8K for a degree you're not sure you want??????

Discussion in 'General Distance Learning Discussions' started by eilla05, Mar 31, 2011.

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  1. eilla05

    eilla05 New Member

    Would you spend 8k for a masters degree distance learning of course for a degree you were only 95% sure was the right one for you?

    I went out with a girlfriend last night and we started talking about future plans etc and naturally this came up. I am sure that most of you can tell from my various post that I am not 100% sure what it is I want to do with my life, the only thing I do know for sure is that I want to be in a helping career be it teaching, counseling, etc.

    So the question remains would you spend 8k for degree if there was the possibility in a few years you would go back and get another? The Master's I am looking into for UNR will cost me about that. The degree will serve quite a few purposes, self interest, hopefully work in criminal justice field, and the check mark on the Masters degree box for HR purposes.

    So would you?
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Mar 31, 2011
  2. agschmidt

    agschmidt New Member

    "...you're..."
     
  3. emissary

    emissary New Member

    95% sounds like as close to a sure thing as one can find in life. Yes.

    For me it would come down to time and money. Do you have the time to devote to it? Do you want to devote the time to it? How important is that $8k to you?

    If these were non-issues, I would certainly go for it.
     
  4. eilla05

    eilla05 New Member

    "...you're..."

    HA!! I can't believe I did that...can't change it now though :) This is what happens when you have a 3.5 year old running old playing Batman, while talking on the phone and typing on the computer.....sometimes multi tasking is not the best thing ;)
     
  5. eilla05

    eilla05 New Member

    The answers to those would be yes and yes. 8k is very affordable for our family and it would be paying as I go and I am almost positive that the ROI would be well worth it in the long run.
     
  6. Cero

    Cero New Member

    I am a practical person. You will never be 100 percent sure about anything, and 95 percent is really good! You have to look at your goals and your options available for achieving them, and choose the one that looks best. There is no perfect option, I can promise that. And $8,000 sounds like a good price. But you have to be careful. Here are a few thoughts -- pro, con and neutral, in no particular order.

    -How do the job prospects look with the degree?

    -How do they look without the degree?

    -Will the salary you eventually get allow for a return on investment, and if so, when?

    -M.A.s in general, regardless of the major, are not known for being all that helpful in the job market. You can find a lot of articles about that by googling.

    -I personally would only do an M.A. with my own money if I had a specific job title and/or employer in mind that I wanted, and the M.A. was necessary in order to get there.

    -Otherwise I would look for a job with tuition benefits and let them pay for the M.A., if I thought it would advance my career.
     
  7. eilla05

    eilla05 New Member

    Very good points!!!! I would love for an employer to pay for my degree :) The degree will be in Justice Management and it really depends on who you ask as to what the market for it is. I think I should be able to land a decent position with it a little later down the line but right out of the gate probably not so much simply because of lack of experience.

    As for job prospects with/without the degree I honestly am not sure how to answer that other than with what I said above. Some people would say I could land the type's of positions I am hoping for with my Bachelors, which could be true. However the Master's for me is more than just for job prospect it is also a personal goal of mine.
     
  8. AUTiger00

    AUTiger00 New Member

    At 95% sure I would spend the money. Hell, I'm still no more than 75% sure that I want(ed) my MBA and I spent significantly more than $8k for it. Get the degree.
     
  9. Maniac Craniac

    Maniac Craniac Moderator Staff Member

    Did what? :smile: :wink:
     
  10. Maniac Craniac

    Maniac Craniac Moderator Staff Member

    Take it from me. By the time you decide that you want the degree, you could have already finished it. You will then do this :pat: to yourself while an online forum with thousands members will mock you mercilessly for not having been done years prior. They will randomly refer to you as a yardstick for their milestones, saying things like "It felt like forever, but at least it took me less time to get my doctorate that it has for eilla05 to decide if she wants to do criminal justice."

    95% sure is more sure than I have ever been about a degree, job, car or apartment.

    Worst case scenario 1: You start it, hate it, drop it, and move on, with $7k left in the bank.

    Worst case scenario 2: You finish it, change your mind, and move on, with an MA to put on your resume. You can still put MA in your signature and on your business card even if you never do anything related to criminal justice. Maybe that means nothing to you, but I think it sounds cool :yup:

    Worst case scenario 3: Maniac Craniac, threedogs, TCord1964, rickyjo and b4cz28 F-I-N-A-L-L-Y get their Bachelor's degrees... and you STILL haven't decided what degree to pursue next. You will absolutely never live this one down.
     
  11. eilla05

    eilla05 New Member

    You crack me up!!!! I love scenario number 3.....lol
     
  12. SteveFoerster

    SteveFoerster Resident Gadfly Staff Member

    Human nature being what it is, I'm curious whether you were right in at least nineteen of the last twenty times you were 95% sure about something. I only ask because since finishing my Master's, I've talked myself into a number of doctoral programs that it turned out weren't right for me, so I've been there.

    -=Steve=-
     
  13. cookderosa

    cookderosa Resident Chef

    Someone asks a profound life question and this is what you write? :lame:
     
  14. agschmidt

    agschmidt New Member

    Our definitions of profundity differ...
     
  15. mcjon77

    mcjon77 Member

    For me, being 95% sure when dealing with a $9K degree is a no brainer. I would go for it, especially if it will take 2 or 3 years. That is only $3000-$4500 per year. Even if you finish and discover that it wasn't right for you, you have still spent less money on your degree than a halfway decent used car.
     
  16. makana793

    makana793 New Member

    I think being 95% sure of something is actually pretty good. We can't predict and anticipate everything that comes at us in life. Sometimes, in fact a lot of times, we have to make decisions based on the information we have on hand and just run with it. If CJ is your thing I would try to target the corrections/rehabilitation side of the field. It would compliment your human services degree nicely and there's a lot of opportunity for growth there. Just a thought anyway good luck to you.
     
  17. eilla05

    eilla05 New Member


    That is exactly what I plan to do with it, prisoner rehabilitation and working with those families. I have no interest in law enforcement etc which is why some think I am not choosing the right degree.
     
  18. cookderosa

    cookderosa Resident Chef

    And yet, it's still lame.
     
  19. Randell1234

    Randell1234 Moderator

    Go for it. I am thinking of spending almost that much on my next degree that I know I don't need! Maybe I am not the best one to listen to... :hypnotized:
     
  20. nanoose

    nanoose New Member

    You still waffling? at 95%? and 8 grand?
    Get off your butt already!
     

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