Not what I had planned but exactly what I want!

I have a thesis project! My thesis proposal was accepted by the department as well. So yes, I now officially have a thesis and a thesis advisor.

I am so glad that my thesis got accepted, otherwise I had to take another independent study class, which I know I could have learned a lot, but I was not prepared to do that! My department does not offer instructional graduate courses during the summer. Having my project accepted, so that I could start working on it is great. Plus, I was told by my academic advisor that, most students work on defining their master's thesis during the summer in between their first year and second year, so yes, I am ahead now, lol, and it feels great, lol.

I am really glad that I am back on track and could hopefully complet my program by the end of the year! My academic advisor never told me that I have to work on my thesis for two semesters; otherwise I would have start working on defining the topic from the very first semester. Even though I did not know, but still I did start being worried about my thesis from the first semester, I just didn't get anywhere because of my now advisor's health issue!

The other best news is that I have a summer research assistantship job. My thesis advisor had talked to another professor, that he collaborates with, who is from his other department, and they have come up with funding for me! I think I have mentioned that my thesis advisor has appointments from two departments, my current department and my undergrad department. These two departments are actually part of two different colleges. Anyhow, the pay is not much, but I am super excited about the opportunity. It is such a nice surprise! Everyone I talked to told me that all the positions have been filled, plus my department mostly grants RA and TA positions to the Ph.D. students; they don't have much funding and they have many Ph.D. students.  But apparently my undergraduate department has more funding! Anyhow, I am also getting a free course out of it! My thesis advisor told me that they are paying the tuition for my summer thesis course. So I am really excited and happy.

Thus, I did not get the high paying industry job, that responsibility wise was not that exciting and interesting to me, but I got a low paying research opportunity that is in the area that I came to school for, and I want my next job's projects to be primarily in this area! lol.

Just to put it in perspective, lol, I did the math! The summer stipend plus the tuition for one course is equal to about one month of the industry job's salary, after taxes. But working on a project that could help me with my thesis, being paid to work on the kind of problem that I have been hoping to get my hands on for the past couple of years, and that I am hoping to find my next job dealing mostly with these kind of problems, is priceless, lol!

I was thinking, in an alternate universe, lol, if I had gotten an offer from that industry job, knowing the little I know regarding the responsibilities and pay, and this research assistantship, both at the same time that I could have chosen from, I know, without hesitation, and without thinking twice about it, I would have picked the school's RA position.

I am off to my younger sister's. Then on Sunday, my man and I are driving up north to Montreal, before I come back and start my summer job/thesis on the 23rd.