Growing up as a kid, I always pictured myself in grad school. My parents did, too. My adolescence was filled with subtle and not so subtle remarks hinting at what my future would be like. For instance, when I turned sixteen, dad handed me the keys to a '99 Honda Civic LX and told me, "Now this should get you all the way through grad school." It was always the plan, as if written in the Cosmos, to go to grad school, earn good marks, and land a cushy, well-paying job. So, as an eighteen-year-old I went off to Emory & Henry College to be enrolled in their stellar Political Science program, in preparation for law school.
And wouldn't you know, like clockwork, I was at UNC Law the year after I graduated college. There was only one problem -- somewhere along the line I was no longer gung ho about "the plan" and I dropped out of law school my second semester. I was proud of myself and so were my parents. Why was I following a plan contrived when I was in middle school watching ABC's "The Practice" if I was no longer passionate about the idea? Good question, but what would I do now? I was off the plan -- I was improvising -- I was adlibbing -- I was alive.
In the short-term, I needed a job. I found one with a promising start-up in Asheville, NC, but after a year was laid-off when our funding was halted. Now, at age 24, I'm working as a zipline guide, which I enjoy for now, but begging for tips in the trees is hardly a long-term aspiration of mine. I've also met a girl, Rachel, who I love and live with in Asheville, and do not want to leave. The job prospects in Asheville are grim, but Rachel needs to stay in Asheville to teach for three more years in order to pay back her scholarship from the NC Teaching Fellows Program. What I do NOT want to do is simply have three years of service industry jobs on my resume. I do not think future employers or grad schools would be impressed by letting my skills atrophy. I want to continue to invest in myself in some way. But, how should I go about doing this?
In college, my passion was economics. I took an introduction to microeconomics class and loved it. I added econ on as a second major and excelled in it. Unfortunately, towards the end of college when I looked into grad school programs in economics I was disappointed to find how much mathematics was required as prerequisites for these programs. Not taking nearly enough math classes in college convinced me to resort to the old plan of law school. That turned out to be a mistake. If I could do it again, I would stay in college for a couple more math intensive semesters, so that I could now be eligible for graduate econ programs.
But, now that I'm in Asheville looking to improve myself, I've decided that I want to learn the mathematics required for econ grad programs. The traditional way to do this would be to enroll in night classes at the local community college or to enroll at UNCA as a non-traditional student. My qualm with this approach is that it would cost me money that I do not have. I already owe $20k in student loans that have me living paycheck to paycheck and I am in Asheville because Rachel is paying off her student loans through work. I do NOT want to take on additional students loans, especially when I am not seeking a degree. I am convinced I can teach myself the math required for these programs using only books and the internet.
In an era where information is freely accessible online, higher education and employers need to reassess their current method of designating who is qualified to earn a position at their school or company. Capable students should not need to pay thousands upon thousands of dollars to attain the same education they could receive using only a library card and an internet connection. Qualified candidates should not be required to have a specific degree from a specific university on their resume simply as a signaling device to prospective employers of their aptitude. These things need to change to become more efficient and I want to be a part of this change. That is why I have started this blog...to demonstrate that certain desirable skills can be acquired without that expensive piece of paper from a university.
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