Graduate School and how I may have made a huge mistake

(king of the hill voice)

Yep.


the field your are trying to get into grad school is a business degree at most schools.

MIS i believe.

you should take the gmat once after spring break, and then if you didnt do so well, take it in the summer. schools will tend to look at the most recent score.

 

This is not what you want, but Public Administration usually requires GRE instead of GMAT, and Public Administration has the information technology degree too. Public Administration practically is the equivalent of Business Administration (The only difference being profit econ versus public value econ). So you could start out in Public Admin for a semester and then switch over to a technical Business Admin program. But it sounds like you want an Information Technology degree with a side order of Business.

UT is big on Public Administration I think, as is Syracuse (#1), Kansas, and a few others like American U.

 

Actually, if you want to learn the technical stuff, dont get your masters for it. I hire developers all the time and the masters means next to nothing. I would much prefer 2 years of experience in a workplace then a candidate with more book knowledge. You can learn so much more then what they teach you in college by picking up a technical book and reading it (and save some money too). What specifically are you looking to get out of a masters degree that you dont think you can get at a job?

 

Great points...I agree to a point though. I graduated with a degree in Business (Management) and that got me absolutely nowhere. General degree and no experience equals retail management....blah. So I decided I would take a C class at San Jac (in 97) and ran into a guy who hooked me up with my current job (systems admin and now C++ programmer). I've been attending school, at my leisure, working towards a second bachelors in Computer Information Systems at UHCL...and I can attest that getting a bachelors in a computer field is probably more valuable that a masters if you want to actually learn something technical. The undergrad classes focus more on hand-on and would help give the experience you'll need to get hired...a masters, on the other hand, is focused more on theory.

I would half agree that just buying a book and studying it and practicing the theory would be just as good and effective, but when all is said and done, you still wouldn't have a degree. The degree is nice in the sense that it sells you as someone who starts something and sticks with it.

Good luck in whatever you do!!!

 

Funny, I'm the opposite. I am graduating this spring w/ a BS Information System Technology from UH-college of technology and thinking about going for my MBA next fall.

I have technical skills but want to get into management.

 

I totally agree about the experience. If you are going techinical, then you dont need any of that crap. I promise you that my high school diploma and experience will get me hired over anyone with a masters degree and little experience. Its all in how your resume looks and how you interview. I can interview out my ass and never get turned down for a job. Ever. Learn to negotiate as well. Thats where you make your money.

 

I disagree about the not needing the degree for technical jobs thing.

It used to be like that in the IT job glut up til the late 90's

Now the job market is much tighter. Many companies (ecspescially consulting companies) won't even look at you if you don't have at least a Bachelors degree. Other companies will hire you (even without a good resume) if you have a Master's degree.
So they can say all their employees have masters degrees.

In this day of corporate mergers and out-sourcing at 40 yrs of age I am finding myself taking classes to finish my bachelors degree.

 

oh yeah, well i'm in grad school and just asked out a girl i had been getting to know real well in my classes but she turned me down b/c it turns out she has a freakin' boyfriend overseas who is studying abroad for one semester.

so F her*, F him, and F the guy who said she didn't have a boyfriend.

see, graduate school sucks. don't go.














*actually, i still like her, but i'm going to friggin' kill her the next time we play tennis, none of this sportsmanship **** this time

 

No offense but your age hurts you more than anything. I have consulting firms calling me every week from all over the US.

 

I agree -- but you will be 40 someday.

I also have worked myself into a salary range that I don't want to give up. The longer you work and the more you make the more it matters.

All I was saying is that for some companies the degree does make a difference.

 

Thats funny.

 

Cesar,

While I'm sure there are companies out there that look for advanced degrees, I just don't think there's any massive demand for it like in the business fields where everyone and their mother has an MBA.

From dealing with recruiters and interviewing others for positions, the last thing companies seem to look at is advanced degrees. The first thing they look at is experience related to what they do. That more than anything gets you in the door.

I'm not saying you're wrong, I just haven't seen what you're saying.