Baron Hausenpheffer

I currently have a part-time job, and I recently started looking for a full-time job in a city 11 hours away by car. Actually conducting the job search isn't a problem -- I'm using plenty of Internet resources, used to live there, have contacts in the area, etc.

What has me concerned is when/if I get called in for job interviews. In the first place, I work all but about two days per week, and making the round trip in time to report for work (at my part-time) sounds exhausting, to say nothing of being incredibly expensive. If the interview process takes more than one step, the whole process could quickly become a commuting nightmare.

How can I make this work? (CAN I make this work?) Would requesting a phone interview be a blunder that would immediately knock me out of the running? Or do you think that job hunting at this distance is 100% impractical until I have already moved there?

I'm considering a move to either St. Louis, MO, or Dallas, TX, and I’m finding myself in a dilemma. The overwhelming majority of my friends live in St. Louis, but all of my family lives in the countryside near Dallas.

I like St. Louis (where I went to grad school) much better of the two cities, but my family is giving me plenty of not-so-subtle hints that they would be really disappointed if I decided to move so far away. At the same time, my friends are relentlessly urging me back to STL! I feel really torn and would appreciate some opinions from people without axes to grind in the matter.

So, what do you think? Have any of you managed to successfully thread this family/location needle?

I'm a recent graduate with an MA in English, and I'm considering a career in technical writing. I have a few questions about it that I hope the Y! Answers community can answer for me:

*Is tech writing a 9-5 job most of the time, or is it a "flexible hours" kind of thing?

*I know that tech writers usually need to have some expertise in what they're writing about (IT, medicine, etc.), but as a recent graduate who hasn't been planning on this, I don't think I can claim any particular expertise yet. How do I go about building it?

*Finally, is this a geographically-concentrated type of job (i.e. like publishing, where 90% of the jobs are in NYC), or are there jobs available in a number of states?

Thanks!

(NOTE: I know the temptation to make an erectile dysfunction joke here must be overwhelming, but please contain yourselves and stick to food, haha.)

I bought some fresh carrots at the grocery store yesterday; they looked great then, but they were kind of limp and un-crisp when I got them out today. Is there any way I can firm these things up?

Hi! I'm considering a move to New Orleans, and I wanted to know what would be the best neighborhood to live in. Note that I'd define "best" as low-crime (at least comparatively), above sea level, and affordable -- in that order!

What neighborhood/area would best fit that bill?

I recently completed a MA in English, am about to go onto the job market, and am trying to determine where I should focus my job hunt. What I am really looking for is a decent 9-5 job that doesn't eat into my evenings, but so many jobs related to English tend to do just that.

I'm an unencumbered 20-something without huge debts, so salary is not a deal-breaker (but I am trying trying to avoid jobs that involve the words "want fries with that"). Have any ideas for me?

Hi! I'm a soon-to-be college graduate trying to decide where to concentrate my job search, but I'm really torn about where to go. I'm a Texas native (northeast corner, near OK, AR, and LA) who went to college in St. Louis, MO, and who has always liked Louisiana. (If I stay in Missouri, it'll be St. Louis; if I move to Louisiana, it'll be New Orleans; not sure about which city in Texas, but probably inside or north of the Dallas-Austin-Houston triangle.)

Basically, I'd like for you to pick the one you think is best and give me the reasons why. (Telling me why the others aren't as good of choices is also a plus.) Thanks!

I am currently in an English PhD program, and I love literature and like teaching -- the problem is that I have come to strongly dislike professional literary studies. I was on the fence about this before coming here, but my time with these poor guilt-ridden, chronically-unemployed, underpaid scholars has killed whatever half-formed desire I once had to become a professor. Furthermore, although I'm capable of doing the research, I just can't get into it -- I can't make myself believe that this unread esoterica is important.

At the same time, I am very conflicted about leaving. It took a ton of work to get into my program, and I will probably never be as well-funded (or young) again if I change my mind and start over elsewhere. I also have a petty desire to make everyone call me "Dr. ____" and genuinely hate to leave my classmates, who I think are great. Therefore, I'm trying to make the most informed and thoughtful decision I can about whether or not to leave.

Here is my question to the "Y! Answers" community: other than being a professor at a four-year college, are there any doors that a PhD would unlock for me that an MA could not? Specifically, would it make any difference in the following fields:

High school teacher

Community college instructor

Publishing

Politics

Business

(Fill in the blank...)

Besides employment, please also consider differences in pay scale. Thanks!

I ask because while everyone (male and female) seems to have a certain weird respect for an awesome moustache or beard, I have often heard that it takes a man down a notch on the attractiveness scale. (I'm talking about well-kept facial hair, by the way, not some mountain man thang.)

Just curious...

Hi there! I recently became a huge Dr. Hook fan, and this set me searching for other great (but offbeat) musicians of the 1970s. One of the most frequently-mentioned by friends was Frank Zappa, but I have no idea where to start... What would be the best CD for a beginner to his music to try?

I'm looking for something that is high-quality but also pretty representative (not "the exception" album). Original albums or "greatest hits" are both fine; URLs to the CD in question on Amazon or Half.com would be especially welcome. Thanks!

I know Dennis Locorriere was the main vocalist for most of Dr. Hook's hits, but Ray was featured on some as well (including "Cover of the Rolling Stone" and "The Millionaire"). Do you know any other songs Ray was the main singer for?

(P.S. I'm especially wondering who sang the non-chorus part of "Baby Makes Her Blue Jeans Talk".)

I would especially like to know if the higher degree helps when it comes to getting a permanent/tenure-track position at community colleges (as opposed to being stuck in adjunct-land). I've heard it both ways, so I thought I'd ask...

Just wondering what sorts of positions Master's might open up for someone who has already earned a Bachelor's degree in English.

Informed answers only, please.

My family has been having a lot of problems with our new computer, specifically with downloading. Whether it's YouTube videos, system updates--anything that loads more slowly than a large picture or news article--it always seems to get about half-way and stop.

Because the computer is brand-new, I don't think it's a problem with speed or disc space. The computer is a Compaq, we use Windows Vista, and we get our Internet from an Alltel cell phone connected via USB. With that information, do you have any suggestions for me?

Essentially, I want to know if it is pretty standard for grad school programs to have "inflated" grades (i.e. a grad "B" is equal to an undergrad "C"). I got this idea because I once saw one of my professors' undergrad and grad transcripts, and her checkered undergrad record suddenly became a list of "A"s once she got into grad school.

The reason I ask is that I am now in grad school myself, and my grades for my first semester (while not horrible) are not what I hoped them to be. Should I be extra-worried, or is this just a minor stumble?

I'm a single guy trying to eat healthy, but one person can only eat so much groceries. It's been especially hard eating enough fresh veggies because they go bad in a few days, and I'm nowhere near finished eating them.

What are some healthy vegetables that last a long time in the fridge without going bad? Or do you know of a way to make regular vegetables last longer?

So, there's this girl I met not too long ago--sweet, pretty, all them good things. I really think I like her, and I think the feeling MIGHT be mutual. She definitely seems to brighten up whenever we talk, but I'm not 100% sure it means anything deeper than her just being friendly. I kind of hate to risk an awkward rejection, because this is something of a "coworker" situation--I'm going to be seeing her off and on for at least several years.

Folks (and particularly you ladies out there), several embarrassing experiences over the years have proven to me that I am a total dunce when it comes to seeing the difference between "Yes, I like you" and "Oh hey, nice talking to you". Got any solid tips on how to tell the difference between flirtation and simply being pleasant?

I won't lie and whine about how unhappy I am, because I'm in a pretty enviable set-up right now. I'm going to college and studying to be a professor. The career has a lot of things going for it--you get to use your noggin, work with really bright kids, and the pay is pretty decent.

The problem is that I don't feel like the job is IMPORTANT or USEFUL. The area I study doesn't deal with real-world problems; think more along the lines of writing whole books dedicated to "does that banana represent a penis?" and "was Dracula actually gay?". I truly, truly feel that I would be doing my fellow man more good by mowing lawns. Having a job that helped others has always been a big priority of mine, and I'm worried that this one doesn't.

So, your thoughts? Is having a job that is meaningful to you vital to being happy about your job, or is it enough for it to pay the bills and be enjoyable?

I applied and got into a good graduate school to earn a Ph.D. in English. The problem is, I'm becoming increasingly worried that the professor job just isn't for me. The job market is lousy, the completion time is really long (6-7 years), and I honestly don't think the profession's critical work is relevant or important at all. My "Plan B" is law school, and I think I would be in a good position to apply if I wished to do so (English major, Political Science Minor with 3.9 GPA). Of course, lawyering has its own pitfalls, like ethical dilemmas, big loan debt, and killer work hours. As you can tell, I'm not completely sold on either job, but I may be looking for the "perfect job" which doesn't exist.

What do you all think? Go for a guaranteed "free ride" grad school acceptance that I'm not at all sure I want, or take one mother of a leap of faith by turning it down and trying for law school instead? (I would especially like to hear from any professors and lawyers out there.)

I played pretty well until I got to her, but that super move of hers (where she shoots that stream of blue orbs out of her guitar) is really kicking my butt! Sometimes it can be dodged, but sometimes not. If you try to jump to the other side of her, they home in on you and it's even worse.

Is there any way to counter or cancel it other than blocking it with my face? :(