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Archive for December, 2013

About DH's new part-time job.

December 30th, 2013 at 05:37 pm

DH is about to start his additional "after-hours" job at the end of January.

He will be teaching a graduate course in one of NYC's top universities.

It requires very large time investment. The course itself is only 16 classes(meeting once a week), but teaching for the first time involved A LOT of preparation. (lectures, homeworks, labs, tests, etc...)

In a family with 2 full-time working parents, time is very important, so money alone would not be worth the additional sacrifice.

But besides the 7k per course(probably 4,400 after tax) there are other factors:

1). He has learned a lot in preparing, keeping up to date and learning on few topics that are outside his area of expertise. He is an expert in the field, but not on every topic in the field, so this forced him to learn additional things, and if they come up in his regular job, that will be of benefit.

2). It looks good on the resume and strengthens his credentials, suggesting to potential future employers that his knowledge of the field is more in-depth than another candidate's.

3). Opportunity to connect with more people in his field. (Department Head, other professors, etc.)

4). Working in academic environment and in his department will give him a chance to explore his PHD possibilities and ideas for a dissertation.

5). It is kind of cool to be a colleague to your old professors.

Challenges:

1). Time. DH needs a lot of time to prepare, and it is eating into extremely little amount of personal time that 2 parents with a toddler and full time jobs have. He has almost no rest time, with studying always weighing on his mind.

2). Stress. It is a bit scary to go into something like that for the first time. To stand before a class of graduate students who already had to take years of study, and 2 hard pre-requisites just to get to that class. These are not people who know nothing and are taking some "Intro to... " course.

3). Childcare juggling. It will be hard. And DS, who is 3, may have to miss more days of pre-school than he already does.

4). Travel for his main job may be impacted (he can't go for as many days, since he has to be there every week to teach).

5). We will not go on our annual 9-10 days ski vacation. It is our family tradition, but obviously he cannot miss a class. At most, we can go to Vermont for 4 days (to make sure he gets back at least a day before his class, to give a buffer for some unexpected delay like a snow-storm.)

But, this is something new, something outside comfort zone. And while professional benefits of this experience are intangible and cannot be guaranteed, I think that the personal growth of this experience will definitely have some value.

Key to a successful sale

December 26th, 2013 at 03:47 pm

Is knowing what you want.

Not that something is marked 50% off, but that something you really really want is marked down. That's the best feeling.

I tried on this $500 cashmere dress at the store few months ago. The saleswoman suggested it, and she was right -- it sat beautifully on me, and was a perfect dress to wear to work. But... $500+8%tax for a work dress, no matter how nice, was outside my comfort zone. So I kept checking it online. On pre-Christmas sale it went to 40% off for one day, but I missed the window. Than, after Christmas it finally went down to 50% off, plus extra 15% off sale. Plus, I had 100 gift card. So I got my $500 dress that I wanted (and I still wanted it 3 months later) for $130. Plus, having tried it on, I know it will work and fits great. That particular dress is definitely worth it.

That is the best feeling, getting something you actually wanted, not something that is just a good deal.

I used that strategy with many retailers this season. I decide what I want the most out of the store, and than watch that item during the holidays. That way I get the satisfaction of getting something that was my first choice, for a fraction of the cost. And I know that the sale is not a gimmick.
So I got new Nike flyknit shoe (I run a lot) for half price, some smartwool tights from Athleta, etc...

I can't wait until my package arrives Smile)))))