About 10 years ago I was just moving back to Connecticut after graduating from Piedmont with my BA in Theatre. When interviewing for jobs, people would often ask "So what can you do with a degree in Theatre?" to which I archly reply "I can act like I know what I'm doing!"
All kidding aside, I believe that my Theatre degree really has been quite useful. Technical skills can be taught fairly easily, and technology changes to quickly that knowledge can become outdated as soon as it's revealed. But my Theatre degree taught me how to listen, adapt, interact, and communicate. Oh, and it was a lot of fun.
Now here it is, the fall of 2011 is creeping closer, and I'm 5 months into my job hunt. Thankfully unemployment and Brian's income meets all our needs and a little more, so I'm not panicked financially. But I'm just about ready to climb the walls! For a super-motivated go-getter like me, there is little worse than waking up each morning and trying to find things to fill my day.
Granted, I am making some progress on long-neglected crafts. And the baking endeavors have been fun. But I miss doing something meaningful with my time. I miss getting up every morning and having a schedule of important stuff to check off my list. Somehow, a To-Do list that reads "get up, shower, fill 8 hours, eat dinner, go to bed" just doesn't quite cut it.
So, while I continue my hunt for a job (not even "the perfect career" but just a job) I have decided to take on another project. No, I'm not redecorating the interior of my car or knitting a sweater from dog hair or some other senseless time-filler. I am going back to school!
That's right, I am finally going back and getting my Master's degree!! When I decided not to attend NYU right after Piedmont, I always thought that some day I would go back. But I never really knew what I wanted to study. I briefly considered a Project Manager degree when I was working for GP, but the idea of being responsible for a huge project budget was a little daunting. When I was at CCCS, I considered an MBA, but didn't really like the whole "business" aspect of a business degree.
When we moved out here, I thought to myself "Once I find a job, I think I'll look into getting a Training degree." See, I've realized that I'm really good at training. Whether it was mentoring math in college, providing new user training at Pfizer, or conducting first time home buyer workshops, I have a knack for getting information across to people. This weekend a friend asked me "Why wait till you're working? Why not start now?"
Well, I didn't really have a good answer for her (besides not having income to pay for the classes, but that's what loans are for until I start working). So I did some serious internet research, compared a few different schools, and found out that Capella University has a really in-depth Master's of Science in Education: Training and Performance Improvement program. It's exactly what I wanted to study when I imagined a training degree, and it's more affordable that I would have guessed. Classes start on Monday, and I should be finished in just under two years. WooHoo!
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