy left in the main library. All that I know is that I borrowed money to officially graduate, and I paraded in my gown, taken pictures and my diploma handed to me by my advisor. Enough was enough.
The light at the end of the tunnel was barely visible and my Golgotha road was just starting.
I experienced all kinds of part-time jobs after graduating PhD in Industrial engineering: Working at all kinds of fast food chains, all kinds of small and large restaurants, facilities for the elderly persons…
My dad had sent me a letter telling me that Maitre Emile Bejjani managed to reserve a position for me at the AUB in Beirut, but this harrowing and grueling period for graduating forced me to shun academic positions for years.
I recall that I filled the application to the AUB but didn’t send it: I had to experience life in the USA a little more, and get my fill of humiliations and indignities.
Are you poor? Raise your hand! Part 2
Posted by: adonis49 on: January 27, 2009
Are you poor? Raise your hand! (Part 2, January 21, 2009)
The year 2009 is going to be far worse than last year economically and financially around the world:
1. most of the capitalist investments are due to be paid this year:
2. many companies purchased in the diversification strategy have folded up and resources generated somehow not satisfactory;
3. more creative financial gimmicks have to be invented and demands for bailout funds will be at an increase.
Germany, Spain and Japan have established part-time job systems to absorb unemployment;.
In Japan 35% of the work force is part-timer; syndicalism is taking a new life in this country that promised life-long employment once hired.
The part-time job agency Wuppertal (Germany) pays 2.70 Euro an hour and Germany has been reluctant to set a minimum wage level but the current rate fluctuate around 5 euros; in France it is 8.7 euros.
There is nothing wrong with part-time jobs system as long as there is National health coverage and the work culture does not discriminate part-time workers and work classification as character failure.
60% of US unemployed have not health coverage because coverage is paid the employer; and thus, many members in the family of the fired worker lost their health insurance and lines are forming near health care charity providing institutions.
I experienced this condition in the US in 1997; I was losing weight though I did not feel sick; it was the allusions and the behavior of my acquaintances that scared the hell out of me, but I had no resources for a check up, I finally discovered a benevolent clinic; the physician told me that my nutritional intake was not adequate; instead of receiving money for food “quality” I had to pay ten dollars. for this diagnostic.
In Spain, retired people receiving 525 euros per month are adopting the roommate accommodation style to cope with rental expenses.
In Portugal more than 12% of homeless individuals have jobs but cannot afford to rent shelters.
And you start wondering how these homeless workers can resume construction jobs without warm and comfortable beds.
You start assuming that job related injuries would increase dramatically.
The nervous state of job insecurity will increase health deterioration and raise insurance rates. A vicious cycle of miseries that will not spread charity tendencies toward the much less developed States in Africa, Afghanistan, Palestine, Bangladesh, and the over two billion individuals earning less than one dollar a day or having a miserable meal every two days.
A reminder: The casualty toll in Gaza has climbed to over 1,400 dead; more children are dying from the detonation of bombs that did not go off.
There are more than 5,400 injured, among them 2000 babies disfigured by phosphorous bombs and shells.
Israel claims that the parachutists had to cover their landing by burning the land and people for their missions.
More than 500 of the injured babies are dying, which will raise the death toll to over 1000 Palestinian babies “martyred”.
We still have to wait for the final count: many bodies are to be extracted from the rubbles of demolished buildings.
The UN Secretary General visited Gaza and was appalled; he insisted that investigations for the destruction of the UN facilities will be conducted; what about the genocide? What about financial retribution for the victims?
Nobody believes that Israel will ever cease fire; Israel was created as a mercenary State…
What is sure is that many Israelis must be feeling very ashamed: the world community has finally discovered the true spirit of Zionism.
Adonis Diaries 