From Computers to People: Degree Required

[Zanriel]

Hey all, I've been on these forums for a while, mostly lurking. I'm hoping maybe someone can give me some advice.

Right now I own a computer support business. It's just me and one other guy. I started out with two co-owners in a 3-way partnership back in October 2007, but the first guy embezzled $20 in the first 3 months. We got rid of him, then my second partner moved on late February of '09 because we weren't making enough and he was stuck in an upside down mortgage. The guy I have with me now is technically just an employee. He came in around Sep '08.

We have about 70-100 customers or so, last year we brought in a net income of -$7,226.66. The year before was a net income of -$16,532, so the business is gradually doing better, despite a lousy economy.

But it's barely enough. I shouldn't really be paying myself at all, but I still do, about $200 every 1-3 weeks. Last year I took home a whopping $7880! Luckily, I have a supportive wife who has a decent paying job, and generous inlaws, so we're able to pay our bills and eat out once in a while. But I'm so tired of being broke!

I'm also getting burnt out on working on computers. I've been doing this stuff for the past 15 years, and it's really not what I always wanted to do with my life. I wanted to get a degree in psychology and philosophy and be a counselor and writer. I'm strongly drawn to spiritual/metaphysical work, like hypnotherapy. I'd like to get involved with the "Spiritual Emergence Network" or something similar to that, because I've suffered from a spiritual crisis myself and I'd like to help others in similar situations. I'm also musically talented, have written a few songs, and I have a good singing voice, so I've also always wanted to get into music and songwriting.

The problem is, I just don't have the time or money right now to pursue my dreams, and I have about $7,000 in personal debt, with an extra $6,000 in the company's name. I'm trying to figure a way out and I'm just not seeing it.

To become a counselor requires a Master's degree. The only thing I'd probably have the time for would be distance learning, or an online college. The ones I've found so far range from $6,000 per year to $15,000. There's no way I could come up with that kind of money, I'm barely scraping by.

So what do I do? I'm exploring three options:

1. Suffer through until the business is making enough money to pay for my education. 3-5 years +6-8 year education.
2. Sell the business to a competitor and work for them while doing college on the side. 0-2 years +6-8 year education.
3. Forget college, get a minister's license and become a pastoral counselor. (Something like Univerity of Sedona).
4. Life experience degree? (I discovered that doing searches, don't know what they are or what my chances are of qualifying for one, or if they're credible.)

I've seriously considered option 3, but I don't want to be perceived as getting my degree from a "degree mill" and I don't know if that particular place carries that stigma.

So what should I do? I know where I want to go but I can't figure out how to get there. Any advice?

[Karanime]

Get the degree that feels best, like it'll be the most fun to get, and go with #2.

Do what you most want to do. As you've said, you're keeping alive from your wife and generous in-laws. So if you stop ending in the red by selling off, you'll be doing even better. For this reason, though, you should pay for your own education.

Make this dream more important than anything else. More important than the business, more important than being rich, more important that everything.

Unless you care about getting rich more, then choose a different occupation, lol.

/<3

[Curtis2011]

Originally Posted by Zanriel

3. Forget college, get a minister's license and become a pastoral counselor. (Something like Univerity of Sedona).

I would go to Sedona just to meet the great Dr. Hawkins...


As for your work. It sounds like your business is horribly non-profitable. You know something is wrong when you are doing work for customers and making a negative net income.

If you have a lot of technical expertise or capability, which it sounds like you do, you could probably make more money just by hiring yourself out on rentacoder.com or elance.com and doing custom work for individual clients.

[Liveformx64]

From my perspective:

No matter how busy your business gets, you are still stuck at a "job" that you don't like.

If you could sell your accounts, and get a decent paying job to get you through schooling, I would do that. Go into a "maintenance mode" and put yourself through school, or an intense learning period.

Finally, what makes you think you need to have a degree to effective coach council or mentor people? Especially if you want to get into the spiritual movement. Which is very anti establishment as it is.

My advice: Sell off your burden. Find a way to monetize and leverage your skills that you already have (computer tech) to get you through this new learning period.

Meanwhile, find your niche... build a blog and start talking to your potential customers or clients.. find out their need and pain points, and build a business around fulfilling them.

If you decide that you still want a piece of paper, think about a getting a Coaching certification or something without all the B.S. that you have to go through to get a B.S! But I would warn you about going to school as a means to an end. Go to school because you love learning and the expansion it provides. Not just to get a piece of paper.

Building a business becomes enjoyable when it aligns with your true core passions. Sure it might be hard work, but hard work is no work when its something you love.

Kyle

[CoolBee]

Online degrees awarded for 'Life Experience' are pure b*s and if you are going to try and use it to get into a serious program that will check it out, don't waste your money!

There are genuine online courses though, but I don't know anything about Sedona.

Out of the options you have written down, do a sort of appraisal of each:

cost to you, benefit to you, reality of happening etc!

If option 2 - sell to a competitor and keep working for them, with a reasonable income and tolerable working conditions is quite a realistic option, I think that might be my preferred choice right now. This would take some pressure off you and give you some head space to perhaps think more clearly in 12 months time or explore other options.

While you are stuck in the 'treacle pit' and bogged down, it's difficult to see all the options clearly. That would give you a bit of a breather.

[Zanriel]

Reply pending...

[Zanriel]

Thanks for the advice and tips.

I'm not totally ready to give up on the business yet. It's been 2.5 years, and although the company's still in the red, it's slowly moving closer and closer to black. Starting a new business right as the economy was going into a tailspin probably didn't help much, but I didn't exactly start from scratch either. The four of us who started the business came from another computer company where we had to put up with terrible management and a co-worker making death threats and talking about what he would do if it weren't for his medication. We went around the first day handing out business cards and got about 50-70 customers to switch to us without blinking an eye. I've got a lot of customer loyalty I've built up over the past 10 years.

Now that we've pared operations down to just me and one other person, and cut expenses in several places, we'll probably survive. As the economy turns around, it'll be even better because we'll be able to ride the wave back up. But gosh, I sure am burnt out on computers.

The reason I want a degree is because I want to go into professional counseling. I'm good at it, and I enjoy helping people psychologically and spiritually. To do that requires at least a BA, preferably an MA. I also plan on writing books on self-help and spirituality, and possibly even holding lectures and seminars. When I sit down to write, I can already tell how having more formal education would help tremendously. Also, when people are evaluating whether to take a chance on you, they definitely take into account either a highly unique life experience (a great story) or credentials, preferably both.

I'm still pondering all this.

[Carl Carlson IV]

Steve had to go to school and get a piece of paper to start a website about personal development, didn't he? There are many other ways you can make a positive influence and achieve your goals without attending a college or university. I think there is option 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, etc. that you're overlooking.