at0m goes back to school?

[at0m]

Been thinking about Graduate school since before I graduated. Thinking now that I should just bite the bullet and do it. My undergrad grades were shit (< 3.0), but hopefully a decent GRE + 3 years of field experience will help.

Was considering Purdue's Distance Learning program for a MSEE in Automated Controls, but despite contacting two of my favorite professors I can't get any information beyond what's available on the website and they send me via snail mail advertising it. It'd probably be a good fit if I can get in, but it'd be expensive.

UMD has a 'Professional Masters of Engineering', but they only offer programs in Computer Engineering (bullshit), Signal Processing (not applicable), and Reliability Engineering (primarily Mechanical, and therefore both bullshit and not applicable). It's also an EnPM or a M.Eng. instead of an M.S.E., so no PhD option afterwards at all, which is somewhat of a prerequisite for me. R&D has been more my goal since before starting college, and although its doubtful I'll ever end up doing it, I want to keep the option open or I'll be kicking myself in 20 years.

TLDR: anyone take the GRE and have any advice on studying for it?

[Surf314]

Going back to school turned out to be great for me. I hope it is great for you too. AlsoI know you are probably not interested but since you have an engineering background you can be a patent lawyer. I think those do pretty well for themselves and are rare enough (rare to have the prerequisite math/science background and go to law school) to be in decent demand.

But best of luck on the GRE. I've never taken it but if it's anything like the LSAT you might want to take a course for the peace of mind. I just bought a book from a bookstore and went into the exam sweating bullets. But if you don't learn that way I think the best way is just studying old exams if they are available.

[at0m]

Thing is, its not so much that I want to change my career path as become an expert in the one I'm in. The degree would be as much for me personally (I did it!) as it would be for any potential career growth.

[Surf314]

Thing is, its not so much that I want to change my career path as become an expert in the one I'm in. The degree would be as much for me personally (I did it!) as it would be for any potential career growth.

I was just pointing it out because I wish I had an engineering degree so I could do all the cool patent stuff (lucky bastards).

[Dtrain323i]

Thing is, its not so much that I want to change my career path as become an expert in the one I'm in. The degree would be as much for me personally (I did it!) as it would be for any potential career growth.

Talk to your employer and see if they would either split the cost with you or even pay for it. Thats what both my mom and my wife have done for their master's degrees. They both now "owe" their respective employers a few years of service after they graduate that probably isn't an issue.

[at0m]

[quote author=at0m link=topic=5858.msg218964#msg218964 date=1313375129]
Thing is, its not so much that I want to change my career path as become an expert in the one I'm in. The degree would be as much for me personally (I did it!) as it would be for any potential career growth.

Talk to your employer and see if they would either split the cost with you or even pay for it. Thats what both my mom and my wife have done for their master's degrees. They both now "owe" their respective employers a few years of service after they graduate that probably isn't an issue.
[/quote]My old employer claimed to have a program like that when I was hired, but when I tried to take advantage of it, they said they weren't accepting new people into it. Despite the fact that the fucking useless office manager was getting them to pay for her to get an undergrad degree.

New employer, I asked when I was hired and they said they did not have a similar program. I have a contact in HR though so I can ask her if there's any sort of compensation program at all (or if I'll end up with a raise after).

[Sogo]

In my opinion, you should definitely go back to school at0m, If you've got the money and time, there's really no argument against it. Sadly this is a luxury I don't have at the moment, and I feel like I'm gonna regret it if I don't at least try and save up so I can get tome secondary education later on, but at least I've got applications at a few good places.

[Ianki]

In my opinion, you should definitely go back to school at0m, If you've got the money and time, there's really no argument against it. Sadly this is a luxury I don't have at the moment, and I feel like I'm gonna regret it if I don't at least try and save up so I can get tome secondary education later on, but at least I've got applications at a few good places.

As someone with a masters degree who can't find a job to save his life (literally) my painfully pragmatic advice is to not go for post graduate education unless you can guarantee that it will lead to either a better career or at least a career you will be happier in.  The job market is so bad right now, that risking two to seven years for a post graduate degree when you have a well paying job that doesn't fuck your soul towards suicide is something you need to consider.

The smartest man i know (smarter than anyone i knew in graduate school) is a man who left his 4.0 math major at harvey mudd to enter the work force 2 years earlier because he "doesn't need a reason to educate myself, or a degree to prove myself", and used those extra years to get a job he loves and the promotions he deserves despit his lack of "education".

I personally wish i could be in school for the rest of my life, but i would settle for a job right about now.

/drunkthread xpost

<3

[Ianki]

That being said, the GREs are a breeze.  The language portions are much more intense than the SATs, but the math portions are considerably easier.  I scored very high on the GREs but by picking up a few books, studying the question formats, studying the vocab list over and over again, and brushing up on forgotten math skills (it's amazing how much geometry you forget after a number of advanced math classes).  With proper studying it shouldn't be a problem, and you can take it again and again.  It does get costly to send those scores to schools though, so go in with a list of schools you have in mind (the first five or whatever are included in the test cost).

Also, at least when i took it, it's a computer test and the test tries to scale on the fly, so each question you get wrong sends you down a level so you need to get as many questions in a row correct as possible to get a good score.

[Dtrain323i]

[quote author=Dtrain323i link=topic=5858.msg218969#msg218969 date=1313377495]
[quote author=at0m link=topic=5858.msg218964#msg218964 date=1313375129]
Thing is, its not so much that I want to change my career path as become an expert in the one I'm in. The degree would be as much for me personally (I did it!) as it would be for any potential career growth.

Talk to your employer and see if they would either split the cost with you or even pay for it. Thats what both my mom and my wife have done for their master's degrees. They both now "owe" their respective employers a few years of service after they graduate that probably isn't an issue.
[/quote]My old employer claimed to have a program like that when I was hired, but when I tried to take advantage of it, they said they weren't accepting new people into it. Despite the fact that the fucking useless office manager was getting them to pay for her to get an undergrad degree.

New employer, I asked when I was hired and they said they did not have a similar program. I have a contact in HR though so I can ask her if there's any sort of compensation program at all (or if I'll end up with a raise after).
[/quote]


yeah thats the other kick in the pants. My wife's masters degree will only net her a 4% increase. She'll actually have to move to a separate position to get a decent pay raise. (she's a teacher now but she wants to become a sped coordinator. Basically means she helps develop the curriculum for all the Behavioral Disorder kids she teaches now)

[at0m]

Was planning on doing it while I kept working fulltime. I can't afford to take time off of work, but I have flexible hours when I'm in the office so it shouldn't be tough to manage even if I have to attend a class or two.

And yes, lack of a raise would suck, but like I said I'm doing it for myself as much or more than I'm doing it for my employer. If they don't want to give me a raise for it, and I find someone who does later on, then it's down to them to figure out how to keep me. I made clear before I was hired that I intended to continue my education whether they paid for it or not.

[CaffeinePowered]

From my own experiences

- GRE / GMAT are easy tests, very easy, just pick up a Kaplan study book, do a few practice exams, and you should be fine

- Id wait a year or two and try to get into a really good school for whatever degree you're looking to get. Do your research now and find out what school is best for it

- In this job market, its not cost-effective for an employer to pay for your school. If they need someone with the quals, there's likely plenty of unemployed people with them. On top of that you'd start a long arduous work 40 hours + night/weekend classes, and likely not at the place you'd want to get your masters from either.


If you really want to go for it...

- Pay off your undergrad debt in full
- Build a decent reserve of ~1-1.5 years worth of tuition + living expenses
- Apply, get accepted, and then quit your job and go to school full time, make sure the program you apply to allows you to TA, which should take care of at least part of your tuition.


Thus far, it has not paid off for me and the debt burden I incurred forced me to put my life and career on pause until I paid down all of the debt. I'll finally be done in another 12 - 14 months, and Im moving out next spring, once the debt is paid off if I'm not in the job I want to be I'll start looking more seriously and this time I'll be able to say honestly "I can move anywhere".