BERKELEY, Calif. — Cal history Professor Orn Ery pulled his GSI aside during lecture this past Thursday with some unrequested advice regarding their professional future, eavesdropping students report.
“You won’t believe how hard and unfulfilling my life is as a professor,” said Professor Ery. “Day in and day out it’s just more of the same: Teach uninterested students some shit that’s way below my paygrade, answer dumbass questions, and grade endless assignments, all the while being paid a fraction of what I deserve. You can’t imagine what being that unappreciated through such tedium feels like. I’m telling you right now, you do not want to become a professor.”
Professor Ery’s GSI, Unna Preshiated, took a break from her grading to comment on the wise words, and if the professor’s warning had made her reconsider her plans for the future.
“At first I kind of brushed it off the same way I do anytime a professor tries to give me unsolicited advice that is entirely unrelated to my experiences or goals, but as I was sitting in my office in Dwinelle (a bench near the bathrooms on the second floor) and grading the midterms for all 285 of Professor Ery’s students, I realized just how right he was,” revealed Preshiated. “I have no experience with that kind of stress, I’ve always been recognized for my hard work and dedication, and have never dealt with a glaring lack of social or economic support. After hearing more about it from Professor Ery, I’m really starting to question why anyone would take on such a gut-wrenchingly difficult job in the face of such little recognition or compensation.”
One student in Preshiated’s discussion section had much to say about their GSI.
“She’s a great GSI, and honestly seems super happy with her current situation,” said sophomore Olivia Bulton. “The other day I asked her how she was doing, and she told me that her body was producing so much adrenaline from all the stress she was under that she no longer needed caffeine, or sleep! Saving money and time, talk about a win win. Plus, she’s really good at what she does. I’m in her 9:00 AM section on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and me and my friends in her other sections anytime between 8:00 AM and 4:00 PM Mondays and Wednesdays all agree that she explains things really well.”
At press time, Preshiated was seen picking up Professor Ery’s son from the airport after responding affirmatively to him asking if she “had a minute.”