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[smurlein]

For years, I have referred to what I do when I go to work as going to school.  After having my job duites increase exponentially unvoluntarily, I realized that I am must stop doing so and call it work!  I really think it has helped me move toward a better work/life balance, though I am really just beginning to see things this way.  By saying that I was going to school, it made it appear to me (and others--see my naysayers thread) that it wasn't a job. I was still in grad school, which was hard enough!  Anyway, changing the way I think about my job as a job is really starting to help me set stronger boundaries.

Has anyone else found ways to differentiate between work and home?

[flyguy]

I have a different (and more confusing) situation.  Every since I entered grad school I referred to it as the "lab".  I was never in a lab in the mad scientist sense (lots of test tubes and high voltage apparatus) but we had space where all the grad students who belonged to one prof would hang out and yes, some actual experimental work got done.  I am guessing I will always refer to it as the "lab" even when it's mine, regardless of the fact that it's contained within a "school" and I do "work" there. 
Also, "lab" sounds cooler (especially to people who don't know what I actually do).

[luckyduck]

Has anyone else found ways to differentiate between work and home?

I can wear pajamas at home.  I declare victory over dress-for-work-clothes!

Actually, that's about it.  I find, like many have argued before, that I'm "working" much of the time.  My mind is always thinking about how to apply stuff I see when I'm not "at work", to work.  Last time I went to the doctor, I read a short article and planned a classroom activity based on the reading. 

I guess that's what I get for being invested in, and loving, my career.  :)  Not to say that you're not, smurlein, of course. 

Maybe having kids helps preserve the dichotomy of work vs. school: kids go to work, adults go to school.  Hmmm, now that I think of it, when I was in grad school, and even though I never had TA/GA obligations, I always called it "work".  It surely was work.

[luckyduck]

Maybe having kids helps preserve the dichotomy of work vs. school: kids go to work, adults go to school. 

And, of course, by that I mean, kids go to school; adults go to work.  Duh.

And, of couse, I clearly haven't figured out how to edit my posts; nor do I see the option available on my browser/forum anywhere.  Alas.

[brunhilde]

There is also a difference between the phases of grad school. In the early years, I studied. Most of my work was for classes, so I was more clearly in the student phase. Although I also had research assistantships, but it was easy to compartmentalize this for myself and for my family. I had a part-time job for my professor, but otherwise studied.

Now I am writing my dissertation. I always refer to this as work. I also work on other projects for which I am not currently being paid (so it's not a job in that sense), but I still refer to it as work. The problem is my family does not understand that working on my dissertation is work. My family knows that I have a fellowship which means I do not have a research or teaching assistantship (so they think I have no job). They don't understand that I still have deadlines, projects that need my time, and that I'm still working.

By family, in this instance I mean my mother, sister, grandmother, etc, who call me frequently during the day and get upset when I can't talk at the moment. My husband sees all the work I do (see thread on supportive spouses).

[dr_evil]

Even now that I'm no longer a student, certain members of my family still call my job "school."  I've told them nicely that this makes me feel as though they don't take my work seriously, but they insist that it's school.  *SIGH*

I might try flyguy's idea and call it the lab.  Then I'll set up all the mad scientist stuff, too. :)

[flyguy]

Even now that I'm no longer a student, certain members of my family still call my job "school."  I've told them nicely that this makes me feel as though they don't take my work seriously, but they insist that it's school.  *SIGH*

I might try flyguy's idea and call it the lab.  Then I'll set up all the mad scientist stuff, too. :)

And think of all the laboratory assistant/minion possibilities?  Igor, Egor, etc.

[biograd]

I've had a similar struggle to convince my non-academic friends that grad school is a full time job.  Like most biologists, I finished coursework in my first few years; the focus of my grad program is the research.  One of my underemployed friends (lots of free time) calls to ask, "Are you going to school today?" and I keep getting frustrated by the assumption that it's optional.

I switched to saying "work" instead of "school", but now people ask "Oh, did you graduate?" or "You got a job?"  I like the idea of calling it lab. I'll do that more consistently now.

[prytania3]

You can always use the Queens phrase "on the job," which usually refers to cops, or "at the job," which generally refers to anybody.

Are you at the job?

[mneen829]

I too have recently been forcing myself to consider school as work, because really, I spend 60 hrs/wk there (although still in phd coursework) and am paid through a stipend.  It's funny, because I lament how much time I spend towards schoolwork, but keep reminding myself that I need to consider schoolwork as my job, for all intents and purposes. 

It's hard to not feel depressed by all the work put into not only research (20 hrs/wk), but class (10 hrs/wk) and coursework (30-40 hrs/wk).  I always wonder what it would be like in "the real world" putting in 40 hrs of work per week, having the evenings and weekends largely to yourself, not having to take your work home with you to such a huge degree.  But then I remind myself that if I was completely diligent about doing coursework on a 9-5 basis, like putting in a full day of work, that maybe I could have more time to myself.  I wonder, when I do get out into "the real world" if I will find it as demanding and the workload as tough.  I think the biggest difference will be the amount of accountability in, say, a corporate job, that I do not find so much in academia (keep in mind, i'm still a phd student). 

So yes, I know I am coming from another direction as the OP (me: student), but I am really trying to consider school and work and not to feel bad that I put so much time into schoolwork, but rather, that I put this time in because it is my job.

[dark_globe]

I say I'm going to the college, except with my neighbors, who if I must I say "work" since I don't want them to know what I do.

[smurfette]

I'm a post-doc. Most people, including my MIL, think I'm in school. My MIL sent me a graduation card when I finished my PhD. Yet, she still asks me "how many more years of school do you have left?" Sigh.