school

The happiest I was at my old job was when I was working on web and software user interfaces (the writing was not always terrifically compelling). It felt both analytic and creative, more directly tied to problem solving, and planted lots of questions in my head, so I was pleased as punch to find this. Especially because they offer merit-based scholarships, compelling because of the School Loan of Damocles I have now. And I'm meritous enough. Merititous. Merital.

They also offer a certificate program, which is 27 credits (the MS program is 30) and a quarter of the cost. The courses are offered in a convenient series of weekend-long seminars, but of course you don't get the project experience, by which I mean portfolio pieces, that you would get in the MS. Also, the faculty bios make it seem like it's not a den of practitioners (with all due respect to practitioners, without whom I'd be essentially helpless).

I don't know how much weight certificates carry, but it sure seems like the MS is what you want if you're looking for a career change. Am I looking for a career change? I'm looking for a career expansion. I want to be able to do more things. I want to work in a place where it's smart peoiple without titles working hard with minimal ego and freedom to decide what's right.