Help Me Justify Spending Nearly $1000 (AUD, of course)

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
1

So, there’s this editing and proofreading correspondence course that I’d really like to do. I’ve been considering it, uuum-ing and aaaah-ing for nearly 2 years now. It seems like a pretty comprehensive course, 180 hours of study in total that you can choose to spread over 6, 9, 12 or 24 months. It covers the bones of editing and proofreading, as well as useful things like copyright laws, business laws and other stuff like freelance rates and various Standards in the Australian media.

It’s also $999.

There’s two payment options. If you pay upfront, there’s a 10% discount that takes the price down to $899.10. If you pay by installment, then the total cost over 17 months is the $999.

What it comes down to is this - I’m getting burned out at my current job. I’ve been working call center-based customer service since I left school at 16. It’s been nearly five years, and I’m sick of the phones and the arguments and the stress, and the petty office politics that come from working in a large office environment. I’d like to skill up on some things that I enjoy, like writing and editing and proofreading, and see if I could get some work out of it that way.

Now I have no delusions of finishing this course, walking out of my current job and landing a $600,000 a year editing gig at a newspaper or anything of the sort. That’s just stupid. But what I would like to do is be able to pick up some freelance work as a side job, and if that’s successful I’d like to scale my current job back to part-time hours, and use the freelance work as a bit of extra money on the side.

Currently I’m the primary provider. Mr. Indigo’s still seeking permanent work after getting his temporary residency, and is working temp jobs from time to time, but we’re living 95% off of my salary. Money’s not tight, and when hubby is working as well then we’ve certainly got more than enough spare each fortnight for what we need and a little bit more.

But I’m still not sure about laying down nearly a grand for something that may or may not pay itself off sometime in the next 2-3 years.

I don’t even know what I’m looking for with this post (and mods, if it’s in the wrong spot please feel free to give me the jackboot express over to another forum). Arguments, both pro and con. Stories about how you took a course because it interested you, and somehow made a living out of it. Opinions - do you think I’m an idiot for considering it, or do I seem to have the right idea?

The longer I put it off, the less likely I am to get around to doing it. Something else will always come up. I need to consider the arguments, and make up my mind.

2

If you can relate the course content to the responsibilities of your current role then you could claim some of the course costs as a tax deduction. Is that at all possible? Could you make it possible by seeing whether you can do some of this proofreading/editing work in your current role (perhaps working on internal policies and procedures, user manuals etc at the call centre?)

3

It’s worth looking into, but I don’t think there’s anything at work in my current role that I can really apply it to. They tend to keep the phone monkeys well away from the admin/paperwork side of things, like most of the big telcos do. I think this one’s going to have to be all off my own back.

4

is editing/proofreading a passion? or nearly so?
are there openings in the field (even entry level)?
is it a career path that could lead to a comfortable salary down the road (like at a major publishing house)?
Is there something else you ar currently spending $59/month on that gives you no joy and can be done without? (magazines you never finish, premium cable/satellite channels you only watch once in a blue moon)
sit down and write out your pros and cons - in the process “would really like to do” could turn into either “damn! i know i’ll be good at this” or it could turn into "it really seems like a large investment of time that can be put to better uses

now - having said all that - i am very much in favor of expanding knowledge and skills - I say go for it

5

It seems like there are two issues: first, the course sounds interesting; and second, the course might lead to interesting work.

As to the first issue, I’m in favor of education for education’s sake. I mean, check out their refund policy in case you get into this thing and discover it’s not your cup of tea, but I think classes are always a good idea. I’ve tried to self-study, but I lack the discipline to really do it. I also like the communal aspect of studying, the chance to share with someone who’s studying the same stuff.

As to the second issue, you need to do more research, and I haven’t a clue about whether this class would get you into the editing/proofreading field. Can you ask the school for references from former students? Track them down, and find out whether the courses led to the type of work you want to do. Or find a place you’d like to work for, and do an informational interview with someone there to find out if the class will help you get in the door.

Personally, I’d say go for it, even if it doesn’t lead to work. It sounds like it would be interesting and that’s enough for me!