If you wanted to earn a degree, but don't have the money

[Aura]

I REALLY want to become a certified herbalist. I really like the East West School of Planetary Herbology, but dang it, it's expensive! It's not that I wouldn't get what I pay for, so I'm not complaining about the cost. It's just that I don't have the money for this. In addition to the course cost, I also need to attend three seminars...on the other side of the country!

 

Any thoughts or ideas how to accomplish this?

[Crimson Wife]

Speaking just for me personally, I wouldn't see a "certified herbalist" but rather a Naturopathic Physician who is a graduate of one of the accredited naturopathic medical colleges like Bastyr. Anybody can claim to be an herbalist, but I know that a Naturopath has had 4 years' worth of rigorous training in holistic medicine including herbal/botanical medicine.

[Aura]

I appreciate that, Crimson Wife. But I'm really not interested in becoming a naturopath. I'm not really looking to be someone who focuses on treating illnesses. Herbalism is different, but it's what I'm interested in.

 

I'm just wondering if anyone pursued something like this and how they financed it....maybe some creative suggestions?

[Catwoman]

I REALLY want to become a certified herbalist. I really like the East West School of Planetary Herbology, but dang it, it's expensive! It's not that I wouldn't get what I pay for, so I'm not complaining about the cost. It's just that I don't have the money for this. In addition to the course cost, I also need to attend three seminars...on the other side of the country!

 

Any thoughts or ideas how to accomplish this?

Honestly, I think you would be wasting your money. There is no professional licensing for herbalists, and a "certified herbalist" is nothing more than a costly title from an unaccredited school that holds no real benefit, as "certification" from an unaccredited school means nothing.

 

I'm sorry to sound discouraging, and I'm not suggesting that the course you'd like to take isn't useful, because I'm sure you would enjoy it and that you would learn a lot, but the "certification" means nothing, and you could probably self-teach yourself the same information for a lot less money. You could buy the course materials and DVD lessons on your own and get the info you need without paying extra for the certification program, and when you feel you've learned enough to start practicing, you can start calling yourself an herbalist.

[Lady Marmalade]

My first thought was to exhaust other possibilities first.  The East West School certainly sounds exciting, but they are not the only fish in the pond.   http://www.americanherbalistsguild.com/school-profiles

 

Perhaps there is another school with more affordable options for you.  Herbalism is definitely on my bucket list.

[Dandelion]

I have to agree with Crimson Wife and Cat here.  Since there's no regulation of "herbalists" and anyone can call themselves one, you'd probably come out ahead just studying on your own (checking out books at the library, taking occasional classes, etc.).  Because your degree isn't going to mean anything (the website you linked even talks about that from what I just read).

 

That said....  ;)

 

What's the total cost?  From the website, I saw that the Professional Herbalist program (which appears to be a step below the Certified Herbalist if I understood the info correctly) is around $2200.  Looks like the Certified Herbalist includes additional requirements at an additional cost, although I couldn't find that pricing info anywhere.  It also mentioned that the program takes 3-4 years to complete.

 

So, if the program costs (just guessing here) around $4000 total, and you have 4 years to complete it, that's $1000 a year.  So you need to budget around $83/month (not factoring in interest, if you take out a loan or use credit) to pay for this.

 

Do you have an extra $83 per month?  If not, is there any work you can do to bring in that money?  

 

For that amount, you could put it on a credit card if you really wanted to.  I'm not a fan of using credit cards unless you can pay off the entire balance every month, but it's certainly an option.

 

As Lady Marmalade said, there are many other programs out there that cost a lot less.  A quick Google search brought up this one:  you can do a trial for 14 days for $1 (if you decide to join it's $9.99 month or $97 a year): http://www.herbmentor.com/public/  Looks pretty cool. 

[Aura]

Thanks for the advice, ladies. You've brought up several good points that I'm going to think about.

 

I have been studying herbs on my own for the past 9-10 years. I already consider myself an herbalist, just more of a working class and not professional, though I'm beyond amateur or beginner. I would really like to take my knowledge and skill to another level. I want something that would really challenge me, so that excludes many herbalism courses that are just basic courses.

 

I'm looking at East West for several reasons, but their course of study appeared rigorous and well-balanced with plenty of accountability and mentoring. They have a focus on western, Ayurvedic & Chinese herbs, not just one of those. I love the fact that they include the anatomy/physiology and pathology/disease courses. I love that they require mentoring. I love that there is a week-long seminar (in the Redwoods!) where I can go and spend time learning and associating with others of the same passion. :drool5: Yes, that's me. :lol:

 

The Professional Herbalism is $2200, but then you have the anatomy/physiology and pathology/disease, both of which are $550, and then there's the seminars. The seminars are going to be about $1500 a piece, but there are options of saving money on those, so I could bring that cost down. I figure that the total cost for the required 3 seminars will be around another $4000 plus transportation to and from, three times. And then of course, there are always incidental costs that you don't plan on, so I'm thinking the total cost will be closer to $10,000, or about $200 per month for 4 years.

 

No, I don't have $200 extra per month to put towards this. Is there a way to find/earn this money? Maybe some, but I'm not sure if I could do $200.

 

You are right, though, I could create my own course of study based on their materials that is just as rigorous for much less cost. But it would lack the accountability of going through a school, and I have a tendency to get caught up on details and/or perfection instead of focusing on what's necessary. (I've run into this problem while designing my own curriculum for my kids.) But yeah, the cost saving would be huge. So it's definitely something I'm going to think more about.

 

After having completed enough education, even self-taught, I could always apply to become an American Herbalist Guild (AHG) Professional, if I wanted. Their requirements would give me a definite plan to work with and the membership would be a tangible goal.

 

 Given all this, do y'all have any additional thoughts or suggestions?

[elegantlion]

Have you looked into some of the MOOC options, like Coursera? They are adding classes, they are free, and on a time frame for greater accountability. 

 

Another option might be videos from The Great Courses - not sure they'd have what you need, but they can usually be purchased on sale (they rotate through sales all the time) for much less than list price. 

[Catwoman]

Could you teach a class for novice herbalists at your local adult/community school? It sounds like you already have a wealth of information, and that you could easily teach some of the basics to beginners. You could even put together several short seminars on specific topics and offer them as one-time classes, if you didn't want to commit to teaching the exact same people over a period of a few months.

 

I'll bet you would be excellent at something like that, because your enthusiasm would shine through, yet your perfectionism would ensure that your students would get a lot of good information, as well.

 

It would also be a way to start positioning yourself as an expert in the field, so if you decide to go into business, people in the area will already recognize your name.

[StephanieZ]

Well, I guess it depends on how you view the education you will receive. Is it for fun/self development or is it for money earning power?

 

If it is for 'just you' then you simply need to assess your family budget, and see when and how you can budget the needed funds. Definitely do not borrow for this, though. You could get a PT job and save your earnings until you have enough saved. Work 12 hrs a week at 10 per hour, and you could probably bank at least $90-100 per week, even after taxes and commuting costs. That is one long day or two short days or three very short days, per week. If you don't have time to work 12 hours a week, then you are unlikely to have time to devote to the new studies! Anyway, that would get you $5000 in about a year.

 

You could budget more aggressively and put aside your savings from selling unneeded stuff or trimming expenses. You could ask for money for holiday and birthday gifts to add to your savings. These things would get you to your goal sooner and might help you minimize the working if you don't want to work much.

 

If it is for earning power, then you need to realistically assess the financial value of the degree. If you are already a competent herbalist without this additional certification, then perhaps you could work with your current skills, devoting more effort to the business aspects of it, and earn enough for the program. Use the time you would put into the new studies to develop the earning power of your herbalist skills. Those business skills will be of value to you after you get the certification, too.

 

If it is for earning power, and you realistically believe that you can and WILL have a strong positive financial impact upon completion of the program, then I suppose it is in some way reasonable to borrow for the funds if the above options really don't make sense in your situation, but you better be certain you will earn not only the cost of the program but also the interest and credit costs of borrowing the fees.

[Crimson Wife]

$10k is a lot of money to invest in a program that isn't really going to be seen by a lot of your potential customers as legitimate. I'm not trying to bad-mouth the particular program (I don't know anything about it beyond what you've said here), but rather the facts that it is unaccredited and that anyone can call himself/herself an herbalist. If I were personally going to spend big bucks for formal education, I'd want it to be for a well-respected degree like a N.D. or L.Ac. & OM.

 

If you can self-educate and still get the AHG Professional designation, that is what my inclination would be.