azurite | Like a flapjack

I've decided what I want to do after graduating from CSUN.

I'm going to give myself a clear goal and a firm deadline: I want to participate in NYU's Summer Institute in Publishing. While it's more expensive than their professional certification program, it's also more in-depth and faster.

The expense is a killer, though: $4500 in the next 11 months would mean SOMEHOW saving $400/month, which isn't possible for me at all. However, if I opted for the M.S. in Publishing Program, I could apply for scholarships, fellowships, and student loans, and the summer program could count for 6 graduate credits. I don't know if they would cover the summer institute, but it's worth trying to find out.

One year from now, I will be in New York City.

I hope thinking this way isn't setting myself up for disappointment. I'd like to think I'm still open-minded to other opportunities, should they come my way; but I'd like to plan for THIS so that I'm not floundering and making excuses for not doing what I really, truly want. I'm obviously still going to network, keep my eyes and ears open, and have a blast with my last semester at CSUN, but I need this goal and a timeline to get myself moving (literally and figuratively).

The next step is to figure out what my next step is.