Dilemma

So, for quite a while my plan has been to use any and all extra money each month to pay down my car debt by June. Which is going pretty well, actually.

I also recently made a second goal to get a salary point raise by June as well. I actually think I can get it done by March, which would be great because it would help me pay down my car even faster. I found one free class, one for 15 dollars, and third for $65 that I've already enrolled in. That's three points. I am also on the waiting list for a free two point class during Winter Break, that I really hope I get in to.

But, I am going to have to pay for some of them if I want to get this done. Paying for classes is definitely worth it in the long run...it's an investment because the raise will follow me throughout my career...the sooner I take the classes, the more money I make.

Here's the dilemma. I found out the work I did for National Boards last year can count for three points. I do have to pay $295 for that work. If I get in to all the ones I'm planning on, I just need six more points for the raise. There are some online classes I can take for $180 each (I found a $20 coupon for each class!) that would get me finished by March.

Also, I didn't pass National Boards. :( You need a 275 to pass and I scored a 269. Grrr. Since I'm so close, I want to retake an assessment and a portfolio. If I pass I get an automatic 7.5% raise, plus an additional 7.5% if I complete a certain number of mentoring hours. This is definitely an investment. I'm looking into scholarships, which I got last year, so hopefully I can get this one for close to free, but I'm not sure how that will play out.

For those of you following along with the math, that's a total of  $1,405. Eek. If I can get scholarships for National Boards, I can spend $655. Blech. I can pay for this in the next two months, and if I really had to tap into my e-fund for National Boards, but it means almost no extra money on my car payment...which would make it really difficult to pay it off by June.

I'm torn. Do I hold back on one of the classes, taking the cheaper/free ones piece by piece? This means giving up more of my weekends since the ones I plan to take are online. It also means getting a raise later. Or do I accept that my car might not be paid off until a few months after I planned?