Because I can...

After a month of hemming and hawing, I finally got off the fence and signed up for LSE.

The good:

*Benevolent company J agreed to allow me to work my full-time job around LSE class hours and to work either early or later than normal EU hours when classes are in session. Granted, I support Asia, the US, and South America in addition to Europe--so there is always a location whose business hours I can be working with that timezone mix. :-)

*In addition, they agreed to pay through their UK tuition reimbursement program. They pay 50% now and 50% upon completion. So in effect, the degree becomes free (assuming that I stay past the 'holding' period upon completion).



The bad:

*The holding period locks me into Benevolent company J for another 3 years after the 2 year degree completion point. Nothing against company J, and I think it's a fair policy--I'm just not so fond of owing anyone cash, which in effect this is to me.

*The commute from Essex into London is readily possible with regional train, but not so pretty--building in time for the train or tube to be late--2 hours is the conservative estimate for travel time door to door.

*I do need to front the 50% they fund upon completion until I actually complete. Currently all my side hustle earnings are going into an empty pasta sauce jar toward this end. (Arriving in the UK without UK credit history I was only able to get a 'student' passport bank account--one without interest gaining--for my first year here. So I'd rather hold onto it than let the thieving scoundrels of my giant banking conglomerate have any extra interest free cash.)



The ugly:

*Travel costs from my corner of Essex (assuming I pay for a round trip ticket each time I go and cannot find any travel card alternative or advance buy alternative) is between 17-22 GBP/trip which I will have to front.



The good (again):

*The semesters are short-http://www2.lse.ac.uk/termDates/Home.aspx

*It will look nice on my CV.
*I am a proverbial student.
*It will nice to make some new connections whose circles I probably wouldn't otherwise cross.
*I suspect the subject matter will actually be quite interesting and overall helpful to me from a professional knowledge standpoint.