As a research assistant I did not earn enough to live the immediate area without familial or external support. My commute took hours with traffic and there is no parking on campus for lower income staff. So after a long drive you will pay tolls, parking, and take the train/bus/ or walk 1-2 miles.
Unfortunately for me, I did not have a wealthy family to subsidize my income nor friends in the area to live with.
It was financially and mentally devastating to gain scientific experience while surviving on credit card debt and renting a small room, with strangers, in sketchy areas.
If you are considering applying for a similar low wage position, I urge you to reconsider. Do not be blinded by opportunity and the prestige. Many students/faculty will not recognize that the limited income will limit your social connections and you may feel ostracized.
Additionally, you cannot expect any PI to write you a letter of recommendation when you leave the lab even if you made huge sacrifices to work in their lab. Some PI's don't recognize the effort because they're too busy to notice even if you're working on weekends, working after hours, & arriving early.
Sadly - most individuals are focused on advancing their own careers so the culture felt unwelcoming. Diversity is severely lacking. There were zero black scientists on staff in the department I resided while I worked there. Most people with a Fitzpatrick score of 5 or higher were in maintenance or custodial roles. Many labs do not have a lab manager because PI's prefer to hire multiple research assistants and pay them less, but later request that they perform lab manager duties. This division of labor often results in an unfair distribution of tasks and labs end up lacking clear leadership and guidance.
Additionally - the weather is cold 9 out of 12 months.
