I wish I could just drop a class
Or get into a play
Or change my major
Or fuck my T.A.
I need an academic advisor to point the way
     – “I Wish I Could Go Back to College”, Avenue Q

When I graduated from USF, I decided to take a year or two to get out into the real world before I started on my Master’s degree. That was 2006. There are now about five weeks remaining in 2009. That means three and a half years have passed since I graduated. I’ve been working at my current job for two of those years. I’ve seen the real world. I don’t like it.

Now I’m considering what I really want to do with my life. What I want to do is teach; to be specific, I want to be a professor. Professorship requires a graduate degree, preferably a doctorate. So I’ve made up my mind: I’m going to work toward entering grad school.

But I have no idea what to do next.

I know I need to take the GRE. That’s first on my list. I’m also going to speak to a graduate admissions counselor at USF; they should be able to tell me what else to do. I also need to figure out the financial end of things. I don’t know if I’ll be able to keep working where I work while going to school in Tampa. If I can get a job on campus, that would be ideal.

Regarding housing: north Lakeland may be my best bet. It’s a straight shot down I-4 to USF, and rent on apartments isn’t ridiculously high, but it’s still 30-40 miles each way. Granted, that’s better than the 70 each way I was doing when going to USF before, but that’s still quite a drive.

I need advice.