Anyone who knows me (or reads my Profile on the blog) knows that I am in College...again. See, I've spent a good deal of my adult life in College. (My wonderful husband is an extremely tolerant man.)
After quitting an eight-year court reporting career, I headed to nursing school in 2002. I took a couple of years off after finishing nursing school and headed to get my Bachelor's degree (I only earned a nursing diploma in 2004). Before I even finished my Bachelor's degree, I accepted a teaching position that required me to start my Master's degree within the first year of employment. So I've been in school for the majority of the past nine years. And I have a LOT of student loan debt.
Nine years?! Has it been THAT long?! My husband is an EXTREMELY tolerant man!
So, now I'm slowly making my way through Grad school, one course at a time. It's been two years already and I've incurred no debt! (Dave Ramsey would be very proud of me.) I've applied for and gotten scholarships, used tuition reimbursement from work, and gotten a job at the university to reduce my tuition costs. However, at the rate I'm going, graduation is about three-and-a-half years in my future.
As we looked at Meggie's financials for College in the fall, I realized that the only way our family would get "credit" for both of us being in College at the same time is if I was a part-time student. Currently, I am WAY less than a part-time student. Since we aren't independently wealthy, we need that "credit" to be able to start Meggie off at Xavier University.
So, I'm taking the plunge. I'm upping my course load and becoming a part-time student starting in two weeks. And I'm going to start getting financial aid...which means more student loan debt. Ugghhh!!
But I made a realization this week -- after completing my FAFSA to qualify for that student loan debt and signing up for more classes for the Summer and Fall semesters. I realized that I was letting the same fears that forced me to drop out of College in 1987 hold me back now.
I've gotten older since 1987 but not much wiser, it appears.
Upping my course load will allow me to complete my Master's degree in December of 2012...19 months from now! And THAT will allow me to advance at work from Clinical Instructor to Assistant Professor...an advance that comes with a full-time teaching load and more pay.
Dave Ramsey, please forgive me. But give me credit for something, at least. I'm not incurring debt to buy a nicer car or a bigger TV. I'm incurring debt to invest in myself. And I have to think that THAT is debt worth incurring.
Congrats!! I was a 'professional' student for a long time also & again considering picking up another degree. (I guess us 'medical folks/nurses' have alot of similar attributes!) As someone once said to me- 3 years from now-you will be 3 years older & you can be 3 years older with another degree that can open up more doors, or you can be 3 years older & in the same position with less chance for a better job. Any possibility of some 'hard to fill positions', which-if you work for a certain amount of time-all student loans are 'forgiven'? Good luck and thanks for sharing the story of the adoptions, etc.
ReplyDeletePam M.
Yaaaaay! Decemeber 2012 sounds awesome!
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