More ramblings related to my previous post…
I think I am tired of the software field. Of course, I have been saying this for years. The problem is, of course, that where I am in the software world, I make better than decent money. Not OMGIneedAnapkin! money but, enough to make my bills and have enough left over to be comfortable. And there is the undeniable fact that I would like to send the Girl to private school next year — which would also be a serious financial strain (the one I’m looking into is 585.00 per month!). So, honestly it would behoove me to stay where I am at.
But…yeah.
So, in no order of preference – ideas to ruminate…
**Take 12 CEU hours & pay fee to reinstate massage license. I could do this while still working where I do now. I could then work massage on the weekends to round out the bills and give my brain a break from the grind of SQA.
**From here I could take the 2nd Semester (probably next year) to get my national certification in massage therapy. At that point, I could work for any spa, any where while building my own client list. I could also use it as a jumping off place to go to college full time using massage to support me. The drawback is of course, that I would make considerably less money while doing so. Private school for the Girl would be difficult at best.
**Take the coursework necessary to become a doula. And then use the money from doula-massage work to put self through nursing school with an eye towards Midwife/Nurse Practitioner in the future.
**Stay at current job. Enroll in St. Ed’s New College (for working adults) for a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology. This is appealing because it offers the money that I am currently at, so my QOL wouldn’t change all that much. Except in the arena of *time*. I would not have ANY free time at all as I would be going to school on nights and weekends. Between school, work and the Girl I would disappear.
There are several permutations to these, of course, including where I live, go to school, etc. But these are the basic premises that I am juggling. Somewhere in there I would also like to not be so brain fried all the time by stress and work and fatigue to work on my writing again.
There is no future where I am now. No advancement. And there is no appeal for me for jumping from job to job to job ala contract workers. I did that for the last 10 years. I am more or less done. I don’t want to be a computer slug. I don’t mind working on computers. I just wish sometimes that my job didn’t require me to be at them 8-12 hours a day. 
The Process 
Doulas are the way to go, since freakin’ Austin won’t allow midwives in hospitals anymore. Grrrrrr….
But that is another really long rant of mine (33% Cesarean rate!!!) about Texas natural birth options.
I is not learned in teh tings listed here, so i sayz “Do what you want cause a pirate is free, YOU ARE A PIRATE!”
That is all with the random-nes, we now return you to your normal Live Journal.
I understand your feelings..hugs
FYI, is probably going down to San Antonio next weekend for the Texas AMTA convention. $250 for 12 CEUs, all in a single weekend. That was attractive for him ’cause he’s way way behind on continuing education for the current two-year period. Don’t know if he’ll stay there or commute, but I’m pretty sure he wouldn’t mind a passenger.
I vote for massage therapy because then I could be your client. 🙂
As for the BA, I also vote for college degrees. I’m a big fan. I think you could get your degree and be a massage therapist, too. I just like college degrees (while not always required, they are nice pieces of paper).
I am also a fan of private school.
A thought just occured to me.
Looking at things, your life has been a little shaky in some ways for a while now. Not morally or anything. Just in those ways that give people foundation. Relationship issues. Location of home. Worries about kiddo. Etc…
My reccomendation would be to look at those things that haven’t been as constant as you might like. Those things that make up your “foundation”. Once you’ve done that, shore up those things that might make schooling, etc… not be as successful as you’d like it to be. Once you’ve got a good foundation, it’ll make things a bit easier to deal with, and give you the environment that you need to concentrate on your edumacation.
Mostly, I’d advise to finalize things with J and Summer, and get that routine established, then get school initiated. Would likely reduce the stress of it all for you.