Free MSIT

I have the opportunity to get a free Master's degree paid for by my employer. So what's the problem?

The opportunity cost of working on another degree is my problem. Any degree outside of an MBA or IT master's (would have to be 2nd tier...I really don't feel like taking the GMAT and my undergrad GPA sucked plus there is a cap on the $ from my employer) would have to be paid for by myself.

Given the state of IT in the US, I'm afraid to spend the next two years slaving for this degree when I could use it to work on another career, (although I would find the subject matter tons more interesting than anything else besides things my BA doesn't qualify me for at the master's level anyway).

So. What would you do? I am in my upper 30's, no kids, but I do have a significant other, so I'm not entirely free to blow money or waste time.

Another option is buying myself second language fluency via study and pseudo immersion in a local program (French, or Spanish, or Chinese). I have mentioned in earlier posts things like Juris Doctorate, MS Psychology. Still don't know, but at least I need to include or eliminate the MSIT option.

Thanks for any advice.

P.S. MSCS v. MSIT --> I am missing 4 or 5 prerequisites for the MSCS, so I don't think I'm going to try the MSCS.

 

If your employer will pay for it, why not get the MBA? It's more of a generalist degree than an MSIT, and may actually help instead of hurt if you decide to change careers.

If you do decide to go the MBA route, take the GMAT for Pete's sake. It's not that bad. A week with the Official Guide or PowerPrep software, and maybe another prep book, and you're pretty much guaranteed a 550+. Getting into and earning an MBA from a quality DL program that is RA will be a better use of your employer's money than some NA or unaccredited program that you had to settle for because you didn't want to take the GMAT.

Just my two cents...

 

I don't have a concrete reason...I just don't think a second-tier MBA is going to be useful to me.

From all I've read about MBA's, unless you go to a really good school or the degree is required for a promotion at your current employer, the MBA is all but useless resume decoration. ?

 

I became a middle manager without an MBA; plenty of CEOs got there without MBAs as well. I still think it's a useful degree, which is why I am planning to get one myself using my company's tuition reimbursement (like your policy, it covers a fixed amount per year but not the entire degree).

Your perception of MBAs as useless is true but only in the following situation. If someone graduates from college, then goes straight to business grad school and gets an MBA from a non-top-10 college, then starts applying for managerial positions at the age of 24, I think they might as well have not gotten an MBA at all. Companies would simply not desire applicants without real-world experience. However, that MBA would probably help them get a job in a specialized non-managerial position (for example, financial analysis).

For someone who has been out in the workforce for a long time the situation is totally different. With any legitimate MBA degree (or other specialized Master's degree), you can go to your company or another company and argue that getting that degree WHILE YOU WERE STILL WORKING shows a huge amount of dedication and resourcefulness; also, what you learned in school related to and reinforced your extensive workforce experience. Companies will be receptive to that line of argument.

If you are absolutely dead set on staying in IT then you should get the MSIT or MIS, but an MBA is more flexible. Also, the GMAT is really not that bad. You can just study for it, in the same way you will be studying for classes once you get into a program.

 

Thank you for the thoughtful response.

I am thinking about what you've said. I took a few MBA courses at a brick and mortar in finance and accounting last year, and after four courses, I have to decide to take their MSIT track or MBA track.

Since the degree has to be related to my line of work, these are my only options if I am to receive tuition reimbursement.

I suppose I could finish one degree and then move on to the other, and then have two degrees, since some of the courses overlap.

I'm torn between what I like, what is career practical, and price tag.

I have two years....what will I do with them? Learn stuff I already know and don't enjoy just for the piece of paper, or learn something new and exciting that may turn out not to be career enhancing...

I suppose it is a coin flip situation.

In two years will I be out looking for a job...and if so, what will be marketable? A no-name MBA? A no-name MSIT? A specific master's in another field I enjoy, fluency in a foreign language?

These are all things I want to do eventually.

Perhaps that should be the approach, one step at a time.

Finish the MBA, then the MSIT, then study a foreign language, then move on to a master's in another field I pick that I love.

edit: that last paragraph means 3 master's degrees. Shouldn't I be working on the prerequisites for an advanced degree/PhD by then?

I'm so tired of spinning my head trying to decide.

 

As someone who has been a hiring manager for many years (Fortune 100) let me describe what generally goes through the minds of my peers and I :

- Any advanced degree helps. Direct experience will always trump but advanced degrees are NEVER a shortcoming.

- As the position becomes more lucrative, it will be more competitive. Sometimes the only differentiator is an advanced degree.

- Forget resume building for a moment. Don't underestimate the indirect effects. E.g. Your advanced education improves your skill sets; hard and soft. Someone who is fluent in NATing and financial accounting is a rare bird. Particularly if he can hold an intelligent conversation on both topics.

- Unless you plan on learning Mandarin, I can't see the value of learning a new language (enrichment aside). I'm fluent in 3 languages (including English) and its never been a factor. Nor have I ever differentiated a candidate based on language.

I come across alot of discussion on the death of the I.T. industry. I don't buy the hype. I'm still hiring like crazy. If your are in a call-center, are a programmer, or some other commodity function, then you've got problems.

But I.T. has become so woven into the performance anatomy of business, I don't think its dying - just evolving. So my vote is on the MBA. You already know the language or technology. Now learn the language of business.

You can't get anymore marketable than that.

 

What is it that you really want to do? The only requirement is that it has to be related to your job?

That's pretty vague. I'm sure with good reasoning, you can convince them to let you do what you want.

 

What would satisfy me is a CHEAP school where I can study psychology and neuroscience in the evenings and figure out ways to apply that knowledge to artificial intelligence (without having to go back to undergrad and take ridiculous math courses that I can self-study!) and invent my own products. I have no idea how to accomplish this.


Practical, run-of-the-mill life => humdrum MBA, work until I'm gray, retire.

Exciting, fun life => invent my own AI hardware/software product, patent it, sell it, do it again.

But I have no way to study neuroscience unless I drop my full time job. Interesting stuff isn't done in evening courses or online.

UNISA is the only place that has a good variety of science courses.

But every time I get ready to fax the application, that part of me that thinks like Dool, practical, real life, makes me want to go back to the MBA route and just be like everybody else and quit dreaming.

Frustrated.

 

Dool...I'm a programmer, but I have superb communication skills so the gray hairs I work with like to keep me around.
I often give talks on technology to the users and I have been told I am fun to listen to and understandable.

Your advice is sound. But I'm concerned that I'm giving in to social pressure to conform rather than live up to my (imaginary?) potential.

If I go the MBA route and try to excel that way, I don't see myself taking other risks that are necessary to do more than just be a worker bee.

I agree the MBA is a stepping stone and a big plus for any wannabe entrepreneur.

But couldn't I be spending that time working on "the next big thing"? In other words, all my blabbering and my initial post is really about taking my company up on that free Master's or going my own way and taking a chance by studying something scientific that will help me become the inventor I want to be.

Pondering.

 

Oh okay...for a minute there I thought you were trying to do something difficult. (ha ha)

I'm not to familiar with the fields of psychology or AI, but I do know that there is nothing more tedious to be studying something that you really don't care about. It's even worse to finish and then think back about what you "should" have done.

I also wouldn't worry about going to a "no-name" school. Pick a school because they offer what you want, because you like the faculty, and what you can learn. 90% of all universities are not in the top 10%. Sure, a big name school might help you get past some HR people, or work for a big famous company, but it doesn't sound to me like you want to do that anyway. One just has to watch an episode of "The Apprentice" to see how [smart/brilliant/a good leader] a Harvard or Wharton MBA will make you. It may get you on the show, but in the end, you have to produce.

I don't entirely agree with this. An MBA helps. I have one myself from one of the best schools in the world (grin). The MBA is a good generalist degree that does what it is designed to do: Take someone who is working in his/her field and help them become a better manager within that field. To be a true entrepreneur you need specialized knowledge, whether it be in neuroscience or plumbing. In fact one of the first lectures at EBS our OB professor (a psychologist by the way) told us "there are only 2 ways you will ever be successful, either (1) be the charismatic leader that everyone loves, or (2) be a specialist in something."

That being said I don't think getting an MBA would make you any better off than getting a MS in Psychology. In fact, you might be better without it. The Academy of Management seems to suggest so. (see http://www.aomonline.org/Publications/Articles/BSchools.asp)

Most of the classes taught in B-Schools about motivation, leadership, organizational change, influence, negotiation, consumer behavior, etc, are not taught by generalists with MBAs, or DBAs. They are taught by people with MSs and PhDs in Psychology (or something related). So even if you do decide to stay in your field to climb the ladder, a MS or MA in something other than an MBA will still benefit you. (well maybe not in aromatherapy or taxidermy, but psychology, sociology, economics, all would benefit you.) But by all means, do the degree because it is what you want to do, not because you feel you have to do it.

I really recommend reading the book "What color is your parachute?" It has excellent advice for people who want to take the things they are interested in and turning it into a career, even without having to go back to school to get another degree. One guy was a carpenter interested in psychology and gardening and was able to turn those intrests into a career in building special greenhouses that help treat mental patients. (or something like that.)

 

I'll add something a mentor once told me:

"It's not enough to do want you enjoy. If that were the case, I should go be a professional Monopoly player.

It must be something the world needs doing. In other words, find your calling."

The Kennedy sons were born with all the priviledges one could have. Their father told them it wasn't enough to be a lawyer or doctor. They had a sublime duty to take it further precisely because they had those gifts.

 

Yes, but consider that the day is approaching when the MBA will be the manager's "high school diploma". It's coming... Prepare for that future.

Dave

 

This is a good point.

I think this is happening already due to the sheer volume of MBA's on the market.

 

AgingBetter:

Since you are interested in either a MBA or a MSIT and cost is a factor due to a cap on employer tuition reimbursement you might want to look into the programmes at Aspen University (www.aspen.edu). I am currently enrolled in the MBA programme but was considering their MSIT initially. Total cost of MBA is less than USD10,000.00 (approx. USD7,200.00 plus books). There are other schools out there as well as others will no doubt provide pointers to their web sites.

 

I do agree with some of the posts in this thread. I am in IT and am interested in staying in this field HOWEVER not as a programmer. HV applied to UMUC for MSIT BUT then I plan to take DM or a DBA degree... skip the MBA.. get MSIT and then a advanced degree in Management. Advanced degrees always help.. my 2 cents...

 

The problem with getting a doctorate is that you are then more educated than nearly anyone you'll normally interview with and a doctorate is rarely a requirement for positions in government/industry. You actually might get more utility from a second masters degree.

Dave

 

Wow. I just found out yesterday that the grad school I took those 4 courses at has now raised tuition to nearly $1800 per course. My company tuition reimbursement won't pay for more than 4 of those.

Geez. Now what.

Maybe two or three of those will transfer to a cheaper program.

Looking at Amberton now.

 

Re: Re: Free MSIT

Thanks. It looks like Aspen is only DETC accredited.

Hmmm. Amberton is less...but want their money up front.

 

Re: Re: Re: Free MSIT

Hi. May I offer a suggestion...? Don't get too stressed about the tuition expense. Have a look at ALM in Computer Science or Information Systems at Harvard Extension School; it's ridiculously expensive for IT distance education, like $2,000 per course for 12 4 units courses, instead of the $600 that seems to meet your budget. However, do you think that going to Harvard Extension school is going get you more interviews than Aspen? My guess is yes. The first part of the ALM is the certificate of 32 hours, which can be done all online and the last part of the full ALM requires a summer session at Harvard.

In sum, borrow the money if you have to through FAFSA student loans, but by all means associate your name with the best educational brand possible, that has a degree you can reasonably expect to matriculate.

Best wishes,

Dave

 

Re: Re: Re: Re: Free MSIT

I've taken a couple of days to think about this option.

I did some reading and I read some other threads on this on the IT forum...I get $5000/year from my employer so I'd have to get $3000 plus books each year to go to Harvard's ALM IT program, assuming 4 courses per year (the program is 12 courses or 10 plus a thesis and it must be complete in 5 years).

That isn't too bad.

Let us say that for today I've decided I'm going to go the hardcore computer science or computer engineering route. I have a liberal arts education with only two semesters of math and one semester of chemistry, so I have a long way to go for the hardcore engineering or CS master's that require a lot of math.

I could possibly take a year or so of a hardcore undergrad program and then try Harvard next year...

...or go straight to Harvard.

I don't know what is best.