ground control to rachel...earth to rachel...come in...over.

Rachel...CSI

I haven't written about this yet because I wanted to make sure it was going to happen. As many of you know, I have long been on the wanton path of educating myself. College. Ah the thing that haunts me. For some reason, I am one of those people who doesn't quite feel Good Enough because I don't have my degree. I somehow feel Less Than especially when on the job hunt and being asked that question: Do you have a college degree? Maybe it's because both my siblings have degrees or because since infancy we were conditioned to believe that after high school we would go to college. Well, I did go to college after high school but it wasn't my fault I was living in LA which happened to be the hair band capitol of the world. I got distracted. *ahem*

Distracted no more, I looked into distance learning education. You have seen the online advertisements. Get your degree online! There are a lot of school out there but not too many accredited through the Higher Learning Commission. A few were, University of Phoenix, Kaplan University and a few others. I did my research and spoke to the reps at each and decided on Kaplan because they had the most helpful and accessible staff and financial aid department. With my eligibility for government grants, I will only end up owing about $12,000-$15,000 total for my Bachelors of Science when it will cost $33,000. Not too shabby. I can live with that.

What will I be studying you ask? *drumroll* Criminal Justice. Yup. Believe it. I have always been facsinated with criminal justice, forensics and law. Hell, Court TV is on all day in this house. I have always felt the need to help people and a BA in psychology just doesn't really qualify you for all that much out in the job market. I could be a secretary. Great, so back where I was after obtaining a degree? Sure maybe I would make an extra $10K a year but seriously, fuck that. But my high goals in psychology are not lost. I figure I can work on my BS in CJ online and when I get the degree in oh say 13 months (if I rambo it), I can find a job in the forensics field, preferably crime scene investigation (yes I have the stomach for it) and work on my masters in psychology (clinical most likely) online. Once I have my masters in pysch, there are all kinds of doors that will open for me in the forensics field or psych field. I gots me a plan yo.

I am lucky enough to have my boyfriend behind me to support me through this. While I am getting unemployment, I am going to work really hard in school. I am not sure how much longer I can keep receiving it but my friends say I can get it for up to a year. That gives me another 8 months! Wheels in the sky keep on turnin....

Well I am off to STUDY! Have a good one, my peoples!

posted by Rachel @ 10:16 AM