tuann@whiteoak.EBay.Sun.COM (T Nguyen) (03/24/91)
Lately, there was a discussion of the discount conference fee to be admitted to USENIX conference. As I found out, the people who asked for the discount normally in the self-employed business, so there is some time gap in their profession. Take advantage of this unpaid time, they raised the issue to ask a non-profit organization like USENIX for the discount conference fee. They can declare themselve as unemployed during this period, so they ask for a discounted conference fee !!! If any consultant takes 2 weeks off(or in the gap time period), and declares him/herself to be unemployed, then The scenario can be as followed: - You are self-employed, so you want to get the most out of USENIX, so you need to do: - Take vacation or unpaid time or your gap time during the contracts. - Declare to be unemployed - File unemployment benefit from Welfare if you can - Ask for discount conference entrance fee if there is such a thing. - Try to locate the "soup kitchen" or "homeless shelter" near the conference site to take advantage of the "unemployed" situation to the maximum. - Your conference will bring to you the positive cash flow from Welfare Department, and the USENIX benefit. You can also find a new consulting assignment at the conference too. It is disgusting when I see any educated, computing professional do this kind of action. I don't think any thing is free, even a non-profit organization has a budget, and they have to come up with the way to balance their budget. So, if they give someone a discount, it needs to be justified because others pay for the contribution. Remember when you are self-employed, there is no such a thing called to be unemployed because you are in the business for yourself. It is you who put yourself under unemployed situation. Remember that IEEE gives a discount membership due to unemployed members or retired one, but no discount to enter any IEEE conference. In order to qualify for a IEEE discount membership, you need to prove that you are unemployed through out the year most of the time, not 2 week or 1 month !!! Even Welfare Department has a waiting period to file unemployment benefit. If unemployed professional wants to go to a conference with a discount fee to look for jobs, they should become a member of USENIX, go through waiting period as unemployed member to qualify for unemployment benefit from USENIX if there is such a thing. Then USENIX can take over "national" welfare department !!! T. Nguyen Whenever I am "unemployed", I go abroad to take advantage of the low cost of living abroad.