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u/nadopolo9

r/CAStateWorkers r/scrimshaw r/navy
▲ 2 r/CAStateWorkers

CalSTRS for Adjuncts: What Does One 3-Unit Course Actually Earn in Service Credit?

I know the answer is going to vary by district, discipline, course format, and how much prep/grading a class requires. I’m not looking for a universal “yes/no” answer.

Assume the following:
a) I already have a separate full-time career and retirement plan.
b) Adjunct income would be supplemental. I would not depend on it for living expenses.
c) I’m willing to stay with adjunct teaching long enough to vest in CalSTRS.
d) The baseline workload is one 3-unit community-college course each fall and spring.
e) The goal is specifically to build an additional defined-benefit pension while keeping the time commitment reasonable.

For people actually doing this, I’m trying to get real numbers:

  1. How much CalSTRS service credit does one 3-unit course each fall and spring actually generate on your annual statement?
  2. Roughly how many real hours per week does that course take, including prep, grading, office hours, and admin?
  3. What district/discipline are you in?
  4. How many calendar years do you expect it to take to reach 5.0 years of service credit?
  5. Knowing what you know now, do you think the pension benefit is worth the employee contributions and time required?

BL: I’m trying to understand the CalSTRS pension value per year of part-time teaching, not whether adjuncting in general is a good career choice.

Thanks all.

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u/nadopolo9 — 11 days ago
▲ 18 r/scrimshaw

Can anyone identify the artist or approximate age?

I picked up this scrimshawed tooth from an antique shop on Bainbridge Island, WA. The dealer believed it’s a genuine sperm whale tooth and estimated the engraving is around 80 years old, although I don’t have any documentation to support that.

The tooth measures approximately 5 inches long. The engraving appears to depict a young woman, possibly Polynesian or Hawaiian, but there are no obvious signatures or dates that I can find.

I’m less interested in the value than I am in learning more about its history. A few questions for those with more experience:

  1. Does the engraving style suggest a particular period (1940s? later?) or region?

  2. Does it resemble the work of any known scrimshaw artist or workshop, or does it look like anonymous sailor/folk art?

I’d really appreciate any thoughts or observations. Thanks!

u/nadopolo9 — 4 months ago