HRD 606

This was my first stab at a critical thinking essay in HRD 630.

Assignment: The written assignment is based on the eight elements of reasoning (e.g. critical thinking) described by Nosich. Your task is apply these elements to a significant decision you anticipate considering in the next year (academic, vocational, personal. etc., it’s your choice). Analyze the question in terms of each of the eight elements. (500 -800 words) Nosich provides very specific guidance on how to go about this. Pease submit by Wednesday at the latest. (With your permission I will select and post some of the submissions anonymously to illustrate various aspects of the process. I will check with the authors via email to get their OK.)

Key Words: Purpose – Question at Issue – Assumptions – Implications and Consequences – Information – Concepts – Conclusions, Interpretations – Point of View = Alternatives – Context

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – My Response – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

One Hundred Thousand Dollars.

For some, that is a year’s salary. For others, that is a decade’s take-home pay. For me, if I continue my education through to a terminal degree, that will be approximately the amount I owe the federal government in Stafford loans.

If I were 20-30 years younger, the decision to continue on toward a doctorate would not even warrant debate. However, if I continue full-time as a graduate student now, I have to weigh a significant number of important factors, both internally and externally.

Family members and close friends, while proud of my pending Master’s degree accomplishment, assume continuing as a student would be a waste of time and money. They counsel I am too old to effectively amortize the return on my time and financial investment; I need to return to the workforce full-time in order to build up my Social Security account; and, a terminal degree would not be valuable in workforce development unless I plan to teach in higher education. My husband is supportive of whatever decision I make, with no hidden hope I will chose either path. He understands the drive to learn.

This is something I want, but is it something I need? I can find a job with a Master’s, but I have grown to love the intellectual stimulation of graduate school. If I spend three more years in graduate school, I would only have fifteen years of available career time left before most organizations enforce mandatory retirement. However, I do not believe my professional contributions will suddenly cease to have value when I reach an arbitrary chronological point. I have always stayed socially and culturally current, and I expect to develop deeper wisdom as I age.

As an alternative, I could pursue a doctorate while working full-time. If I find an accredited program that allows part-time enrollment, the completion of my goal will take much longer. What benefit, then, would the degree have if I achieve it at the end of my working life? Further, the cost of education increases each year. Thus, my indebtedness would be substantially more than the $100,000 currently projected.

My last resort would be to wait a few years until I reach the statutory age for auditing classes at the state university and continue my educational quest then. However, that decision would result in a substantial gap in time away from higher education and no terminal degree to show for my efforts.

The pressure is on, because the deadline looms for application to the doctoral program that interests me. Am I willing to make the time and financial investments required to pursue a doctorate, or do I need to return to full-time work?

As Scarlett O’Hara said, “I will think about that tomorrow. For, tomorrow is another day.” On this day, I need to focus on successfully completing my Master’s program!