go back to school or go get a job.

[joel]

for those of you that i have discussed my work situation with, you may already know that i am expecting to be laid off sometime prior to march 2013. at which point i have been tossing the idea of going back to school. i have not really determined what to do in this regard, and thought some trusted opinions could provide some perspective or raise some other considerations that i may not have thought of.

i would go back to school to complete my btech in computer systems. I have felt its something i have left undone. and would hopefully help me as refresher for some skills that I haven't used for a while.

on the other hand, going back to school for another year would put some strain on our finances (especially once my severances, banked vacation run out)

[se7entse7en]

Just food for thought:
If you really want to go to back to school, it's probably best before you have a kid. Once you have a kid, it'll likely never happen.

[nature boy]

well, unless you wait until your kid grows up.

to be honest, if i were in your situation joel i'd get a job and take night courses. it's a lot harder and would require more discipline but it'd be a LOT easier on the finances especially considering that you wouldn't have much time to go out as much.

also, i don't know what a btech is but would you mean that with it you could get a better (paying) job? or is it solely for self-improvement. if it's the former, then it would be advantageous to go at it right away, but if it's the latter then you can just take your time.

[Duncan]

how long would it take for you to complete your btech? and how long will your severances and banked vaca last you? and if you're planning on being laid off around march 2013, you could try to put extra savings away to tie you over until you're done your schooling

but i agree with shaun on doing this before having kids... i want to go back to school to do some management courses, but it's not a very practical option for me right now, night classes or not...

i think even if finishing your schooling doesn't bring a higher paying job, i think it'd probably be something that you'd feel good about if you finished it. If you leave it be, you might feel like that loose end is left lingering in the back of you mind. Maybe you should ask jai about how he feels about not finishing his degree? he might provide some insight for the future because he's done well for himself regardless

[nature boy]

also, if you finish work in march, when do classes start? i'd imagine you can't start them right away, and you'll probably have to register.

maybe you can register and see if you can get in? maybe start night classes in january as a sort of "trial" period? then you can get a sense if you want to pursue it before you're stuck with the option of either/or.

[geForce]

I think if you have the money to do it, you should go back to school.

Nathan has a good point about the night school thing though.