2022 is the year I'll be going back to school

Personally, 2021 was a year that I do not wish to experience again. Some things didn't work out for me on both a professional and personal level. I'll be honest and frank about that. 

While a lot of things didn't work out for me in 2021, one important thing did: I found out yesterday that I was accepted into a graduate studies program in data science at Monash University, and it's likely that I'm going to accept the offer and enrol in the course. My aim is to get a Masters in Analytics once I'm done. I start in March 2022. I'll finish by the end of 2023.  

This wasn't a decision that I made lightly - in fact, I was toying with the idea of going back to school since 2015. From 2015 onwards, I was making countless course enquiries to universities all over the country (and even one in New Zealand and another in the US) but I would never proceed past the enquiry stage. I was scared that I was going to regret the decision and that I was going to get myself into a messy situation. Also, there were plenty of reasons why going back to school was a bad idea: 

• I was almost done paying off my student debts from my undergraduate studies. Why should I add more debt?
• The more qualifications I had wouldn't necessarily mean that I am guaranteed a job, let alone a good paying one. All of that is contingent partly on qualifications and partly on track record, experience, attitude, but mostly your position in life (and any privileges you have) and how well you sell yourself. I'm fully aware of that. 
• Plenty of people have good paying jobs without a degree at all. See the previous point. 
• I've already got a bachelor's degree, a postgraduate diploma and numerous TAFE diplomas. Could I be all qualifications but no substance at the end of the day?
• How am I going to fit in study with everything else I've got going in my life? I'm still expected to work some kind of job to support myself. What about my personal life? 
• My job is stressful. I don't need any more added stress. 
• There are plenty of self-paced online courses that I could do that are just as good. 
• Am I doing this for the right reasons? Am I only doing this because I'm not confident in my abilities as it stands? I gained valuable skills while doing my undergraduate degree, but I also gained valuable skills and experience while out in the workforce. Isn't that enough?

But here's why going back to Uni may be a good idea for me (and for me only): 

• I really do thrive in a community environment when studying, and it's not something that I've personally been able to replicate through self-learning. 
• The debt is going to suck, but I believe it's going to be worth it in the end. Besides, at the moment the debt only gets indexed - we don't pay an obscene amount of interest in this country. I consider myself extremely lucky and privileged in this regard. 
• I genuinely love learning. 
• The qualification I will get in the end will be another tool in my arsenal, and that's always a good thing. 
• As far as fitting everything in? I will make it work. 
• Because deep down in my heart, this is something that I want to do. 

You can see here that the cons outweigh the pros. However, that last point trumps everything else.  

In the past, I've always just jumped right into the fire to see what happens. Sometimes I come out the other side unscathed. Sometimes I get burnt. But I'm still here at the end of the day, so why was I playing the game of 'what if?' when it came to this? What have I got to lose, really? Windows of opportunity only stay open for so long.

So 2022 will be the year I will jump into the proverbial fire once again. Let's see what happens. 

Wish me luck.