Did you know that I went to college for a couple of years? I dropped out midway through my fifth semester, but I was there long enough to grab three years worth of psych courses, some anthropology and biological sciences.
At one point, I had a grandiose plan to complete my bachelors with a double major in neuropsychology and biochemistry and then head off to med school.
Ha!
But I didn’t stop wanting to help people. And my interest in the scientific reasons behind our health – and the emotional responses because of them – never waned.
I’ve long sort-of planned to return to school. When Isobel went to school, maybe (home-schooling really acts as a metaphorical stick in the spoke of that idea). When I had more money (and that would be…when?). When I was older (I’m not getting any younger, man).
I’ve always wanted to finish my degree – mainly for the reason that it would be the first education-related thing I’ve ever graduated from (we don’t count Kindergarten, elementary or junior high school, do we? Cuz if so, I’m missing three degrees). I wanted the piece of paper to frame with a magnet on my fridge, so there would be some proof that I started something and I finished it.
A few months ago, I became a little more realistic. Noting my wealth of money and time, I resigned myself to not going back to school until Isobel was far older – like, old enough for me to leave at home alone to do her own school work while I went to two classes a day.
I decided that I was going to start riding this freelancing wave as high and far as I could, for as long as I could – working from home has so many more benefits than working outside of it ever could, for me. For us.
The plan was to focus on writing. Add in blog design, and as I got more experienced with that, website design. And, start writing eBooks and launch a decluttering business. Oh, and relating to the writing stuff? I’d put my effort into stuff I loved, but dabble in the high-paying stuff I knew: business writing.
Being the corporate bitch of several companies afforded me a lot of experience creating business plans, prospectuses, SEC documents, accounting reports and so on and on. I did some digging and found out how much people were willing to pay freelancers to do their business plans. Wowie, just one could pay for a month’s groceries. I’m in.
I went looking for a refresher – I have been out of cubical hell for nearly three and a half years, now. And while I was googling, I tweeted what I was up to because I’m self-important. Vancityrockgirl let me know about a program I should check out. Where I could get paid to learn how to be self-employed (cuz I haven’t learned how within the past two and a half years). Fuck yeah.
If I get into the program, I’m looking at seven weeks of intensive (in comparison to daily life) classroom work, then 41 weeks of support (both professional- and income-based) getting my business up and running.
That ‘income support’ could be college money. And daycare. But mostly college money.
It could pay for courses to finish my degree, or to update the decade old transcript I have. It could be savings for the program I want to go into after I finish my degree.
Yeah, I’m back on the going-back-to-school bandwagon. Because it seems nearly immediate. And fated.
So, what am I going to be when I grow up, after what will probably end up being a decade of part-time and distance education?
A naturopath with a psych degree, who writes and declutters during her non-office hours. Who is considering getting her counselling certificate, too. And probably teaches yoga on the side, while helping her daughter decide between Ivy League applications, New York Film Academy or National Ballet of Canada auditions.
Because me? I totally believe in realism.
