Back in the pot

Near the end of April during the mid-1990s, I wrote my last exam and thought to myself, "That'll be the last time I have do this horrid activity!" Of course, that's not the case as a decade later, I started my M.Sc. in astrophysics through distance learning. That venture ended shortly after I returned to Calgary as economic demands accelerated after the purchase of the house. Still, all that distance learning stuff didn't seem real. I mean, it's missing all that classroom dynamic of listening to the lecturer drone on, or glaring at the people who talk amongst themselves as I'm trying to take notes, or watching the clock slooooooowly tick its way second by slow second towards the end of the class. Distance learning changed all that as I get to work at my own pace. It's good.

So why in the name of all that's holy did I apply for business school? Yep, late last week I got my confirmation that I've been accepted into the project management program at a Canadian university that's not local. So, I have to fly out to where it is early next month to go attend my first course, after which the distance learning aspect kicks in for the next 6 months. What do I get out of it? Essentially 4 years of an undergrad degree packed into 6 months, after which I get to sit for my PMP certification for a double accreditation. Why bother with this rigmarole when I can just sit for my PMP? Well, my formal business skills need some brushing up and all of the credit I earn for this program is directly transferable to my MBA when I decide to take it, so I'll be able to get it half a year sooner when I can scrounge up the hefty tuition fee for it.

I've been a developer for practically my entire career. Those of you in the industry, please take a look around you and tell me how many female developers are in your team that are in their mid-forties or older? Dollars to doughnuts, the answer is zero unless if you're living somewhere in the Silicon Valley. Fact is, I'm far too senior for most of the developer positions these days. My love is product development first, program management second and project management third. I like working with people these days. Sitting down and hammering out code is simply not as fun as it was before. Seeing a complicated project to a gentle landing? Now, *that* takes skill.

I'm still in a developer position, senior architect to be precise. It's not that I'm not happy with my duties, I'm just...bored. It's the same thing I've been doing for ages, except that now I have to deal with the idiosyncrasies for whatever the language of the month is. It's just not as fun anymore.

So, I'm going back to school. Not sure if this is a bright idea or not.