Comments on: Should I bother with trying to save my job?

By: funnyaboutmoney1

funnyaboutmoney1 — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 20:55:21 +0000

@ Revanche: There’s something to be said for that. I also would like to STOP WORKING FOR GDU. On the other hand, another 18 months of income would keep me from having to start Social Security early. Also, on a nine-month contract I wouldn’t be working over the summer.

On the third hand…recent figures plus a little revelation from the tax lawyer suggest (declaratively!) that I can get by just fine without working for GDU.

By: Revanche

Revanche — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 20:36:32 +0000

My thought is: what if it does work? That’d be awful in terms of having to continue to work there! Wouldn’t it? From my jaded point of view, having only been around this particular horrid joint with shenanigans on par with GDU for five years, I’m glad to be shut of this place, even if it does mean unemployment for unknown periods of time.

I realize that could be disastrous financially but the employers are just really that horrible. [And I have a decent enough stock of cash.]

By: funnyaboutmoney1

funnyaboutmoney1 — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 13:54:57 +0000

@ Weakonomist: It’s highly unlikely that it would work. The only thing that works in favor of such a scheme succeeding is reverse karma: secretly I don’t want it to work, and so of course it will. That, and the fact that GDU is one. weird. place. The laws of commonsense do not operate there.

By: funnyaboutmoney1

funnyaboutmoney1 — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 13:50:15 +0000

@ frugalscholar: Isn’t it hilarious? The guy makes $900,000 (not counting various bonuses & the like). And it’s supposed to be SOP for a university’s president to pull down another six-figure salary in some sinecure.

Meanwhile, if you subtract 25% of my salary, what you discover is that my hourly pay hasn’t changed significantly since I went from a nine-month teaching position to a twelve-month management position. The truth is, in the five years since I’ve been running this much-ballyhooed editorial office, we received a 6.2% increase mandated by the legislature for all state employees; my salary, prorated down from twelve to nine months, is just about 6.2% more than I earned while teaching. In an adjunct position. Five years ago.

By: frugalscholar

frugalscholar — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 12:52:11 +0000

Well, I would try it. Would a 9-month contract give you the summers off? If so, that would give you plenty of time to recover from stress accrued during the work period.

Also, at the community college, you are the last hired and hence the most vulnerable.

The best thing (at least for me–if I were you what I would want) would be to keep your present job-or a reasonable facsimile-till you are 66 and can receive full ss benefits. Meanwhile, teach a course or two at the cc to keep your foot in the door.

OR even better than that would be to have a huge success with your monetized blog.

Love the story about the prez’s wife. That is, “love” the story.

By: The Weakonomist

The Weakonomist — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 12:39:44 +0000

I think you may be a little overconfident that your idea will work. If the dean has already decided to eliminate a program there isn’t muchthat can be done to convince them otherwise, regardless of cost savings.

My suggestion is to go for it, and buy a gas mask.