Opportunity Cost

“Think about a time in your life where you had to choose between two or more options. Explain the opportunity cost involved in that decision.”

I am the owner and designer at 17th Avenue, a web and graphic design business. I launched my business online about a year ago and much to my surprise, I've been incredibly successful. I have had the opportunity to work with talented individuals and businesses from around the world. My parents were/are not involved in the business in any way. I am proud to say that I've built my business from the ground up with very little resources.

I am frequently asked if I plan to make a career out of graphic design. My answer is wholeheartedly, without a doubt, no question about it: No. This is not a decision that I came to easily. In fact, it took months of consideration and self-evaluation. I heavily weighed the advantages and disadvantages in either direction. I now know, without a doubt in my mind, that I want to be a Nurse Practitioner. While I love art and the world of design, I am just not entirely comfortable with the idea of being my own boss. Job security is so important to me and I don't want to find myself trapped in such an unpredictable career, as owning an online business is.

There are, of course, benefits and disadvantages to either career path. With nursing, I will be attending a 4-year university, putting off being independent, like we talked about in class. I will have student loans to pay off and will not be living on my own until around 22 (outside of a dorm). But I will be in a stable career with a predictable salary. With graphic design, while I would probably still attend college, it would not be the same experience. I would go to a smaller school with lower tuition costs. I would be out on my own much sooner. But I would be self-employed and business would not always be predictable or profitable. The opportunity cost in choosing nursing over design is forfeiting my independence for an additional 4 years, having to pay off student loans, and not being able to work from home. I am more than willing to make those sacrifices for a stable career, as I talked about in my post about scarcity.

I wonder what other people who also choose/chose nursing school had to give up to be there.