Some day I’ll be Dr. Stevenson. Not a medical doctor, but an economics doctor. Not quite as glitzy, I know, but it still has a nice ring. The big news? I just took the first step towards obtaining my PhD in Economics. I’ve been interested in economics for the past 4 years or so. I trace my interest back to an article about “time preference”, and particularly a section in that article about the correlation between religion and economic decisions. It was an epiphanic moment for me. Economics isn’t just about money! “Freakonomics” became a NYT bestseller around the same time, and my interest in economics continued to grow.
The deal was sealed in early 2007, although I didn’t know it at the time. January 11th, 2007 is the day that Ron Paul formed a presidential exploratory committee. I closely followed and supported his campaign from that point on, and even today I support the Campaign for Liberty which was birthed from the presidential run. Dr. Paul’s campaign really opened my eyes to the impact of public policy on general economic trends. He also repeatedly stated that his primary mission was to educate the American people about free market economics. Like Thomas Jefferson, he believes that education is the key to turning our nation around. I realized that working as a database administrator and programmer for a government contract isn’t a fulfilling occupation, notwithstanding my moral objections to government intervention and war in general. It does pay the bills, and I enjoy it, but I’m not bettering the world around me. So, that’s reason number one for a career change.
Something else just recently became more important to me and has impacted my decision. You see, I chose my current profession because, out of all of the things I enjoyed, the tech field is where I could make the most money. Over my 12 year tech career I’ve grown more and more convinced that time is more valuable than money. This last week was a turning point for me. I took a couple of days off to spend time with my brother Clay, who was in town from California. Those days off were incredibly awesome. I realized that 3 weeks of vacation time each year just wasn’t going to cut it any longer. Reason number two for a career change! I can have more days off as a professor, although for less pay. I’ve reached the point now where I think it is worth it.
My goal is to get my MA in Economics from ODU in two to three years, and then to pursue my PhD in Economics at GMU. I’ll continue to work in the tech industry to support myself, but once I’ve got my PhD I’ll look for a job at a university. I’m excited about the opportunity to help educate a generation of sound thinking, free market individuals, and get some papers and research published at the same time. It’ll be a long haul, but I’m ready to get started … Fall 2009 Baby!