The value of education

Do you know what I miss? I miss school. I never thought I would say it, but I miss it a hell of a lot. I loved the late night cramming and the constant learning. So why don't I go back?

I don't know why. Well, actually I do know. I'm afraid of the cost. To get my masters, I would be in some major debt. It has taken me several years to get a handle on my debt. A little over six years ago, I had several credit cards and didn't pay jack shit on any of them. Not a dime. I would tell the debt collectors, "I'm not paying jack shit and so stop calling."

Yeah, real mature of me. My credit was obviously worthless. It was so bad, I had to pay a $500 deposit on a cell phone plan. I don't know why I did it. Actually I do know why. I had perfect credit when I was in college. I mean really, really good credit. I have a baby and get married and then my amount of debt grows fast.

Then the divorce happens. And I was a stupid idiot and took most of the debt in the divorce. I could have probably handled the debt, but I think I was bitter because it was associated to the failed marriage. I was mad because we BOTH accumulated the debt, but I alone was paying it off. So, I did what any idiot would do and stopped paying it.

I wanted to get a house about five years ago, so then I had to really start looking into my debt problem. I did the usual debt consolidation thing and actually managed to fix my credit. I have decent credit again, not as good as before, but not bad either.

So for me to take on so much debt again, it feels painful. I know it sounds stupid, but is a Masters degree worth thousands of dollars? I know the answer to that question, but I refuse to believe it.

Anyway, I think I will start working toward some more certifications and try to take some language classes. Then I can determine if I want to go back to school. I wish I were one of those minorities that qualify for grants... oh wait a second...