I'm starting up with courses at Mt. Hood Community College again this term. Instead of immediately pursuing a degree in Biology (with the career of "zoo keeper" in mind), I am focusing on sharpening my current office administration skills and bettering my resume with certifications and proficiencies.
The ideal plan would be to obtain these and an Associates Degree while employed by MTC, taking advantage of their Education Reimbursement plan (where classes need to be relevant to my current position, or applicable to any future positions within the organization). I should then have the necessary qualifications for an office job at the zoo, to get my foot in the door that way .. or to get an office job at a Portland-area college, where I could pursue a Bachelor's Degree in biology or zoology, and take advantage of employee tuition benefits there.
An even more ideal plan would have been to start this plan 10 years ago.
Because I am working full-time (and truly need to at this point), I anticipate only being able to take one class a term. Also, because I have a marriage I'd like to continue to nurture, a home to maintain, relationships I don't wish to relinquish, a figure that needs to be reclaimed, other life goals that need to be chased down .. all of those things will suffer if I take too many classes at once.
But then I start laying out this plan, term by term, and I want to give up before I've even begun. A full-time student can obtain the most basic Office Assistant Certificate in 3 quarters. It will take me ....... four years. To obtain all certifications, I'm looking at the year 2020, easily.
This is step 1 of my career plan???
It is safe to say I am currently feeling full of regrets for the choices I've made the last 18 years.
