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Second masters degree?
moneyisimportant
82 replies14 threads Junior Member
moneyisimportant
82 replies14 threads Junior Member
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Replies to: Second masters degree?
Are you changing careers to something you will enjoy more in the coming decades?
Financial and personal happiness considerations both factor in.
I was very pleased increasing my earning potential and broadening my knowledge/capabilities with a Masters. But I wouldn’t have been up for another one. My Dad has a PhD, he always told be not to.
I had a client once who had something like 12 degrees. He was a mid-level manager at a public utility, but enjoyed the learning process.
The bottom line is that if your employer thinks it is valuable enough for you and them that they are willing to pay for it, then where is the question?
Here are my thoughts:
1> Will you get tools that will help you do your job better? Or is this a resume ornament? If the former, getting more tools is always good. If it is the second, at this point, you probably don't need this type of ornamentation. You should be striving for accomplishments at work to put on your resume.
2> What kind of hook does your employer have in you upon completion? If they pay, are you obligated to stay on for a certain number of years? I did this with both of my Master's programs and can tell you, especially after the second, I didn't like the hook. I ended up paying 33% of my second degree back to the company to leave for a more appropriate position.
3> What do you give up to do the second degree? Family time? Hobbies? Is the benefit from the second degree worth what you lose? For both my MXX degrees, I had small children at home and ended up giving up sleep over family time. For two years in my MBA I was sleep deprived as I promised my family that I'd not do homework until the kids were in bed. It was worth it, but cost much more than just money.
4> Is the second degree preparing you for something that you can't get without it? I've never heard of an MS in Product Development. Most of the PD people I've worked with were BS in ME, IE, AE, ChemE, etc. What tools does it bring to the table?
There are some good, insightful questions that are good. To answer a few of them:
1) The MS in PDE is interesting. The above poster is correct to say that it is unusual. What I can say is that courses are traditional engineering courses and it fits well with my previous education. My MSME covers the technical details about design - mechanics of materials, FEA stress analysis, corrosion, etc. The MSPDE would cover everything in product development except for the technical design itself. Things like economics of design, systems engineering, project management, collaborative engineering, and the like. The two degrees would mesh well together with little overlap.
2) From a high level perspective, I am a product development engineer with a very specific role in a particular area of product development. The degree would broaden my technical knowledge and I would be able to apply the knowledge learned in the degree to my daily job.
3) The sacrifice that I would be making would be sleep and family time. Sacrificing sleep isn't a huge deal, but sacrificing family time is. I have to carefully think about this.
4) Yes, I can complete a course or two before applying to see if I enjoy it and want to keep pursuing it. In fact, I am doing 1 course right now to see how it goes.
Thank you for your comments.
"The degree would broaden my technical knowledge and I would be able to apply the knowledge learned in the degree to my daily job".
"It fits well with my previous education."
"The two degrees would mesh well together with little overlap."
Since this would be an employer paid degree, what is the issue ?
Do your licenses have a continuing education requirement ? If so, then the time & effort spent would accomplish several important work related & professional objectives.
P.S. As an aside, I am going through a very similiar discussion with a family member. I paid all tuition & fees in advance for the family member. Would satisfy CE requirements for several professional licenses & establish the family member as a professional in his field beyond his very specialized practice area. Necessary because of meetings with clients, attorneys, investment folks & superiors occur weekly. Why not better understand one's profession ? A broader view leads to better understanding of others' concerns which leads to better solutions, better client relations & increased business.
OP: Can any, or all, of the courses be taken remotely online ? If so, at your discretion or at predesignated times & dates ?
If you miss a class, can you view it online ?
1) Yes, the courses are 100% online. I watch videos of the lecture and then turn in homework (via e-mail / upload) per the instructors schedule. No commuting time and no classes in person.
2) The sacrifice that I am making is giving up time to do courses.
Decision - I am going to try one class this fall and if that goes well continue with the program. I can do 1-2 years as a pre-admitted student and if that goes well can submit to be accepted into the program.
It will take approximately 4 years total to take all of the courses, 1 course per semester. With luck, I will graduate in 2023 or 2024.
That said, it sounds like a great opportunity to not only make you better at your current job, but more valuable to future employers should you choose to leave your current company.
If you don't know them, you should look into Scott Young and Cal Newport. They are both into efficient learning. Young finished the MIT CS curriculum, including examinations, in 12 months. Newport, a CS prof at Georgetown, recently wrote Deep Work. Since you will be in video format, there's a good chance that you can speed up the process and maybe not spend as much time away from the fam.
Good luck!