BlairBettsBlocksEverything Posted September 24, 2013 Share Posted September 24, 2013 So, anyone here have a Masters Degree? I'm considering going for my masters, its just tough because I have a full time job. A masters in Political Science takes 32 Credits here, so I could do it part time and get it in a reasonable time, except that they don't do summer classes. Has anyone had experience doing grad school and a full time job? is it doable? would you recommend it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fletch Posted September 24, 2013 Share Posted September 24, 2013 So, anyone here have a Masters Degree? I'm considering going for my masters, its just tough because I have a full time job. A masters in Political Science takes 32 Credits here, so I could do it part time and get it in a reasonable time, except that they don't do summer classes. Has anyone had experience doing grad school and a full time job? is it doable? would you recommend it? Master's in Ecology for me. Make sure you have a good advisor. Talk to other grad students (both his/her grad students and other grad students in the program). Make sure that the advisor has a good rep and has a good graduation rate. An asshole can make your life miserable and isn't worth it no matter how renown. Make sure you love the work/project. So much reading/lit review/writing. So many hoops to jump through, much easier for you to get through it if you love/value the work. I have friends who just didn't have the drive to finish their thesis or dissertation, because of the situation or they just didn't love/value the work enough. Grad school is one of the most selfish things you can do, so it can be hell on relationships (fair amount of divorces). Gotta be sure that significant others are on board and you carve out time to spend together. All that said, degree can be a good career boost, and you can get a lot of satisfaction from a well-executed Master's. So make sure you are going for the right reasons, and that you find the right program/advisor/situation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Morphinity 2.0 Posted September 24, 2013 Share Posted September 24, 2013 I am also debating whether to get my master's degree. At this point in time, I have no desire to go back to school. I'd be going back for all the wrong reasons. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keirik Posted September 24, 2013 Share Posted September 24, 2013 Masters in Biochem here. I don't use it though in my line of work lol. It was pretty rewarding though, but really did take up a large chunk of time. I found it infinitely more fun though than my undergrad in Biology just because once you are in grad school, they treat you like you belong instead of weeding you out like undergrad programs try to do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Niagaraiceman Posted September 24, 2013 Share Posted September 24, 2013 So, anyone here have a Masters Degree? I'm considering going for my masters, its just tough because I have a full time job. A masters in Political Science takes 32 Credits here, so I could do it part time and get it in a reasonable time, except that they don't do summer classes. Has anyone had experience doing grad school and a full time job? is it doable? would you recommend it? I completed my Masters in Education in 2007, while I was working full time at a hockey rink. Look for a program that caters to people who are employed full time, and try to get it done as quick as possible. In my case, I had 39 credits completed in 7 months, and then did my required student teaching the last 14 weeks. It is very doable, but you need to be able to effectively manage your time. I would imagine in your case, you would need to take night classes, as you most likely work during the day, My situation was reversed. The toughest part for me was doing the student teaching (which is full time, 40+ hours a week) and working my full time job at night. I would imagine any internship you are required to do could be covered by your day job (i'm guessing you are already in the business). What you need to ask yourself is: 1. How is this degree going to impact your future 2. Are you ok with pursuing it on a part time basis 3. If going on a full time basis, reflect on what type of student you are: Not to be insulting, but do you put things off until the last minute, can you work under tight time constraints, are you willing to sacrifice personal and social time? There is a lot more to consider, but these are some basics. I will say that getting my Masters the way I did, while working full time, was incredibly difficult, but it paid dividends in the end. Plus, you will find out what kind of worker you will be, because once you go back to a normal work load, chances are, you aren't going to know what to do with all the extra time Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jules Posted September 24, 2013 Share Posted September 24, 2013 I completed my MA just a few months ago and while I loved the experience and how it was often nothing like undergrad, it was obviously very time consuming. If it's part of a bigger plan that will aide your career and if you can (easily) afford it, I'd say go for it. My time in graduate school has been easily some of the best times I had as a student and I balanced it with a 20-hour per week job and while it was sometimes tough, the focus on essay writing and not on standard testing helped my planning. If you can manage the finances and time, do it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlairBettsBlocksEverything Posted September 24, 2013 Author Share Posted September 24, 2013 I havent decided if its worth it. My job right now is with the state government, so when there isn't a legislative session going on, there isnt really do much to do. I could honestly probably work on school work while at work and they would be ok with it. So maybe I'd strictly do Fall classes and take springs off, I don't know though. The program up here at Albany doesn't do summer classes for political science for some reason. I'm also thinking that I could use it as a springboard to get into more legislative type jobs, like as a policy analyst or something more "on the inside" of it all. On the other hand, I just started this job and maybe I should make sure I'm doing well enough here before I devote time and energy to something that isn't really guaranteed to do much of anything for me, especially since it is only political science Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Morphinity 2.0 Posted September 24, 2013 Share Posted September 24, 2013 Let's be honest, when does the government ever actually do work? ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlairBettsBlocksEverything Posted September 24, 2013 Author Share Posted September 24, 2013 lol zing. I've interned in government related positions before (in two different legislative offices and a lobbying firm) and when they are in session, people can expect to work until 10:00 at night routinely. When they aren't, you can expect to sit around and post on Forums related to, but not exclusively dealing with your favorite hockey team Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fuhgeddaboudit Posted September 24, 2013 Share Posted September 24, 2013 I'm also thinking about it since I'll be graduating next semester and my job is going to pay for master school. But I am not sure if I want to master in accountancy or management. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patrick Bateman Posted September 24, 2013 Share Posted September 24, 2013 Talk with a senior level employee and see if it would be something that would be useful for your advancement Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
josh Posted September 24, 2013 Share Posted September 24, 2013 Why Political Science? I'd think a Master in Economics, US History, etc etc would elevate you above colleagues. Also, ever think about getting a joint MA/JD degree? Does your employer offer tuition reimbursement? Check with admissions at Albany. Perhaps you can take online and/or summer classes elsewhere that they recognize. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlairBettsBlocksEverything Posted September 24, 2013 Author Share Posted September 24, 2013 Well US History vs. Poli Sci is pretty similar. I think an MA in Poli Sci would be more geared to what I'm trying to do. JD, never. I was the only poli sci major that knew he didnt want to go to law school lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
josh Posted September 24, 2013 Share Posted September 24, 2013 The problem with an undergrad and Masters in Poli Sci is you have 1 option for your career. And I would not recommend being Full-time Student with a Full-time Job. 1 has to be part-time Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Morphinity 2.0 Posted September 24, 2013 Share Posted September 24, 2013 What is part-time student for grad school? 1 or 2 classes per semester? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlairBettsBlocksEverything Posted September 24, 2013 Author Share Posted September 24, 2013 The problem with an undergrad and Masters in Poli Sci is you have 1 option for your career. And I would not recommend being Full-time Student with a Full-time Job. 1 has to be part-time Yea I would only do school part time What is part-time student for grad school? 1 or 2 classes per semester? the poli sci MA is only 8 total classes, so I was considering doing 3 (fulltime) when my work schedule isn't packed, and 1 maybe during spring semesters when I have more work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Morphinity 2.0 Posted September 24, 2013 Share Posted September 24, 2013 Wow, you get 4 credits per class? Craziness. I don't know. It sounds pretty doable to me in your case. It doesn't seem like you're in a very serious relationship or have any major responsibilities (dog, kid, etc.). The idea that you can split up the course load based on the amount of work you have to do is pretty good too. If you're going to get the degree, now would be the time to do it since you don't have to deal with any of the stuff I mentioned above. Though I would agree with everyone else and say at least explore other master's degrees and see how they might help you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlairBettsBlocksEverything Posted September 24, 2013 Author Share Posted September 24, 2013 Wow, you get 4 credits per class? Craziness. I don't know. It sounds pretty doable to me in your case. It doesn't seem like you're in a very serious relationship or have any major responsibilities (dog, kid, etc.). The idea that you can split up the course load based on the amount of work you have to do is pretty good too. If you're going to get the degree, now would be the time to do it since you don't have to deal with any of the stuff I mentioned above. Though I would agree with everyone else and say at least explore other master's degrees and see how they might help you. been with the same girl for 4 years lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Morphinity 2.0 Posted September 24, 2013 Share Posted September 24, 2013 been with the same girl for 4 years lol Ah, okay, I'm in the same boat then and that's why I have apprehensions about doing it. Especially since I'm trying to get her to move in with me. Would be a bit of a dick move to get her to move in, and then start grad school. Work all day, class until late, then homework. No time for connect time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twentyseven Posted September 25, 2013 Share Posted September 25, 2013 Masters in Secondary Math Education, was actually the keynote speaker for my class as well. Probably will go back for a 2nd Masters soon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fuhgeddaboudit Posted October 25, 2013 Share Posted October 25, 2013 Eh, I need some serious advice. I'm almost graduating Baruch College with a 3.12 unfortunately. But I have been working part-time for 4 years of my college experience. Problem is I've hated both of the majors that I went into. So I'm a little lost because I have a good feeling I should really go back to school, but I still have no idea what I want to do. I got my best grades in marketing courses, or Information system studies Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patrick Bateman Posted October 25, 2013 Share Posted October 25, 2013 I haven't been asked my GPA yet. I would try to work a few years and see what happens from there Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fuhgeddaboudit Posted October 25, 2013 Share Posted October 25, 2013 I haven't been asked my GPA yet. I would try to work a few years and see what happens from there Yeah, I think I'm in senior mode and I'm getting worried if I will like what I do and stuff. I just want to graduate and be happy in the field I'm in, but I'm worried that I'll never really fall in love with it. I'm only doing minor stuff here so maybe a few more responsibilities will make me happier. I'm worried that it'll get to a point where it's a little too late to explore other options. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Morphinity 2.0 Posted October 25, 2013 Share Posted October 25, 2013 You keep saying what you got your best grades in, but what did you really enjoy? You probably got your best grades in those courses either because they were easy, or they were difficult but you put in a ton of work to do well. Did you enjoy the work you put in? Did you find yourself not really minding doing the work? Were you actually engaged/interested by these courses? And it's never too late to explore other options. If you have a job after graduating, and are worried about being cornered into potentially doing something else later on, just take the job and get some experience. It's not likely your first job or even your second job will be what you end up doing forever. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fuhgeddaboudit Posted October 26, 2013 Share Posted October 26, 2013 I was good at the marketing courses because it came easy to me. I wasn't sure what the grade distributions were for each course but to me, they were easy. I put work in but it wasn't intense work. Not like finance right now which is a lot of work because I'm so lost most of the time. Oh everything is so confusing right now. I'm good at talking and thinking of some new ideas around things but I suck with numbers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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