Hahahahaha! At least that’s what I did when someone asked me the other day how I was planning on spending Memorial Day. “But don’t you have the day off?” I was asked, “After all you’re still in school!” Ummm… yeah, I am. But I don’t get holidays.
I’m sure that I’m preaching to the choir here, but I’m tired of being told that I’m in school and should be getting X day off, not working so hard (after all, it’s not a job), and that I can do Y because my schedule is so flexible. (So, that’s a horribly structured sentence… maybe I’ll ask Mrs. E about it in English class. Grrr.) In the past week I’ve been told that I have life easy because I don’t have to take classes (this by my undergrad), that I can put off doing stuff for Major European Conference and drive to babysit my friend’s child (this by the mother of my good friend), and that Advisor is mean because I have to go to school today (this by my mother).
No matter how many times that I explain that graduate school is a full-time job and that I get paid for doing research, people latch onto the last part of the phrase: “school”. I understand that most people have not been exposed to “graduate school” and do not understand that this is a very different education from high school or undergrad. However, I have explained this many, many times and get frustrated by the lack of comprehension.
So for the last time… Yes, I am in school, but no I do not take classes. My entire education/degree is based upon the research that I do in the lab. No, research does not always occur between the hours of 9am and 5pm. Think of my research as a puppy. I have to feed it, give it fresh water, and play with it everyday. Otherwise it’ll pee on the carpet, poop in my bed, and chew on my shoes. Metaphorically, without my spending at least 6 days/week on it, it will do the same. Also, I am an employee that means that I do not get “Teacher Workdays” or other holidays. I work weekends and holidays. I do this so that way I will eventually be able to graduate. I do not get Winter Break and Advisor does not give me fun word-searches or crosswords to do in the preceeding days. Nor does he give me shaving cream to clean my desk. I’m expected to do work and make arrangements for my research on any days that I take off. Now, my schedule is somewhat flexible. However, it’s flexible in the sense that I can choose whatever 50+ hours I want to work during the week. So, please stop asking me to (1) rearrange my schedule at a moment’s notice to accommodate your wishes, (2) calling me during the day and expecting me to talk for an hour, and (3) reminding me that I’m in school and should be able to do X, Y, and/or Z. I can’t do any of those things, despite the fact that I’m still in school.
/end rant
Guess what? It doesn’t get any better as a post-doc. If anything the “why don’t you toss that multi-week experiment in the trash and take day off”‘s just get worse. It’s like getting paid a little more to go to school. And with better health insurance (at least here)–so you could almost afford to get sick, but still can’t afford to take the time off.
Oh, and for the record? I wrote each of these comments in between wash steps as I set up to do GST pulldowns. I was going to stop after the pulldowns and do the gels and blots tomorrow, but what the hell. No reason not to run a bunch of gels and transfer westerns, is there? Not like I have to fight anyone for equipment… So, yes–happy holiday. Whatever.
Thanks for stopping by.
Lots of jobs don’t get holidays, but you are right, people hear school and think it’s a cakewalk.
I definitely have difficulties in communicating my schedule to my family and friends. I would love to take a week sometime this August and go see people before the classes start full up again, but we’ll see what’s going on in the wonderful world of research.
Amen to that! Although I don’t know what is worse- the fact that we are at work or that I haven’t actually seen any other grad students here today.
Amanda, thanks for stopping by my post. Also, thanks for the explanation (you know – the umpteenth one you gave 😉 because I really and truly did not know what it meant to be a grad student. Sounds exhausting but I guess we do what we gotta do huh? Here’s hoping you get your 50+ hours in and still find some time to do something fun!
I’ll be checking up to see how it’s going.
When I meet new people, I tell them I am a scientist rather than saying I am a grad student. That doesn’t help with the problems you’re describing with family and close friends, but I think it conveys more about what I do than to say I am a student.
I love the puppy analogy!
I try to emphasis the more I work the sooner I’ll be done card and people understand it a little better.
If only I had a dollar for every time my mom or grandma said, “you are working on sunday?”
Word. Luckily, I come from an academic family, so at least I caught a break from my immediate family…most of the time.
Yeah. I can imagine the flack you get. I get similar crap for various things I’m unable to do. I stay home, RIGHT? So I have oodles of free time? I totally wish.
Im here from NCLM.. my dbf starts grad school this fall. I’m sure he will totally understand this post. Nice to “meet” you!
When I meet new people I say I’m a researcher, and then avoid questions about what I research. 🙂
Hope you enjoyed your busy at work holiday. 🙂
And it is even more fun as a postdoc when people ask you when will you graduate, or how are your classes going.
Found you through NaComLeavMo and can tell that I’ll be visiting your blog again.
Busy day at work for me also. The people in the lab didn’t even mention the holiday (although a few never showed), and I saw 2 of my committee members. And then I got a phone call asking me what fun I had over the 3-day-weekend. Um, I caught up on work and sleep.
On the bright side, you will have less time to eat out!
(Just trying to think positive – its my new thing.)
Hope your work is going well.
Via NaComLeavMo…
I feel your pain. I could have never stuck it out in research, I became a science teacher instead, and don’t get me started on the people who say I only work 9-3 and have loads of holidays!
Title Troubles: Well, at least I suppose I have better health insurance to look forward to 🙂
Rachel: You’re definitely right about that. Lots of jobs don’t get holidays off… including mine!
Academic: I hope that you get to take time off. Vacations are very valuable.
Deb: I’m glad to have educated at least one person 🙂
EGF: I tend to do the same thing. However, the problem I have the most with is my family and close friends.
Jennie: That’s one of my favorites, the Sunday question. It’s a runner-up to the holiday one.
Unbalanced: Lucky!
Aunt Becky: I feel your pain. Staying at home means you have to do stuff there, not just sit around and eat bon-bons all day.
In Due time: Nice to meet you, too 🙂
Psych Post Doc: How do you avoid research questions?!? Share, please 🙂
Science Girl: I was the only one who showed from my lab, but the lab across the hall was here in full force.
Emily: Very true. I like the positive thinking. I’m going to try to do more of that.
Katie: And I don’t think that I could teach younger students. I just don’t have that sort of patience. My hat is off to you.
Echloe: Nice to meet you 🙂 Ah post doc. You at least get more money, right?
Here through NaComLeavMo!
I guess everyone’s grad school experience is different though, I think it depends on what degree you are going for (PhD as opposed to an MA). Grad school for me wasn’t as research intese as it was practical application intense with Consulting projects ect. I do understand how people still hear school and think summers off!
Good Luck with your research!
We could stop calling it “school”. It is a full-time job at least.
There’s a (quite recent) law here that requires contracts for grad students after 2 years, which comes with social security and official vacation time. But of course, I still need to get my research done, and my boss still must agree to any plans to take time off…
Thanks for visiting me from NaComLeavMo! Good luck to you on your way through “school”! And I know where you’re coming from – no one really understood what I was doing when I was in grad school either…I think it’s so different from the “school” most people are used to that they can’t comprehend it.
I think that your argument can apply to a myriad of situations where the other person is a moron. For example, I am in a teaching credential program and had to stop student teaching for the semester because my fibromyalgia flared up so badly. My peers say that I am “lucky” because I am no longer teaching every day. Gee, why don’t I feel lucky? I’ve offered to trade bodies and finish up their semester but they aren’t so keen on that for some reason.
Seriously?: Yep, the idea of summers off just makes me giggle.
Amelie: Ditto that! We have a contract at least, but with the same caveats as yours.
SAHW: It is very different. I just wish that after I’ve explained this to one person about 20 times they’d remember my explanation!
Sam: Amazing how just offering to switch places shuts people up!