Opportunity costs

I just noticed that my last blog post says it was posted February 23rd at 2:31 pm. That definitely isn't the case, because I didn't come up the ideas for that one until sometime in March. Maybe that "Gmail Custom Time" joke from a couple of years ago wasn't really a joke...

So it's Saturday mor--well, afternoon now. I spent an hour working on a message board post for my Database Management class, and I still have a homework assignment to do (it's an online class, so technically it's all homework, but I use the term simply to differentiate between the types of assignments I have). The homework assignment is to look for new products or updated services offered by different major companies that support database management. Well, I tried navigating a few of their sites, and besides not offering any of the products originally listed in the homework assignment, they don't give a clear definition of what services their products actually offer.

I took a microeconomics class last year. Besides the fact that the instructor looked like a child molester and wore the exact same polo shirt and pair of sweat pants every class period, the only thing I retained from that class was the concept of opportunity costs. Basically, it's analyzing and valuing the trade-offs in decision-making. Do I blow my money on a Mustang, or save up for a Cayman? If you save your money, the opportunity cost is the Mustang. If you buy the Mustang, the opportunity cost is the larger sum of money that you'd have later on to spend on something else (in my case, a Cayman). Simple, right?

So I calculated my grade in my Database Management class. If I got a perfect grade on my homework (which never happens), I would have a 92.8% in that class. If I skip the homework assignment altogether, my grade will drop to 82.8%. Considering I'm sitting here, typing this blog post and listening to a mix of Hellogoodbye, Punchline, and Motion City Soundtrack, I'll just assume you know which of my options became the opportunity cost.