Breaking News...

Monday, September 15, 2008 I resigned from my job! My last day will be Friday, October 3! (I'm just a little bit excited!!)

It is far more complicated than I care to share on a blog entry, but I can say that the time has come to move on. I'm no longer being valued at this organization in a way that provides me opportunities to grow and act as a change agent.

That being said, now I'm looking for a job and considering a couple schooling options. Here they are with lists of pros and cons (this is one of those "should be a diary entry posts" I think)...

Full-Time/Part-Time Job & Grad School:
The program I'm waiting to hear about is a Master of Arts in Communication Management. (Don't worry, its in Boston) This degree is appealing to me for a number of reasons (it interests me greatly, it could be used in numerous settings professionally, and I love communication so I think it would be fun).

Pros:
Fantastic degree program
Interesting courses
Keeps me in Boston at least two years more
Career advancement potential
Top communication school in the country

Cons:
Costs money
Takes 1.5-2 yrs to complete full-time
Possibly can't work much
Keeps me in Boston at least two years more
Could be some skills I could learn working an entry level position

The second schooling choice is completely unrelated, so beware. Tuesday night I went to a local esthetics & massage therapy school for an open house. The program I'm interested in is esthetics & makeup artistry. Esthetics = skin care specialist (they do facials, waxing and other skin care procedures). If you know me well you know that my whole life I've wanted to go to some kind of cosmetology school. Almost annually I have looked into what it would take to go, but it always comes back to the fact that you have to give up your life for a time to do it.

Pros:
Life dream
Would be SO MUCH FUN
Skills I can use to make money forever
Could possibly help pay my way through grad school if I defer to fall
The career is flexible and lucrative
The school has been specializing in esthetics for over 30 years
They hire graduates in their 38 salons & help with career placement forever
It only takes six months
Will require a LOT of faith
Did I mention how FUN it would be??

Cons:
Costs money
Will require a LOT of faith
Full time program is M-F 9am-4pm for 6 months (nov-apr)
Couldn't work except some babysitting

Now, I realize the cons list is shorter for the second option, but that's really all I could think of and I do think they're substantial cons. The not being able to work thing is huge. It would require me to take out loans to cover school and living expenses and I'd have to live tight (which is fine for 6 mo) and do a lot of odd jobs to bring in some cash which means I'll be exhausted. All that said, it is something I've always wanted to do and I know I'd be great at it. I know I'd love it and I believe it could be a great skill to have to earn money on the side or full-time. One other thing- this school every few months does a day of free treatments and a catered lunch for all the oncology patients at Boston Medical Center. I loooove this. I love that they're giving back to the community and that they're instilling in all their students an appreciation or serving others.

I know the two options seem totally different and unrelated, but I don't believe that they'll never intersect. I don't see doing one as eliminating the possibility of doing the other. I love public speaking, communicating and helping others do that well. I also love the "helping" professions that provide instant gratification and help someone feel better about themselves.

So, any advice? :)