Back to School This Spring or Summer?

While business is still slow, I think I should take another editing course at Simon Fraser University's Writing and Publishing Program. Basic Copy Editing is the next course in the Editing Certificate program - to which I haven't registered because of the estimated total cost - so I thought it would be a good idea to check it out.

Anyway, I'm not sure which schedule to choose. The only two workable schedules are in late spring and in late summer:

• Four Wednesdays, May 19th to June 9th, 18:30 to 21:30 at the Vancouver campus
• Monday to Thursday (i.e. four days), August 23rd to August 26th, 09:00 to 12:00 at the Vancouver campus.

Instructor is the same (Nick Rockel), as well as the fee ($370).

The spring schedule starts four days before ABC airs LOST's series finale so I'd be freaking out and preparing myself for the end, which means I'd need something to get it out of my head for a night. On the other hand, it's going to take me an hour and 15 minutes to get to the Vancouver campus after work and an hour and 55 minutes to get home. I've taken night classes before and nothing untoward has happened to me. Still, I'm gonna need to take a lot of precautions - say, keep pepper spray in my purse - when I go home.

The summer schedule is great because I can take this week off work and devote the entire four days to the course. Since it's a hassle to commute from Langley to Vancouver every day, I can rent a hotel room for four days (which, of course, is an extra cost). It's like a staycation, but at least I won't be in Langley. Or not. However, four straight days of studying maybe too fast, too much for my brain. 

If only Basic Copy Editing were offered as an online course like the introductory one, I wouldn't have to freak out about the schedule.

 

At the moment, the summer schedule looks better. But we shall see.

 

***This was originally posted on the Announcements section of my freelance editing website at 4 AM today.***