what the fuck am i getting myself into with this grad school stuff

radio is probably the one area of media i'd really like to get involved with; i just think that there are so many people wanting to get in there and some of them are probably extremely pushy

i'd love to work for, say, resonance fm or some other arts station. the beeb? pft! gr i need to be less defeatist. but they are all on coke.

no one ever got a job in radio by not applying

pretty sound advice, max

friend of mine works at the bbc world service and showed me around one day. there is a pub in the basement!

tho i guess there's a pub in every british basement, really

max is like my spiritual fader

there's a pub in every cupboard under the stairs, keeps the moths busy

i secretly want to do radio, now that i think about it

i am doing a radio module on my course next term, actually

hmm maybe i do not feel so bad after all.

you should be an announcer on bbc world radio so we can all hear you

flattered

wait

not you

ev can join me, we will be the dream team ^_^

every time i propose that i say 'it's one o'poppage in the morning, GMT!' for the benefit of sundry ilxors he will fix me a glare and i will shelve the wheeze

ok deal

i have a v mellifluous voice i will have u know

we will cake their ears in the dew of our discourse

i have a very refined english voice and an eloquent expression which makes it p-surprising when i say something completely bizarre/twisted/dark...i'm not gonna lie, this is very enjoyable to do

no doubt.

something tells me there might be a 5th motivation

to entertain, and not just for egotistical purposes.

yes! i think that's kinda what i was getting at. the idea that others are enjoying and being enriched by one's work, for their sakes. an artistic discourse. why did i drink that tin of beer

three stages of what is commonly reputed to be 'the very best education money can buy' have proven each as shallow as the last; at least i met some good people along the way

~feeling u~

good to know that I am not the only early 20s recent grad being crushed by the ~real world~ on this board

anyways I'm pretty sure the answer to this quarterlife crisis is to find and marry a rich heir/heiress and make them finance everything you want to do

; )

yeah, that seemed like the answer when i was in my early twenties too, ;_;

dyao ur an excellent nu addition 2 ilx - maybe the best of 2009 - and we will totes get thru this together

btw this isn't a quarterlife crisis, it's a thirdlife crisis. i'm taking 65. then it's hunter s thompson or i die anyway from nature

it would be a terrible fucking shame, nay, waste, for you to wear those teeth only as far as 65.

seriously, if you go hunter, aim above the nose and i will claim ur teeth

aw ~thankin u~ louis

http://www.hindmansettlement.org/files//images/handshake.jpg

my lower teeth are slightly wonky, my upper teeth almost worthy of america, so i will honour that request

dyao i accept the shake and speaking of hands over the next few weeks will ilxsearch the word 'dexterity' before adding to yr wonderful thread; there is much that is dextrous in this world

also sinister

shaking w/ left hand = either masonic or too busy w/ right hand already

Being hard-left of politic and yet desiring to create special or individualistic art is the hardest conundrum my moral mind has to deal with. I hope it resolves itself well. Can any of you think of something that discusses this conundrum? A touchstone for me to explore?

― 102. LJ: British. 5. (acoleuthic), Wednesday, December 9, 2009 6:53 PM (1 hour ago) Bookmark

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Masturbation

― iatee, Thursday, December 10, 2009 4:41 AM (5 hours ago) Bookmark

hard and sinister 4u

Maybe Adorno? Don't fancy him much myself.

http://chronicle.com/article/Graduate-School-in-the-Huma/44846/

Graduate School in the Humanities: Just Don't Go

They are excited by some subject and believe they have a deep, sustainable interest in it. (But ask follow-up questions and you find that it is only deep in relation to their undergraduate peers — not in relation to the kind of serious dedication you need in graduate programs.)

They received high grades and a lot of praise from their professors, and they are not finding similar encouragement outside of an academic environment. They want to return to a context in which they feel validated.

They are emerging from 16 years of institutional living: a clear, step-by-step process of advancement toward a goal, with measured outcomes, constant reinforcement and support, and clearly defined hierarchies. The world outside school seems so unstructured, ambiguous, difficult to navigate, and frightening.

With the prospect of an unappealing, entry-level job on the horizon, life in college becomes increasingly idealized. They think graduate school will continue that romantic experience and enable them to stay in college forever as teacher-scholars.

They can't find a position anywhere that uses the skills on which they most prided themselves in college. They are forced to learn about new things that don't interest them nearly as much. No one is impressed by their knowledge of Jane Austen. There are no mentors to guide and protect them, and they turn to former teachers for help.

They think that graduate school is a good place to hide from the recession. They'll spend a few years studying literature, preferably on a fellowship, and then, if academe doesn't seem appealing or open to them, they will simply look for a job when the market has improved. And, you know, all those baby boomers have to retire someday, and when that happens, there will be jobs available in academe.

this doesnt sound like anyone i know!

just kidding, it sounds like me and 80% of my friends!!!

not gonna read that. will cause weeping.

No one is impressed by their knowledge of Jane Austen.

NO ONE!!!!!

actually it doesn't describe my situation very well, it describes the academia bubble certain people are content to remain within. my problem has been wanting to get ahead in the real world and finding myself unable.

I read that article a while back. I don't agree with its argument. I agree that if you have any doubts about whether going to grad school in the humanities is right for you, you shouldn't go, but that's because the stress in achieving at a level adequate for hope at getting a job and ultimately a promotion is so high that you need to love this more than you love anything else; and doubt is a sign that you don't.

also, LJ it describes the situation in America.

yeah in england they use jane austen as money

whereas here in the usa we party in the usa

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QmKnQjBf8wM

yeah caek posted that article back in november (and other people have also sent it to me, apparently assuming everyone goes to graduate school to escape the "real world" and never ever considers what their career prospects might be afterwards, so this is at LEAST the fifth time i've seen it).

(also, graduate school on fellowship does not just "sound like" a good place to ride out the recession, it IS if you're not leaving a good job to do it. i have several friends who are unemployed or have only been able to find part-time or temp work over the last year after losing their jobs, most of them are either living with or living off their parents again in their mid-20s, and yes, two of them are applying to go back to school in different fields - i have a really hard time finding anything to criticize there.)

Guys, I gotta remove my bookmark from this thread. Way too depressing.