After completing my latest exam this past weekend, I gave serious thought to stopping my pursuit of a master’s degree in English. I have, after all, completed the graduate certificate in technical communication that I returned to school to pursue. I signed up for the master’s program on impulse, the way other people get tattoos, only I wasn’t drunk and this sure is costing a lot more.
I plan weekends and vacations around school, and I don’t even have kids. Years ago, I managed to get a undergraduate degree in journalism and history while taking only ONE upper-level literature course, meaning I have to take a few undergrad courses now. I obsess. I ponder. I worry. I wonder why I’m doing this.
Then, the fall schedule makes an appearance. I glance at it in spite of myself, and of course see a class that I would love to take. Coincidentally, the company I work for will pay most of my tuition starting this fall.
So now I’m feeling all Clash: Should I stay or should I go? I guess if I have to ask, then I already know the answer.
Entirely Adequate 
You competed, really? I earned mine…you had to, what?, arm wrestle? crossword challenge? dueling pistols?
Getting my MA in English was the best thing I ever did, education/career-wise. It opened so many doors and put me ahead of many of my lesser-degreed peers.
But I also realize that writing and publication production isn’t what I want to do for the rest of my life. And now I’m pursuing my MBA just five years after graduating with my MA in English.
Here’s another thing, I was disqualified on a recent competitive re-bid of a Govt contract because my degree was, for all intents and purposes, irrelevant.
Think about what you love doing, where you want your career to go, and what’s realistic/sustainable. Whatever you do, don’t forget to live your life. As our friend Dan was fond of telling me, “Work to live, don’t live to work.”
End-of-semester angst. I don’t know why I never see it coming.