at the university I attended have increase by more than 30% over the last decade. Professor salaries have flat-lined, more adjuncts have been hired, and tenure is all but a thing of the past. They were within a week of strike this last spring before they settled on a contract.
I graduated with a Masters in teaching English as second language. My choices are to work at a for-profit private school that runs international students through 4-week sessions or to be an adjunct at multiple community colleges and universities. The second option means spending $200-400 a month on gas just so I can go from one job to another.
This summer the private school I had hoped to make it through the summer with cut my hours. What I learned is that there is this handy-dandy federal law [*sarcasm*] that considers summer a normal break between terms, so my income from the public community college I worked at was not used to figure my unemployment benefits. That was two-thirds of my income not counted! I qualified for $131 a week. The next stop was the food stamp office. I'm also selling my house so I will be better able to relocate for jobs, I'm now behind on the mortgage and my credit is shot, so I'm also not sure how I'm going to be able to get into a rental.
It has been so humiliating and I feel completely devalued. I am so angry! Yet the worst is the growing bitterness creeping in, which I absolutely hate.
= new reply since forum marked as read