1st class, Finding more money

I admit it--last week was extremely stressful. I was so excited after I'd signed up for the class and then suddenly, in the middle of watching a movie on Sunday, I got so anxious that I felt chilled and my hands started shaking. Then I had to start wearing my tooth guard at night because I was clenching my teeth so hard my jaw hurt.

Okay, what was that all about?

I think it was a mixture of excitement, nervousness, and yes, a little bit of buyer's remorse thrown in. $4995 is no small sum, after all. One night I put my head in my hands and said to J, "I don't know what I'm doing." He pointed out a few things: 1) he's never seen me express the interest and passion for any of my past or current jobs that I have for investigation; and 2) I've never spent money on advancing my career; and 3) when you consider the cost of this 160-hour course vs. what it would cost for me to get an MLIS I've never been sure I want, then $5000 seems like a much smaller amount.

I felt much better after that, but was still a little apprehensive. Honestly, a small part of me was hoping the class would be cancelled so it would no longer be my decision--a fear of change I struggle with occasionally. Then as the week went on, I started getting excited again. Then Saturday arrived and...wow. I'm certain now that I'm right where I need to be. I'm really impressed with the director of the program (a retired police chief with his own investigative company) and excited about the line-up of speakers, one of whom is a librarian! The students seem energetic and smart and the class is pretty evenly split between men and women. The university seems to have put a great deal of work into this program.

Oh, and I've already done my homework for this week. :)

So, about that debt. Well, I'm just going to buckle down and take care of it. I'm continuing to think of things I can do to bring in a little extra cash--Jane Dough's post about her most recent Ebay experience has me looking at some of my clothes a little more critically. I also got an email stating that my Cooks Illustrated online subscription was coming up for renewal in February. I've enjoyed having it, but $20 saved is $20 saved, so I cancelled it.

More as I think of it, now with a clearer head!