# Respect my freakin' authoritah!

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/respect-my-freakin-authoritah/127937>\
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\
**Created:** [September 11, 2002, 6:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/respect-my-freakin-authoritah/127937 "2002-09-11T06:20:35Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![DynoSaur](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DynoSaur](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DynoSaur)\
**Post date:** [September 11, 2002, 6:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/respect-my-freakin-authoritah/127937/1 "2002-09-11T06:20:35Z")

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So, as most likely nobody remembers, a year ago, give or take, I got laid off. Fortunately, this, along with some prodding, kicking, dragging, and electroshocking from people who care, finally got me around to applying to/getting into grad school.

Now, again fortuitously, my university is kind enough to offer financial aid in the form of assistantships. There are two kinds of these: research assistantships, and teaching assistantships.

Of course, as I wasn’t anywhere near campus to find a faculty advisor, I’m going to be spending at least one semester as a TA. Hence, by fiat of the my department, I have authority. 22 undergrads have now been entrusted to me so that I may guide and shape their developing minds. Muahahahahahaha.

Ahem, excuse me. I didn’t mean that. I’m going to take perfectly good care of them, I swear. For that matter, many of them already remind me of myself, as they got the deer-in-the-headlights look and mumbled something about being good at math and science when asked why they chose mechanical engineering…

I wonder if the “Abandon Hope, All Ye Who Enter Here” sign above the room was too much, though… 😉

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**Author:** ![LolaBaby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d2c977/32.png) [@LolaBaby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LolaBaby)\
**Post date:** [September 11, 2002, 6:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/respect-my-freakin-authoritah/127937/2 "2002-09-11T06:24:51Z")

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You scare me, but good luck and congratulations anyway. 😃

Now where is this place?