For about a year now, I’ve been really interested in pursuing a master’s degree that could possibly help further my career.  I hold a Bachelor of Arts in English with a concentration in Literature, but since I am a freelance writer who writes mostly technical and marketing writing, I am interested in pursuing a master’s in professional writing.  (Although it’s my dream to write fiction, I think a degree in professional writing would help my career more.  I could always add on another master’s or a doctorate in creative writing later on.)

The biggest problem with this goal is how I’ll pay for it.  Isn’t that everyone’s problem?  In my case, though, I have no experience with financial aid – my parents paid for my undergrad, but they won’t help me out this time around.  Therefore I am naturally concerned with putting myself that far in debt, even for the sake of my degree.

I also have a busy, busy lifestyle – besides my freelancing, which claims a lot of hours sometimes in order to pay all the bills, I also have a horse with whom I spend a lot of time, and I work off his bills at the barn where I board him.  And of course, having a husband to entertain doesn’t help either — men can be so distracting!  If I go back to school, I will have to cut back on something, probably work, which will reduce my income even more — not a good thing when you’re trying to live and pay for a degree!

One thing that will help is that I plan to pursue the online education degree option.  I have the degree picked out and everything, and it’s a fully online program offered by a well-known traditional college that has been around for many years — one of the few "old school" colleges that has succumbed to the pressure of offering online degree programs as well as on-campus programs.

I hope I’ll be able to start pursuing my master’s degree in the next year or so.  Wish me luck!