By Amy Nielsen

Last week I talked about a school I found that would fill a gap not only in my education, but that also fits a niche in the greater community where I want to work. I called the school and spoke at length to an admissions counselor.

It was an interesting conversation as I tried to get around the sales jargon and to the real meat of the program and what it can do for me. What I learned is that not only is the school a lot less expensive than I thought (SCORE!), it is exactly what I want to learn all rolled up into one nice neat package.

Does it go into as much depth as I would like? No, not initially. This might be a shortcoming to some, but I am taking it as an opportunity to fill in the missing pieces with extracurricular research. As a seasoned learner, I think I have the discipline and skills to find and read the corresponding texts and materials to get the depth of knowledge needed to have a thorough understanding of each topic. I am already planning to create extra work for myself. Great.

I am at an intersection of my life where my personal intestinal fortitude is either going to get me through or not. I don’t have to do this. I don’t have to put myself through the financial, emotional and time stress that this endeavor will take.

However, I know what my personal learning style is and how well I follow through. I also know I am a magpie and I like shiny things and my stick-to-it-ness was often times tested in longer, self-directed projects throughout my past learning career. Which means that without a leader to get me from my current knowledge base to where I really want to go, I will most likely get distracted and stop three quarters of the way through. This is not a criticism of myself, it is an honest assessment.

If you are going to get anywhere with higher education, you have to be brutally honest with yourself about what you will and will not do. I know that I am not a great, solely self-directed learner.

Choosing what I am calling an interim school will help keep me on track and moving forward. Could I get all of the knowledge I am going to get out of this particular school in other places, through texts and other resources? Yes, I most certainly could.

But, that process is infinitely harder to slog through. With someone else telling me which diet to study for the next three weeks and assignments to hand in, I know I am much more likely to follow through and finish the course with the knowledge that I want. Besides, the money I’m slapping down was hard to come by and there is nothing so motivating as putting your money where your mouth is.