I’ve been doing a lot of thinking lately. Since my motivation level has been so low in relation to school work lately, I’ve been having some thoughts about the whole “what am I going to do after graduation?” thing.
There are times that I don’t want to continue on with my graduate degree. A few months ago, I was ready to go an additional $40,000 in debt to do whatever it took to make this happen. Then, for some weird reason, it hit me like a ton of bricks that $40,000 is a ton of cash. And I mean a TON! Between my undergrad education and my graduate education, I will be in debt for years. That is not appealing to me at the moment. So then I have to analyze the situation and find out what I really want out of this degree.
I was originally thinking (and have been for a long time) about Arizona State. They have a very popular program that is structured in a way that would make me excel. I like structure. I know I would get a top-notch education, but what would that get me over a $20,000 degree from a local or in-state school?
Ultimately, I want to be marketable. I want to know everything there is to know about my field of work, and be able to create upward mobility for myself. I don’t need the prestige that comes with a degree from a certain school. I don’t need the debt that is hanging over my head for the next couple of decades because I made the most expensive decision.
Furthermore, I want to be an online instructor when it is all said and done. I want to teach at places like Kaplan, Walden, or some other online university. It has been a passion of mine for a while, but I don’t yet have the credentials to do that. I need my graduate degree. For this purpose, and for my employment situation and other goals, I think that a $20,000 (or less) degree will do just as well as the $40,000 degree.
Heck, the University of Texas system, The University of Houston, and the Texas A&M system has their online MBA for less than $13,000, and those schools are excellent. Since I live in the state, I would qualify for the best rates.
The bottom line is that I need to do this. I am trying to muster up the motivation and energy to make it happen. I just need to prioritize. One good thing about this is that I’ve had (or will have) almost a year to think about this and weigh all the options. I think that anyone going to school should afford themselves such a luxury. Aside of the cost of the education, you need to see that it will meet your needs. That’s what I am considering at this point.
When it is all said and done, I will probably be the highest-educated person in my company (to the best of my knowledge). I will still be in a position to advance when I need to. If I needed to find a job elsewhere at some other time in the future, I will have the ammo to make that happen.
It’s time to rethink the options. It’s time to create options. More on this later.