Decisions, Decisions... Long winded and meandering

Xiney

I have a BSc Major concentration Biology Minor concentration Geography from McGill, in Canada. I moved to Ireland with my (Irish) husband back in September 2007 and promptly found out that I couldn't get any work with it (I was limited to Sligo though, so that didn't help)

Anyway, I've been here for 19 months now. Spent 2 months working as an advertising telesales person for a newspaper, quit because it was awful and eventually it was clear they expected me to commit fraud. Took me 3 months to find my next job, where I worked as the front office receptionist for a hostel. I liked that job a lot, despite the minimum wage, unsociable hours and the toilet scrubbing; I got to meet people from all over. Anyway, my husband graduated from the IT and we moved to Galway where he'd got a job. I got a job as an Office/Accounts Administrator, and I was on cloud 9: sure, it's not what I went to school for, but I've plenty of experience in admin (I did it while in University) and I'm good at it, and we had soooo much more money! For the first time in... ever... I could buy things without extreme feelings of guilt, and still have enough to put away into savings! Oh, the travelling we were going to do! Unfortunately, that only lasted 2 months because they had to lay me off due to cash flow :mad:. Since then I've had no luck at all. I suppose you could say I haven't really had much luck since I moved here anyway, since I've only maintained employment for 9 out of 19 months. God that's awful!

So I was floundering there for a while, getting nowhere with the job search. For the past month or so now, I've been working off the premise that in a few months' time, when I get my driver's license, I'll start a Children's Portraiture business. (Bit out of left field, I know, but photography is currently a hobby, I'm quite good at it, and portraiture is where the money's at)

But it's a scary prospect, what with the capital needed to start a business. I don't really mind if I don't make any money for the first while though, since I'm not making any money now. I just don't want to *lose* money, and I'd have to invest: not counting the driving lessons and the car, I'll need some lighting equipment, including an external flash. So, probably about €700 - €1000 worth of equipment; plus marketing: business cards, portfolio, website and leaflets (€200 - €300?) It's not chump change for me, but as long as I break even it would be ok, I guess.

Then, today, out of the blue, I decided to look up post grad courses at NUIG.

I haven't missed the admissions for the one I'd be interested in, they're four months from now. I could start classes in September, if I was accepted.

Thing is, I'd be classed as an international student. 13.5k :eek:

If I waited until September 2010, I could (probably) qualify as an EU student (because I will have been here for 3 years) and could (probably) get the mature student grant (because I'll be 24). So it would make more sense to do it that way. And getting an MSc is definitely the safer option.

But what is more likely to be useful in the future? We're moving back to Montreal within three years, I'd say. The business wouldn't really be highly transferable, although I will have the experience and I could continue it if I wanted to, maybe even get into wedding photography. And I might make some money at it. And what of the MSc? I don't know if it would be considered kind of a worthless degree since McGill (the year I graduated) was ranked 12th internationally and NUIG was in the 170s, and I'd be moving back to McGill's home turf. So I don't know if it's even that likely to get me a better job than the BSc I already have would (although that thing is unlikely to get me anything at this stage since I've had it for two years and haven't used it at all)



If you managed to read all that, you're quite awesome. What would you do?

smashey

If I was you, I would pursue the photography for now. As you said, you don't want to *lose* money and the 13.5k for the post grad is a big chunk of money. You will be moving back to Montreal within three years so your options increase by a huge factor with the McGill BSc. You could also continue the photography there.

Xiney

Yeah, I guess it makes the most sense. If the photography business doesn't work out, I can still apply for 2010, which wouldn't cost 13.5k anymore.