Jane AdamsHeard a senior academic recently say, in regards to not being able to afford talent for intern positions, that "Grad students these days have different standards. When I was in grad school, I had roommates and ate ramen". To be crystal clear: renting a room in a house *with 5 roommates* in Boston costs $1,000/month, not including utilities. $15/hr before taxes means 70+ hours of work *just to pay rent*.
Feznander@janeadams One aspect I've noticed: grad-school shoestring living looks real different in light of reduced job prospects for PhDs and longer timelines even for those who do land permanent jobs. For earlier students, a period of genteel poverty on the road to a secure, respected, well-paid career could be a youthful rite of passage that you'd look back on with nostalgia. For current students, it's the beginning of a grind of low pay and precarity likely to last into middle age if not forever.
jz.tuskYep, was going to make this point but you already did.