ROI on Lifelong Learning and My Career Crossroad

If I take a serious look at my formal educational value and return on investment between my master's degree, my undergrad, my teaching licensure re-certification fees, and the additional cost of adding on an ESL endorsement to my already abundant certifications for the state of Iowa, one may say that my return on investment is still in the red. I still owe about $2000 on my undergraduate and graduate loans combined - and in the grand scheme where some people pay mortgage payments toward their student loans, mine are relatively small. So why I am I considering getting an EdD?

An EdD is classified as a "terminal" degree in the world of education, meaning that beyond that there really isn't an advantage to having more formal education, but I know that I will never be satisfied without learning more and more and more. But the $40,000 investment (more than I paid out-of-pocket for my master's and bachelor's combined) holds me back from diving into a competitive admission process of a 3 year cohort to receive a transcript that says I will know more 3 years from now than I do today.

In addition to the cost, I am still not sure what I want to be when I grow up. I love the work I do to empower students to do quality online work and earn a high school diploma, but I have been ready for a change for awhile. While the Leadership and Innovation Program at Arizona State University meets my requirements for an asynchronous online program and a focus on higher education track, I have always wanted to write.

So, I am in the crossroads of a career pathway. Do I blaze my way into a program and try to be "in the know" on the disruption that IS coming in education? Do I stick to my written goal of being able to freelance write and consult by June 30, 2019? Or do I combine my goals?

I am learning a lot more about writing right now. I am in a professional writing circle. I am also taking an online class, Introduction to Internet Writing. I have free wrote almost every morning for quite some time (more than a year) in my journal. I have written, but not edited, a 50,000 word novel for NaNoWriMo 2017, and I tried to participate in Camp NaNoWriMo in July. Writing is a part of me. But so is education.

While the ROI in the truest sense of the term is still in the red, the investment that I have made in myself through self-learning, participating in lifelong learning opportunities, and continual improvement is much more than the initial $26,000 out-of-pocket investment I made in my undergrad and graduate programs. It is the relationships that I have built. It is the constant push to be the best version of myself and to never stop learning.

Whether I immerse myself in a post-graduate program or jump off the high dive into a world of freelance and consulting work, I will always be a learner.

Leave a comment on what questions you would ask yourself if you were me.