I am editing an academic paper written by six professors who all speak English as a second language. They will submit the paper for consideration to a widely-read journal.
The six professors work in three different universities in three different cities. This is an interdisciplinary paper, and the professors work in three different fields. All six work at respected universities that, in their home countries, are analogous to the University of Texas at Austin or the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign. If these professors were to recommend my editing services to their colleagues, it could radically change my resources and my life.
My deadline is in a little more than 48 hours: 11:59 p.m. Tuesday 30 October 2018. To ensure the opportunity for me, I promised that if they are not satisfied, then my services are free. Editing services in academics have a buffet of options: verify the citations are properly formatted; ensure the grammar is correct and the phrasing is not ambiguous; ensure that the technical terms are used properly; format the paper to the specifications of the potential publisher; and mix and match options. I have agreed, however, to edit all of those things and more. If these professors were to buy the highest level of editing service from a reasonably-priced and competent service, they would pay approximately MXN$11,000, which is approximately US$560.
My editing of this paper is essentially an audition for more work with these professors and with their colleagues. If they are unsatisfied, I earn nothing, they will not hire me again, and they will not refer me to others. If they are merely satisfied, I will earn MXN$1,000 and I will not see future work. The more I can impress them, however, the more likely I will receive more work from these professors, the more likely they will refer me to their colleagues, and with future work, my fee can be closer to MXN$11,000 than to MXN$1,000. If I were able to edit five or six papers per month, I would be financially independent.
If I cannot clear this first hurdle, however, then my life does not change. I would benefit from having a hotel room with electricity, internet, safety, protection from the rain, and a shower. I would benefit from not needing to worry about my food costs. I would benefit from not worrying about my medicine costs. I would greatly benefit if I had enough money to purchase alprazolam.
Related to benefits, I have started using an app, Medisafe, to schedule my medications. This has helped me to have less variation in my dopamine levels, and the benefits are fantastic, especially because it is free.
A little money for a laundry service would be fantastic because my clothes smell. My headphones broke, so I would benefit from another tool to block noise. It’s annoying to do a text transfer of my medicines list, and the list is in Spanish. Some of the more expensive medicines have a price guideline next to them.
I don’t want to waste time creating a two-day budget or calculating a goal for this opportunity. Without additional help, I will sleep in the alcove, ration my medicines, get electricity in one location but internet in another location, I’ll deal with the bathroom problem, eat the same foods. Que será, será.
If you want to help, go to this page. On Mondays, many of the medicines are discounted 25%, so I would love to receive enough money that I feel comfortable buying many things tomorrow. The
