So who went to grad school?

[Slateman]

Have a GI Bill, figure I need to use it.

Problem is that I don't know what to study. Has anyone ever gone to grad school for something they really weren't interested in? How was that?

I currently work in emergency management. I conduct exercises (called HSEEP exercises). Generally speaking, I enjoy this job. It's annoying to read after action stuff from three years ago and realize no one has changed anything, but I enjoy the people I work with and it's fun to get in to the nuts and bolts of a response and see how it can be fixed/improved. This is similar to what I did in the Marine Corps, working in operations centers. While most places have the ICS stuff down, the higher level interactions are usually a problem.

From what I can tell, and what everyone has told me, a masters in Emergency management isn't the best idea. Mainly because everything they teach becomes outdated within 6 months of the class. Since I've been doing this job, there have been two different Presidential Directives and at least one revision to the HSEEP process. One of the guys I work with has been doing this in one form or another since before 9/11 and says that since then, it seems to change all the time.

Which leads me to a fallback of getting an MBA. Always seems to be the top of the list for some reason. My alma mater, George Mason University, offers both an online option and inclass/part time options. They have an executive MBA and a National Defense Executive MBA. Not really sure what the difference is.

The problem, at least from my end, is I'm pretty sure I'm going to hate it. I hated undergrad. I hated high school. I hated all the schools I went to in the Marine Corps (except the DM course, which was fun, but naturally those ****ers can't find the paperwork). Has anyone been in this boat before?

 

EDIT - have bachelors degrees. BAs in History and Psychology.

 

 

BTW, if anyone works in the DMV area (or in Virginia in general) in the EM field, send me a PM and I'll send you my resume. Always looking for another job.

[balki1867]

I have multiple master's degrees (sad to say), but I will vouch for the MBA.  I had a ton of classmates who made the move from the military to business school and it seems like the right transition into civilian life.  Business school is also a little bit more practical than a lot of undergraduate majors -- you'll spend a lot more time on case studies and writing business plans than you will getting deeply versed in accounting rules or financial formulas.

 

Plus if someone else is paying for it, you're not loading yourself up with student debt.  Business schools also love ex-military students.  They are probably the most suited to go straight into jobs where they'd manage lots of people directly, which is not where most B-school graduates end up immediately.

[Elessar78]

Since you're getting a "freebie" and all you have to invest is your time, I'd study something I'm really interested in. When I consider the cost of furthering my education and paying for it myself I'm always stuck considering the ROI. 

 

If you want something related to your field, consider something like Systems Engineering/Management or Information management—instead of dealing specifically with protocols, how can you design better protocols for a rapidly evolving landscape and rapidly changing objectives. 

 

There's no perfect answer and as long as you just take advantage of this benefit of your service. 

[Corcaigh]

If you choose the MBA, try to pick a course where you can apply it to your current employment, and see if you can get buy-in from senior management too - your project work can turn out to be free management consulting for them.

 

You will also find the course work a lot more interesting if you can apply it to the real world with real data, rather than artificial case studies. You will not only likely have access to real data (good and bad), but be more motivated to apply it and do better work.

 

If you end up writing say, a marketing plan, or strategic analysis, and produce work of value to your employer, they may view you very differently in terms of your career progression.

[China]

Have a GI Bill, figure I need to use it.

Problem is that I don't know what to study. Has anyone ever gone to grad school for something they really weren't interested in? How was that?

 

I was working in a lab and one of my responsibilities was being on the hazmat team for our company (we had our own because no local fire department wants to come in and mess around in a lab growing live HIV).  I found it interesting so I decided to get a Masters in Environmental Science from JH.  I wasn't able to get a job related to my degree, but having a Masters on my resume was definitely helpful in getting a higher level position.

 

Taking classes you're not really interested in could be a problem, as your work could suffer if you're not sufficiently motivated.

[Pick6]

I just finished my MBA at GW going part-time at night. A lot of military guys in the program. It seems to be a good fit and you get a look at a lot of different subjects. It is not as singluar focused like other grad programs. I would recommend going part-time and not doing classes online. A major point of a MBA is to work in teams on case studies and real-life problem solving.

[DallasCowboyFan156]

I'm in grad school right now and I think it has to be something you are interested in. You're going to be spending a lot of time with your subject material. It's really going to be your life if you are a full time student. If you go for something you hate I get the feeling you may burn out.

[nonniey]

Have a GI Bill, figure I need to use it.

.

Why didn't you transfer it to your kids?

[Slateman]

Why didn't you transfer it to your kids?

I don't have any kids. And there is a certain amount of time you have to do. I did not meet that requirement. One of the reasons I want to get my masters is to make enough money to get them a college fund.

 

Now, for an MBA, is it better to take the GRE or GMAT? I haven't been to college since 2006. I'm not sure I could pull a Masters of Science in anything, simply because of the lack of science/math in my undergrad work.

[Pick6]

I don't have any kids. And there is a certain amount of time you have to do. I did not meet that requirement. One of the reasons I want to get my masters is to make enough money to get them a college fund.

 

Now, for an MBA, is it better to take the GRE or GMAT? I haven't been to college since 2006. I'm not sure I could pull a Masters of Science in anything, simply because of the lack of science/math in my undergrad work.

 

MBA is GMAT. Most MBA programs won't take GRE scores as the test doesn't meet the requirements like a GMAT does.

[Dont Taze Me Bro]

MBA is GMAT. Most MBA programs won't take GRE scores as the test doesn't meet the requirements like a GMAT does.

This.  There are some universities that don't require a GMAT, just choose wisely, you want the degree from a credited school with a good reputation.  

[chipwhich]

I would love to know what people who got an MBA got them in salary.

What's it pay to get an MBA?

[Corcaigh]

I would love to know what people who got an MBA got them in salary.

What's it pay to get an MBA?

Speaking about my peers .. Six of us in our late 20s in business consulting roles; two did MBAs (paid for by the company incidentally), both hold executive positions with equity stakes. The other four are now either independent consultants or director/senior management level but not at the top their organizations.

Others who were more senior at the time have not progressed to executive level.

Over the course of a career it would be very conservative to associate a value of less than $1M to such a difference.

[chipwhich]

Speaking about my peers .. Six of us in our late 20s in business consulting roles; two did MBAs (paid for by the company incidentally), both hold executive positions with equity stakes. The other four are now either independent consultants or director/senior management level but not at the top their organizations.

Others who were more senior at the time have not progressed to executive level.

Over the course of a career it would be very conservative to associate a value of less than $1M to such a difference.

 

So you think an MBA provided more opportunity and money?

[Corcaigh]

So you think an MBA provided more opportunity and money?

In the right employment circumstances with a good MBA, absolutely.

In many businesses senior management are very haphazard in their approach to strategic analysis, marketing, and other disciplines because they are difficult areas to learn on the job through experience.

But if you aren't in a role where people will value your ability to understand strategy and present insights that impress them (and reward you for it) maybe less so. :-)

[chipwhich]

In many businesses senior management are very haphazard in their approach to strategic analysis, marketing, and other disciplines because they are difficult areas to learn on the job through experience.

But if you aren't in a role where people will value your ability to understand strategy and present insights that impress them (and reward you for it) maybe less so. :-)

 

So you can't just get a degree in any MBA program?

 

From my experience employees as well as senior management struggle with strategy

[elkabong82]

I finished grad school back in May. You have to want it. If you are committed and want it, you'll actually do better than in undergrad since you've been through it all before. If you're going just to go and don't really care then the odds are already against you. 

 

Best bet is if you go, merge a field you have genuine interest in with a career you really want.

[chipwhich]

Best bet is if you go, merge a field you have genuine interest in with a career you really want.

 

So did it get you more money?  A great salary?

[Special K]

I went to grad school for a Master's in Public Health.  In addition to that, I got a certificate in Emergency Preparedness and Response.  I've found that in emergency management (I work for FEMA and was team lead for the CDC-funded SNS team in one of the CO regions), experience and internal contacts in the field take you way farther than a degree or certificate in the field.  However, that does not mean a master's in EM is useless.

 

My MPH, and I'm sure most any Master's program, was a lot of hard work and dedication.  There were a couple times in the 1st year that I came close to dropping out (for stupid ass reasons like "missing" my long distance boyfriend, good Lord, facepalm).  Had I not loved the subject I was studying, I don't think I would have persevered through my program and earned my degree.  Moral of the story:  I wouldn't recommend starting a Masters in something you are "pretty sure you're going to hate."  You're stacking the deck against yourself before you even start.  IMO, if you have the GI bill and you like Emergency Management, pursue emergency management.  There is a ton of networking to be done in graduate school and you'll very likely develop contacts who would recommend you for different openings, especially when they see you love what you're doing.  If you start your MBA and hate it, it's going to become very evident very quickly and while you're going to come away with a degree, you'll also come away with a bad experience, minimal knowledge that you actually retain, and lackluster recommendations from professors who'll be able to quickly determine you're heart's not in it. 

[elkabong82]

So did it get you more money?  A great salary?

 

I'm a teacher so yes a bit more money, but no, not a great salary, lol. I do plan to start on an Ed.D. part-time next year and that career path will eventually lead to a very good salary.

[ixcuincle]

I did however I did not take the GRE as taking the GRE is one of my biggest fears on this entire earth. 

[Slateman]

This.  There are some universities that don't require a GMAT, just choose wisely, you want the degree from a credited school with a good reputation.  

In all honesty, I can't really be that picky.

 

I hated undergrad. I just felt like I was wasting my time. My GPA is pretty low. I'm going to have to do very well on the GMAT in order to get in. Even then, I'll probably be throwing myself at the mercy of the court in letters . . .

[JamesMadisonSkins]

Working in emergency management ... if that's something you enjoy (it's certainly a career that will be long-lasting) ... go get your MPA from a top EM school. I know Mason has a renowned MPA program but not sure what their curriculum is like re: emergency management.

 

I got my MPA from JMU ... but my specialty was more general (fed/local govt. management) ... but they did teach a couple EM courses so you could tailor your plan to include that specialty. Some MPA programs are heavy on textbooks, mine happened to be heavy on field study/projects. 

I did however I did not take the GRE as taking the GRE is one of my biggest fears on this entire earth. 

I honestly didn't really prep for the GREs and got a really high score. It's been a while since I took the SATs so it's hard to compare, but the GRE was hardly anything worthy of being the "biggest fear on earth" haha

[SuperBash]

I'm going for a Masters in I/O Psych right now. First semester in, it's not as bad as I thought. I've got my last final today but I'm still working on a project for the State Highway Administration (MD) in one of my classes. Guess I gotta take an incomplete as a grade for now.

 

I will say, good god the GRE sucked. I only put a few weeks worth a studying in, which wasn't too smart on my end. But, my scores were good enough to get into school. It is amazing how quickly I became poor, though. Thankfully, I never went into school loans for my undergrads. I think I'll be about 20-25 k in school loans when I graduate which isn't too bad for 7-8 years of higher learning. But, living in a foreclosed home with a few other people helps out with my financial situation!

[JamesMadisonSkins]

I'm going for a Masters in I/O Psych right now. First semester in, it's not as bad as I thought. I've got my last final today but I'm still working on a project for the State Highway Administration (MD) in one of my classes. Guess I gotta take an incomplete as a grade for now.

 

I will say, good god the GRE sucked. I only put a few weeks worth a studying in, which wasn't too smart on my end. But, my scores were good enough to get into school. It is amazing how quickly I became poor, though. Thankfully, I never went into school loans for my undergrads. I think I'll be about 20-25 k in school loans when I graduate which isn't too bad for 7-8 years of higher learning. But, living in a foreclosed home with a few other people helps out with my financial situation!

Two words: Graduate Assistance-ship

 

I did one ... made out pretty well. Had no debt from undergrad and used summer jobs to fund what the stipend for grad school didn't cover. Did borrow some money from my parents when I did an unpaid summer internship (it paid for the credits, so it had compensation), but lucked out in that I currently owe nothing and have a masters.