Master’s or No Master’s

I had completed two years of college when I decided to get married. For some reason, it never occurred to me to complete my degree. It wasn’t even discussed. Looking back, I can see that I was never encouraged by my high school, my family, or my friends. And I myself had no thought for my/our future. I went to college for two years, but it simply to not even cross my mind to continue my schooling. I don’t even know why.

In 2009, I decided to complete my degree, and I graduated in December 2011. The options were limited for online classes, so I chose Human Services as the major. I considered going for my master’s (in an education area), and I was actually signed up and ready to start the first class when the impact of what it would require made me stop short. By this time I was listening to Dave Ramsey, EntreLeadership, and Dan Miller via podcasts. And dreams began to build up again.

I questioned the whole idea of getting the master’s, wondering:

How long it will take to earn the degree?
What will a master’s do for me as a career?
Is the degree going to allow me to work in a field I want to work in?
Is this what I want to be doing while my son is finishing his final year of college and living at home? Even if I can teach, will I still need to work full time anyway to keep benefits?
What else will continue to be left undone in my home business?
Is it better to work on improving the business Web site?
Is it better to work toward editing jobs, work that I love?

I chose to postpone the pursuit of a master’s and then backed out entirely by midsummer. Instead, I decided to purchase books to create my own “master’s program,” to allow me to shoot for entrepreneuerial goals. I created a small but growing library and became excited about turning some dreams in to reality. Hope had come back and I thought I could take a year to prepare and then be a great place to even consider quitting my day job. Well, the summer brought a lateral job change to a new area, with potential for promotion, or so I thought.

Sad to say, I have yet to read any of the books.

So reading books is becoming one area for goals for the coming year.