Monday, November 20, 2006

Edumacation

Off and on for the past year I've been thinking off and on about getting a degree. Dave tells me that I should be in the BSD program and I know a few other people that think I should be at a University working towards a Masters. These thoughts cross my mind almost daily. I flip-flop on the issue for a couple reasons.

Money is the big one. Obvious, I know, but important. I am already indebted to OSAP -- and not a small amount. Every time I think about going another 30 or 40 thousand into debt I cringe. I have some money in an RESP but that is not going to last much longer. OSAP has recently told me that I'm in overpayment, too. I have a feeling I will be getting less and from them as time goes on, I will likely make more in 2007 than in 2006. So far I've avoided becoming the poor student who lives on ramen noodles and mustard sandwiches and I do _not_ want to become one. I also do not want to be paying of student loans until I'm 40.

Time is another big concern for me. By the time I've got my Diploma I will have been in school for 24 months straight. I will need at minimum an additional 4 semesters to get a Degree. This would probably be over the course of 2 full years. To get a Masters there would likely be 2 *more* years. I'm not sure I want to be in school until I'm 25.

I thought there was more reasons than just those two but it looks like that's it. I know I am academically capable of acheiving whatever I set forth to do...but in my head time and money are both really big barriers. I'm trying to gain a more balanced perspective on the situation by talking to people who *have* spent considerable time and money on school. People tell me that graduates with Degrees have a much higher starting salary. Would it be enough to get my loans paid off in a reasonable amount of time? Another advantage of a Degree is that I would probably be able to teach later on in my career if I wanted. Teaching is something I've been thinking about for nearly a year now. I don't think I'd want to do it right away, if at all, but I don't want to block myself from having the opportunity though.

Input, anyone?

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