Is Going Back to School a Selfish Act?
Hello,
We are about to close on a new house, and I know we'll be really busy for a while. However, I was considering going to grad school in January. Getting my degree would mean a big bump in my salary.
DW says this is selfish of me, but won't give me a clear reason why.
Youngest child in the house is almost 13 and takes the bus on his own. I'll still be working full time, so this won't affect our income. My job has partial tuition reimbursement, and pay bump will be well worth the debt we incur.
I tried to go in 2009 when I first graduated with my B.A., but the reason i couldn't go then was that the kids were too young, and someone had to take care of them. (there was another, unemployed adult home at the time) It seems like there will always be a reason why I can't go.
Am I missing something? I want to earn more money, and not at the incremental rate I'm going at now.
Maybe your DH is trying to
Maybe your DH is trying to hold you back? Control you?
If he can't give you a clear
If he can't give you a clear reason, and won't discuss the opportunity with you, then I can't help but think it's a power play. Perhaps he's insecure about you making more money, meeting new people, etc?
Bump in pay means bump in CS
Bump in pay means bump in CS you will pay. Also your potential to earn more will be facyored in. A guy friend of mine got his MBA and while he didnt change jobs the fact that he could potentially earn more screwed him on how they calculates his CS.
Not selfish at all, however
Not selfish at all, however you mentioned you will incur some debt. Is she worried about that, or you may not be available to help her with the kids, or is she trying to control you??
I see you're a step-father of
I see you're a step-father of 3 with no bio-children per your Bio. I don't see how a increase in your income would effect anyone's child support.
Education (especially if it jumps your income) has never been a bad idea unless you go into debt for it. Even then the increased income may make it worthwhile investment.
As for your wife if you figure it out then you may have conquered one of the great mysteries of the universe (what do women think). Seriously if she doesn't want to tell you then she's ashamed of her reasoning. First thing I would ask her is if she would prefer to go to school to make sure she doesn't think you're hogging the resources. If she refuses then you've got a clear pathway ahead of you to go.
I had to laugh at the guy who said your higher income would increase child support, well it'll increase taxes as well. My CPA once said to me when I complained about my taxes going higher "Be glad you're income is high enough that you owe that much". Food for thought it was.
i did not read his bio...i
i did not read his bio...i assumed he had kids.
Nope, not selfish in the
Nope, not selfish in the least IMHO. Sounds to me that you are dealing with a DH who is intimidated by a bride who may be more qualified and educated than he is.
He should be proud of you.
You may want to consider stretching your grad school schedule to maximize your tuition reimbursement. When I was in grad school my employer reimbursed up to $5K per year. So, my 23mo MBA I stretched to be able to maximize my employer's money. I started mid year (June)and went full time so I got $5K for that calendar year. I went part time for the next 3 full calendar years the went full time for the first 6 mos of the 5th calendar year. This allowed me to use employer money for my entire tuition bill. I took no loans. I did buy my books out of pocket. Check to see if your program will allow you to stretch the program out and start mid year. That may allow you to maximize your tuition reimbursement benefits.
Congrats on grad school and good luck.