I'm so nervous!
I just started grad school this year, and had a teaching assistantship this last fall. It paid a few thousand dollars for 20 hours work per week, but the important thing was that it came with a waiver of out-of-state tuition and part of in-state tuition. Full-time graduate tuition (9 credit hours) is $4590 a semester for out-of-state, $1854 in-state.
Without a teaching assistantship (TA) or research assistantship (RA), I have to borrow student loans for tuition and to live on. This is not good. Going part-time and working is just not possible - I'm looking at 8 years of grad school if I go full time...I'll be in my late 40's when I get my PhD.
The department told me they didn't have a TA or an RA for me for the spring. But tonight I got an email from a post-doc in a related department, who is looking for an RA in environmental anth - exactly my field! He asked me to send him my CV. I did, but I'm so afraid they'll pick someone else! Keep your fingers and toes crossed for me, guys?? Not only would it be financial salvation, it would be a great learning opportunity on how to do env anth research "on the ground."
I'm biting my fingernails!