Took me ~3 months at 15 hrs/wk to get good data. PI could replace me with a volunteer, but it would take time away from a grad student to train them, and honestly (and this may sound a little arrogant), I don't think he'll have an easy time finding someone as competent and committed as I have been. Lab has 8 full time members and 3 part time. PI is young but doing fine w/ funding (recently got first RO1).
Haha I'm not offended. I know I'm replaceable, but I feel that as someone who contributed a lot to one paper and is currently working on another (first author), I feel that I am at least a somewhat valuable lab member. Thanks for the advice!
Hahahahaha beer money. More like food-that-isn't-ramen money. *sobs deeply* I'm fine with minimum wage. But what other financial opportunities are there besides a salary?
It generally doesn't hurt to ask, and I think it's totally acceptable. They may have money set aside in an R01 or NSF grant for training funds -- you never know unless you ask.
Ahhh ****, just for mentioning it? Well, poop. But yeah, I'll definitely ask around about grants and that type of thing. Thanks!
Hm, would it be different if I were working full time over the summer? I've heard that it's more common to get paid in that situation.
Everyplace is different but there are usually paid positions for pre-meds and others for summer research. However, with the cautions I gave you early, I'd search this through the university, not by asking the PI.
It seems like the only options for undergrads at my university entail funding your research, not actually getting paid for it. :/
Yeah then that's likely going to be the case. It's ok though! The first author paper/project you spoke of should make it worth it, just make sure it gets published.
