Re: [Marxism] Re: Graduate Programs in World Systems Analysis & History

[Isaac Curtis <isaac.curtis@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Brian,

I have worked (with the exception of this final year) full time in
addition to being a full time + student (18+ credits every semester).
My family has no money so it's always been a necessary part of school,
until this year when I got enough aid that I could work only part time
(and invest the difference in activism).  I also took two years off in
the middle of my undergrad career, where i worked 8 hour days in a call
center and 8 hour nights as a janitor in the same building.

I don't say any of that to suggest I ought to be immune from spending
more time working, but instead to show both that I have taken the time
to work, by necessity as much as choice, and that I'm sure my financial
situation will ensure that this continues to be the case.  I do
appreciate your thoughtful advice and I'm sure I will be carrying it out
to one degree or another regardless of whether or not I'm enrolled in
the fall.

Thanks,
Isaac
isaac.curtis@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx



Activists and scholars in Marxist tradition wrote:

> Isaac,
>
> I never pursued an academic career, although I had the background for
> it. Instead I dropped out of law school in my last year and although I
> made moves towards returning a couple of times, never got back to it. I
> certainly do not advise anyone to follow my downward economic
> trajectory.
>
> Having said that, and assuming that the economics make sense in your
> personal situation, I hope you consider deferring graduate school for a
> year or two while you take a job (or several) as a factory worker. And
> it would be best if you did this away from home.
>
> I am sure that you have had several jobs as a h.s. student and college
> student, during your school year and summers, too. But I don't mean
> clerking or working at Walmart or MacDonalds, but a factory job on or
> close to an assembly line. Of course, high-paying union jobs are the
> best. Unfortunately, they are rare, but there are plenty of low-paying
> non-union ones.
>
> I predict that I will get some flac on this list for this suggestion,
> so let me make it clear that this is a personal statement. It worked
> for me. What sustained me for so many years, including a long break to
> raise a family, were jobs in food-processing plants, canning plants,
> and as a foreman's assistant at a GM assembly line (not a worker, of
> course, but probably the most eye-opening job that I ever had).
>
> None of these lasted very long, but I have drawn from them ever since.
> Whatever you learn in academics will be enriched by experience in the
> flesh.
>
> Brian Shannon
>
>
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>
> .

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