Life timeline
hello, life crossroads. where do i from here? i have several options.
1) get a real job in my current field, sit behind a desk making money for someone i don't know.
2) work on building my own business. peer into a future of unknowns for the rest of my working life, but make money for me and for something i can stand behind.
3) change careers without going to school. not sure to what, but it's been done before.
4) actually use all of the knowledge i've soaked up through the years and go into the medical field of microbiology. go back and get my 2nd bachelors.
5) go to grad school.
6) give up on the whole "working" and "school" thing and sponge off the hubby forever.
hey, #6 is an option. not very viable, but it's an option.
OK, let's discuss.
1) perfectly doable. it's easy, i know what i'm doing and i'm pretty good at it. it's not challenging and the field is slowly disappearing, and not in a good "oh, it's rare so you'll get paid more" kind of way. the last gig i interviewed for was only for a 12-18 month contract position. so, after that was over, i would be at square one. and i'm tired of being a square one.
2) again, totally doable. the hard thing is wrangling up customers. it seems everyone i work with via freelance i offend in someway and i never hear from them again. i'm not sure if it's my attitude or my work. i would much rather be the guy behind the scenes and have someone else getting the work. and there's always that problem with losing customers or not getting them in the first place. and there's a lot of money up front for brochures and whatnot that needs to be done. and i am my own worst design critic. so finishing up a brochure for my own company could take the better part of a year.
3) there are a lot of things i would rather be doing than sitting behind a desk. EMT, park district worker, personal assistant, delivery person. none of these things require that you go back to school for an extended period of time. for the EMT, you have to take a test and there are classes, but it's not like getting another bachelors.
4) i've only been dreaming about this since 1999. maybe it's time to shit or get off the pot. i finally told my husband that if i don't get this last job that i wanted to go to school full-time. what i just read on the UIC website is that a lot of 2nd bachelors don't get financial aid. great. that gives me hope.
5) go directly to grad school. apply directly to the micro/immuno MS/PhD program at UIC. they have incredibly limited spots. but the classes i have taken don't expire, which is good. the only thing holding me back is organic chemistry. and i have to take physics and calc. no biggie, really.
6) yeah, if i want to stay married, this isn't going to happen.
OK, so let's say 5 is my best bet. here's a timeline:
Summer 2010: take calc. work at starbucks part or full time.
Fall 2010: take physics and organic chemistry. is this really a good idea? i can't apply to the micro/immuno program until Fall 2011 anyway.
Winter 2011: organic 2. yeah, if 1 doesn't kill me. huzzah.
i am hoping to get in at another starbucks so i can have a job. going to school full time used to mean carrying at least 12 credits. i just can't fathom that, but i haven't done that in 15 years. i'm sure i could cough some extra classes to take. i would take them at City College so i wouldn't have to pay a billion dollars. i suppose i could look into college of dupage or oakton.
but i would have to take the GRE. the summer of 2011. and if i get into the program, then i would be there for 3 years if i wanted a MS or 4 or 5 if i wanted a PhD.
and scott just said to me that he would be all for it if i wanted to go back to school full time, but that i had to be serious about it and follow through. i think what was holding me back was, well, the obvious financial burden, but wondering if he would be cool about it.
but what if i take the rest of my classes and then don't get into the program? will all of my hard work be done for? i guess there are other programs out there. i could try Rush. it's all a crap shoot. at the heart of my self-esteem i am just an artist. i have never been outstanding at anything really. i got compliments from my Bio 1 teacher, my college algebra and my chem teacher. but then i hit the wall at organic. and i didn't really do all that great in chemistry, but i loved it. i'm worried that i'm getting into something that will be above my head. microbiology research? i guess i won't know until i do it.
1) get a real job in my current field, sit behind a desk making money for someone i don't know.
2) work on building my own business. peer into a future of unknowns for the rest of my working life, but make money for me and for something i can stand behind.
3) change careers without going to school. not sure to what, but it's been done before.
4) actually use all of the knowledge i've soaked up through the years and go into the medical field of microbiology. go back and get my 2nd bachelors.
5) go to grad school.
6) give up on the whole "working" and "school" thing and sponge off the hubby forever.
hey, #6 is an option. not very viable, but it's an option.
OK, let's discuss.
1) perfectly doable. it's easy, i know what i'm doing and i'm pretty good at it. it's not challenging and the field is slowly disappearing, and not in a good "oh, it's rare so you'll get paid more" kind of way. the last gig i interviewed for was only for a 12-18 month contract position. so, after that was over, i would be at square one. and i'm tired of being a square one.
2) again, totally doable. the hard thing is wrangling up customers. it seems everyone i work with via freelance i offend in someway and i never hear from them again. i'm not sure if it's my attitude or my work. i would much rather be the guy behind the scenes and have someone else getting the work. and there's always that problem with losing customers or not getting them in the first place. and there's a lot of money up front for brochures and whatnot that needs to be done. and i am my own worst design critic. so finishing up a brochure for my own company could take the better part of a year.
3) there are a lot of things i would rather be doing than sitting behind a desk. EMT, park district worker, personal assistant, delivery person. none of these things require that you go back to school for an extended period of time. for the EMT, you have to take a test and there are classes, but it's not like getting another bachelors.
4) i've only been dreaming about this since 1999. maybe it's time to shit or get off the pot. i finally told my husband that if i don't get this last job that i wanted to go to school full-time. what i just read on the UIC website is that a lot of 2nd bachelors don't get financial aid. great. that gives me hope.
5) go directly to grad school. apply directly to the micro/immuno MS/PhD program at UIC. they have incredibly limited spots. but the classes i have taken don't expire, which is good. the only thing holding me back is organic chemistry. and i have to take physics and calc. no biggie, really.
6) yeah, if i want to stay married, this isn't going to happen.
OK, so let's say 5 is my best bet. here's a timeline:
Summer 2010: take calc. work at starbucks part or full time.
Fall 2010: take physics and organic chemistry. is this really a good idea? i can't apply to the micro/immuno program until Fall 2011 anyway.
Winter 2011: organic 2. yeah, if 1 doesn't kill me. huzzah.
i am hoping to get in at another starbucks so i can have a job. going to school full time used to mean carrying at least 12 credits. i just can't fathom that, but i haven't done that in 15 years. i'm sure i could cough some extra classes to take. i would take them at City College so i wouldn't have to pay a billion dollars. i suppose i could look into college of dupage or oakton.
but i would have to take the GRE. the summer of 2011. and if i get into the program, then i would be there for 3 years if i wanted a MS or 4 or 5 if i wanted a PhD.
and scott just said to me that he would be all for it if i wanted to go back to school full time, but that i had to be serious about it and follow through. i think what was holding me back was, well, the obvious financial burden, but wondering if he would be cool about it.
but what if i take the rest of my classes and then don't get into the program? will all of my hard work be done for? i guess there are other programs out there. i could try Rush. it's all a crap shoot. at the heart of my self-esteem i am just an artist. i have never been outstanding at anything really. i got compliments from my Bio 1 teacher, my college algebra and my chem teacher. but then i hit the wall at organic. and i didn't really do all that great in chemistry, but i loved it. i'm worried that i'm getting into something that will be above my head. microbiology research? i guess i won't know until i do it.
posted by mikraas at 6:41 PM
1 Comments:
Going back to school was one of the best decisions I have made - and it goes by so fast! I know what you mean about being out of the school environment for so long, but you do get back into the swing of things. Plus, having the support of your S.O. helps b/c you are able to focus on your studies. It will all even out in the end when you get an amazing job with that degree. Let me know if you ever want to talk about the grad school route.
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