I have some tough decisions facing me right now…

First and foremost is the decision regarding if I should stick it out my current place of employment or start looking elsewhere. After some discussion today, I’ve found out several *more* people are thinking of leaving and that the replacement for my manager will be announced tomorrow. Having the announcement tomorrow is a bad sign because that means the replacement is almost assuredly internal and I (and most of my department) don’t feel either of the two candidates that we know have interviewed would make effective managers. I could still work for at least one of these candidates, but that doesn’t change the other circumstances at my company of which I have written lately…

The outcome of my career decision affects two other choices that I’m pondering right now - if/where to attend grad school and where to live. Right out of college, going to grad school was not a priority for me. I already had a career-type job with good compensation, so that was no reason to go, and with the way technology was constantly changing, a Master’s degree wouldn’t have made much of a difference as my knowledge would be almost be obsolete by the time I got out of school. I felt it was better to take specific, ad-hoc classes or attend seminars to further my knowledge and stay up-to-date.

However, I love to learn, I love being a part of academia, so I’ve missed taking being a part of that. Also, now that I’m in a corporate environment, I have come to see how having a Master’s degree on my résumé can make a difference. I do not want a Master’s in Computer Science, though. I can’t be a programmer the rest of my life (which is why I like my current job - I program, but not all the time). As of right now, I’m considering Information Systems, something the realm of Economics/Finance/Accounting, or some similar degree that will provide me with a business or management background as well as further my computer skills. I fully intend on working my way up the corporate ladder, so having a Master’s degree which included such areas would greatly help with that.

As for where to live…I’ve been in the Northern KY area my entire life (other than my college years) and I’ve developed an itch to get away. I love this area and what it has to offer, but after 30 years, I think it may be time for a change in scenery. Time to find a different pond… This is the least important of all decisions, though, and is just something I’m toying with.

The grad school and where-to-live decisions are based on my job situation. If I stay at PPD, I’ll obviously stay in the area and go to an area university for grad school. If I decide to look for employment elsewhere, I would open up my search to other areas of the country (most likely NC, SC, TN, VA) and postpone a grad school decision until I’m settled at a new job and/or location.

Big stuff for me to deal with, especially considering I haven’t had to make decisions of this caliber in quite some time… At least I don’t have to make all decisions at once. I can focus on one thing at a time. Please keep me in your prayers!