I've made a big decision - I'm going back to school!

Once the unemployment benefits extension was officially passed last week, I realized there could be no better time for me to go back to school for accounting than right now. NY state has a program where a person can continue collecting unemployment while going to school without having to look for a job. As anyone who's browsed the help wanted section/craigslist/careerbuilder etc. in the past few months can tell you, there are no decent jobs out there right now. The only jobs that are available want to pay you SH*T money. I'm talking $5-10 less (an hour) than what I was making at my previous job. It's disgusting. And it drives me nuts that the government and the media are trying to tell us that the recession is getting better. IT'S NOT.

But enough about that! I've realized that, as much as I love writing (fiction), it's not a career option for me right now. I don't enjoy freelance (article) writing, and even if I did I know that it's a really tough market to break into right now. I'm unpublished with two unfinished manuscripts to my name that are taking me forever to write. And I do not want to go back to working as a peon (or pee-on, which is how most of us feel), aka an administrative assistant. It's a horrible job where you get treated like crap.  You do the hard work for a sh*t salary while you watch the higher-ups get paid the big bucks for having passing off their meaningless tasks to you.

I plan on taking classes through the summer and winter breaks, so it may be possible for me to graduate (with my associates, not bachelors unfortunately) in Dec 2011. It depends on how many credits from my past college courses they will accept towards the accounting degree. What I also love about it is that the college I'm going to (the local SUNY school) offers many of their courses online now! (When I first attended college in 1996 - this same college, actually -, I don't think I could've imagined such a wonderful thing! LOL) I might be able to take 3 of the 4 classes I need to take this semester through the internet. Woooooo hoooooooo!

Of course I still plan to continue writing. I'm hoping that going back to school may actually help me get more writing done, as crazy as it sounds. Because I've been suffering lately from that problem most people only wish they had - too much time on my hands! You know how they always say so many writers wish they could quit their full time jobs and spend all day writing? (Hell, I was one of those very people before I got laid off in July!) And then those same people end up finding other things that need to be done during the day and don't get nearly enough writing done as they should? Yep, that's me! I've been surfing the web (yes, mostly looking at writing-related things, but still), reading books on craft, etc. But I still haven't been doing any actual writing.

I need to set up a daily schedule and stick to it. The cold weather has turned me into a bear over the past month - I've been hibernating! I sleep till noon almost every single day b/c it's so nice and warm under my covers and I don't want to get up. But that's not realistic, nor is it healthy. Yes I hate winter and I hate the cold, but wishing away 4-5 months every year isn't a great way to live. I'm hoping I'll be able to snap out of my little funk once the new year hits!

On that note, I want to wish everyone who celebrates a very Merry Christmas! I hope Santa gets you everything you wanted and more (a publishing contract maybe?!?  ;-)  'Till next time!