The past month has seen a few changes in my life. On September 3rd, I moved in to an apartment (see tomorrow’s post about that) and out of my mother’s home finally. And today, I have my first class as a graduate student.
And those are both making me freak out just a little bit.
I’m very worried that I made the wrong decision by going to graduate school. I am fairly certain that most financial experts out there would say that I have no business taking on more debt even if it is for education.
And honestly, I think I agree. There really is no such thing as “good debt.” I’m about ready to strap myself down with more student loan debt than I already have. One year alone is going to cost more than I took out in five years as an undergrad. I know this isn’t the wisest of choices, I really do.
But for me, I was in such a low point in my life. I couldn’t see a way out of my situation. I know there are ways that I could have attacked this differently. I’ve wondered recently if I should have tried those before doing this but in the end, this is the choice I’ve made.
Financially speaking, after just two quarters of graduate school, I’ll be able to apply to get my teaching license back and then I can get a full time teaching position for the fall of 2012. That will greatly increase my income and lessen my need for student loans. It will also allow me to reduce my debt.
My dilemma there is whether I should take time off to save up for each class I need to take & hope for tuition reimbursement from the school district I’m working for or do I just crank it all out in two years straight and be done with it. There are pros and cons for both options. I’m not ready to make that decision yet, I guess it depends on my actually getting a full time position for next fall.
I really do believe that graduate school as well as finally being in my own place will give me the strength I need to pay off my debt, be the adult I need to be and truly start enjoying life.
I have big plans for my life. I’m ready to start making them come to fruition.
To view the second part of my Back to School Blog Posts, check out A Five Star Life.
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