What to use tuition reimbursement for?

[sanantone]

I decided a couple of years ago that I do not want to be a professor because the research expectations for tenure require you to do a lot of boring, meaningless work just to get published. While my current job with the state pays decently and has good benefits, it's repetitive and also boring. I look at what the supervisors do, and their jobs are just as boring, so I have no desire to move up in my department.

If I study something that will be useful to the state, I will receive up to $5,000 per year in tuition reimbursement and educational leave. I'm trying to decide if I should go to a part-time police academy that will cost about $3,000 and take eight months to complete or go to nursing school which will take longer and cost more. There are several different state agencies I could work for as an investigator, but it looks like most of the nursing jobs are at state hospitals (mentally ill) or state-supported living centers (intellectually challenged).

Another option would be for me not to use my tuition reimbursement or opportunities for educational leave at all and just earn certifications to go with my BSBA in CIS. But, I don't really have a passion for IT. I don't need reimbursement for my PhD program because I'm only required to take one credit per semester now.