Grad School/Masters "later" in life

[imJonWain]

Anyone go back to graduate school or get a masters after working awhile? How was it? Was it hard getting used to the school mentality after working? Did you go full time or PT?

It's been 10 years since I got my bachelors but am thinking about/starting to look into going back to school to get a masters.

[Chankgeez]

I went back to undergraduate "later" in life.

Yes, it's difficult adjusting back to a school mindset.

I went all in.

Not sure it's worth it unless you have a very specific career goal you're focusing on.

It's a big decision.

[sears]

How are you going to use school? If you can't answer that question than don't go to school.

I have a college degree but I wasn't ready for college. I was living my parents' dream. I was compliant and it was a waste. Having held a job might have been a great way to learn how I wanted to use school.

[01010111]

I’ve struggled with this decision off and on the last few years. I haven’t done it because I haven’t been able to answer the questions other people have already mentioned. Unless I suddenly find that specific career path, I don’t think I’ll ever go back.

I will say this. I did go to graduate school and there were people in my program who had been working for a few years before going back to school. Those people were actually a lot more successful than people coming directly from undergraduate university. The program I was in required a lot of work, and treating it like a job made learning the material and completing assignments a lot easier.

[MrNovember]

I've only been out of school for 5 years and I could not see myself going back to school for any post-graduate degrees, but there was a guy in my program who left a successful career in film to study engineering physics. He was incredibly ambitious and knew exactly what he wanted out of his career. I think you definitely need to have a specific goal or career path laid out before going back.

I am kind of toying with the idea of going back to some kind of trade school; I'm pretty sure I would feel a lot more satisfaction from a job in the trades. I don't really have anything specific in mind at the moment, though.

[Invisible Man]

If you go: put together a weekly calendar of your work and stick to it. I broke things down to the day, and knew that I’d be on track. Otherwise, you risk the rapid and inevitable tidal wave that comes from getting behind in your work.

But yeah, there’s definitely a practical element to taking a breather between degrees. The folks who did seemed to have a better handle organizationally, and the ones who kept working throughout the degree tended to finish more quickly, and to have better prospects lined up on the other side.

Grad degrees are a mixed bag in terms of ages, so there’s no way you’ll have that Billy Madison issue.

[sears]

My wife did grad school after working for 4 years. She knew what she wanted. She didn't end up in the type of job she would have expected when she entered grad school, but she found a rewarding career that she likes and suits her. No regrets.

[calfzilla]

my dad went back to get his MBA while I was in college. Of course it took him like 10 years or something crazy to graduate the first time because he did all night classes because he was working, so the organizational skills and being older wasn't exactly new to him. Can't say he's used a bit of his MBA as he's still just coding, but at least he's not in a job he hates any more.

[Kasrkin]

I went to grad school fairly soon after undergrad so it wouldn't qualify as later in life but many of my classmates were older. To my surprise I found a lot of the older guys were in it just because they liked learning about new things and weren't really looking for career changes or particularly driven (I'd have expected it to be the reverse). My main recommendations for grad school would be to spend time investigating specific programs/schools and go into it with a clear plan of what you want to get out of it (even though you'll likely adapt this plan over time). I had a good experience because the program I went to was recommended to me by someone who had done it and the faculty were very strong and active in their fields and they were able to help guide me trajectory toward my current career.

[imJonWain]

Thanks for the input everyone.

It mostly comes down to wanting to learn more and to be able to get work I enjoy more easily. I think I'd also just like to know I could do it. I need to hash out a real plan better.

long version is...
My bachelor's is in mechanical engineering technology and I've worked as a electrical/electromechanical engineer in most of my jobs. Some companies don't care about my degree and are happy with my background, especially small companies around Boston. However I am in western NC for now and am finding bigger companies require a specific degree for a role and have rigid pay related rules around it too. So I'd like to get a masters in electrical engineering to open options up especially for design related jobs. I want to be able to do contract work on my own and eventually teach college a bit part time too.

If I didn't dislike my current job so much I probably wouldn't be quite as motivated lol.

[Lurker13]

Thanks for the input everyone.

It mostly comes down to wanting to learn more and to be able to get work I enjoy more easily. I think I'd also just like to know I could do it. I need to hash out a real plan better.

long version is...
My bachelor's is in mechanical engineering technology and I've worked as a electrical/electromechanical engineer in most of my jobs. Some companies don't care about my degree and are happy with my background, especially small companies around Boston. However I am in western NC for now and am finding bigger companies require a specific degree for a role and have rigid pay related rules around it too. So I'd like to get a masters in electrical engineering to open options up especially for design related jobs. I want to be able to do contract work on my own and eventually teach college a bit part time too.

If I didn't dislike my current job so much I probably wouldn't be quite as motivated lol.

I did undergrad after fucking around in the real world too long, and then started grad school a year after graduating. I have also occasionally taken grad classes over the years just for fun, including this spring and a six-week summer session right afterward. I think being mature, already having a good job and being financially sound gives you a good psychological space for concentrating on academics.

In my experience engineering companies are pretty good about paying for continuing education. If you get a job with the right company you could get your MS for free, although you might need to keep working for them for a few years after graduating. I think you should go for it.

Also, teaching college is a blast, you will love it.

[calfzilla]

Thanks for the input everyone.

It mostly comes down to wanting to learn more and to be able to get work I enjoy more easily. I think I'd also just like to know I could do it. I need to hash out a real plan better.

long version is...
My bachelor's is in mechanical engineering technology and I've worked as a electrical/electromechanical engineer in most of my jobs. Some companies don't care about my degree and are happy with my background, especially small companies around Boston. However I am in western NC for now and am finding bigger companies require a specific degree for a role and have rigid pay related rules around it too. So I'd like to get a masters in electrical engineering to open options up especially for design related jobs. I want to be able to do contract work on my own and eventually teach college a bit part time too.

If I didn't dislike my current job so much I probably wouldn't be quite as motivated lol.

I'm not familiar with an engineering technology degree, but if it is a more hands on degree, a masters in electrical engineering might be a real shock to the system. Not saying you can't do it at all, but it is a lot of math and theory and if you haven't done that stuff for a while or just never enjoyed it when you were getting your undergrad, might not be the best choice. A lot of times the class work doesn't translate well to the actual work, unless you're doing something like comp sci where you can practice whatever the hell you want.

Just make sure if you decide to go back, the actual coursework isn't going to bog you down.

[imJonWain]

^That's also part of the issue at hand/a concern. How schools decide to treat my degree and work experience as a prerequisite. The school I went to still covered a lot of theory just most classes were lab based vs notes upon notes.

I actually enjoy understanding the math/theory behind stuff a lot more now than I did then weirdly. I wish I could enjoy programming more. I don't mind doing it but the hardware behind is way more interesting to me.

[retinal orbita]

My wife went back to school for her masters at 29 - she’d been out of school for 7 years. She’s incredibly successful and makes a shit ton of money, way more than me and I am very proud of her. Before her masters she was not happy with her career.

I went back to school at 26, had been out of school for over 5 years and change careers entirely from TV production to mental health counselling. I don’t think I will ever go back for my masters as I’m 40 now and am too embroiled in working full time and also I don't have any inclination to do psychotherapy. I love my job I have now.

Would not rule out going back to school in retirement but not while I’m working.

[morange]

A little late here, but you will be able to do it, better than ever probably. I just started doing school again after dropping out over ten years ago, and I haven't gotten stupid or anything, in fact I haven't forgotten anything and I can focus better than before, and I'm able to grind out schoolwork better (like someone mentioned before, treating it like work). I've been doing the remaining prerequisites at community college to try to get into an EE program at a University, not sure yet whether I will get in, but at least I will have an associates degree in another month. Killing it with the grades now but the ones from ten years ago are shitty. Obvs your situation is a little different haha. Give us an update, did you go for it?