Help Mickey fund their second masters!

Help a queer academic achieve their dreams!

I'm Mickey, and getting to this point has been a journey. I have a BA in Art History, an MA in Museum Education, and I came out the other side of my MA jobless, disillusioned with everything I had done thus far, and having just wasted so much money. Unable to find work in my field and unenthusiastic, I struggled to find my feet again, aimless, unmoored, thirty-one years old and back at square one. What did I want to do with my life now?

Now that I've finally found my feet and found what I want to do, I need your help!

The goal is to pursue a PhD in queer theory and Tolkien studies, focusing on the homoromantic in the works of JRR Tolkien and the applicability of his works for queer fans. Unfortunately, as I don't have a degree in English Literature, I just don't qualify for a PhD at present. I am currently registered at Signum University in their Imaginative Literature program, with the intention of completing a graduate certificate, in the hopes that with my other degrees this will be sufficient qualification. If it isn't, I can continue with Signum and turn the graduate certificate into a second master's degree.

In order to achieve this, I will be working part-time, and I've been lucky enough to find a job that will pay me just enough working part-time to survive on, but it certainly won't pay me enough to also fund a second master's degree.

This is where you, good reader, come in! I have set the goal at £3000, which is about what the cost of a graduate certificate with Signum University will be, accounting for conversion from USD to GBP, and for the cost of books. I will need around £1000 before courses start in January, and the rest will be paid to Signum per course registration. If I somehow manage to get past my goal, all funds will either be put aside in the event that I need to upgrade to the Masters course, or will go towards supporting myself while working part-time to achieve my goals.

Every little bit counts, every little bit helps! Please help me pave my way towards a career path that I love, and where I can be most valuable. There's important work to be done!