School has started, life goes by fast

Man, it's crazy. I'm only taking one class this semester though, because I couldn't get into any of the other classes I was hoping to. I'm pretty bumed about it because I was hoping to get most of the classwork done while life outside is dull and gray. Oh well. I'll have to take two classes this summer to complete my associates degree.

I've been thinking about my career situation lately and talked with Alene about it last night. I'm thinking of just getting my associates degree and then waiting for another 10 years or so before I finish up my bachelors. My reasoning goes like this: It is completely impossible for me to be able to support a family with a mortgage, etc. on a teachers starting salary. $27k a year just won't do it.

My plan is to stick with my current line of work for another 15 years or so. By that time I'll be making some decent coin and hopefully will have moved up the ranks a bit. Toward the end of my time in this line of work, I'll go out and finish my bachelors degree. I could probably get it done in 1.5 years if I go full time for 5 semesters. By then, Alene and I will have produced our lovely family (expected number of children unknown at this time) of the which they will be in school during the day, allowing me to teach and alene to work p/t to suppliment the teachers salary.

In the mean time, I want to enjoy my life. I want to be able to afford the basics for my family (go on vacations, do recreational things, provide music lessons, etc.) and be involved with their lives in more detail. I've still got the option to coach little league football if I wanted to, or if my boss will allow, get off work earlier and assist at the high school level during the fall.

I'd love to be a head coach of a team somewhere, but even being an assistant is something that would satisfy my need to be involved with coaching. I love working with the young men. My only reason for wanting to be a HC is my need to ensure that things are done my way. I need to stop thinking like that anyway.

So.....that is a tentative plan. I want to be able to enjoy my early married years with my wife. I don't like working and going to school and being so worn out from all the stress that it starts taking chunks out of your relationship with your wife. I want to spend a couple of years together before we add to our family.

I know some people will think I'm nuts and just encourage "getting it over with", but I say why? I'll have an associates, which I can use to get me into a school to finish my bachelors. When I get my degree, I won't be using it for another 15 years anyway, so what is the rush? Why not just enjoy my time with my family and such, then buck down later on in life when I actually need it?

If I had been able to figure it all out when I was younger, I would have started at the JC in California when I was wasting my time doing nothing. I could have saved SO MUCH money becuase back then credits were only $12-$15 per hour. Here in Utah I pay about $90 an hour (a 3-hour class costs $270, where in CA it would have cost me about $60). I would have then xfered to a university, gotten my teaching credential and started teaching while I was young. There are only two ways I could see a person in my situation become a teacher in his early 30's: 1, his wife works f/t too and that contributes to the income; 2, his family is loaded and they suppliment his income; 3, he's on government assistance all the time.

I think my best bet is to become a teacher when I turn 45 and enjoy my life until retirement. I will have saved up a good nest-egg in 401k retirement and if I stick with teaching for another 20 years, I'll be set.

Do I sound crazy?