So I am a rising senior at Georgetown majoring in regional and comparative studies with a concentration on international security in northeast Asia and minors in Korean and Chinese, which I speak fluently and at an advanced level respectively.
I want to work in North Korea analysis and am doing an internship with a North Korea think tank (my sixth internship in this field, I really am very focused on this issue and want to be an expert more than anything else), but have realized our most distinguished fellows have a lot of technical background. Most cannot speak Korean at all and many are not familiar with IR theory or Asian history and yet are authorities in the North Korea policy and analysis worlds because of their skills in nuclear engineering, cyber security, military etc.
Looking around at the other interns, most of which hold masters degrees in IR or Asian Studies and yet are still working for free like I am, I am realizing I need to have a strong technical background too if I am to succeed financially and in my career.
However, changing majors is not an option for me at this point and I will soon be graduating with a mountain of debt. Getting a second degree or taking classes in the US would be prohibitively expensive without financial aid.
So here is my plan: Go somewhere in Asia, probably China or South Korea, where I have studied for 6 and 18 months respectively and speak the language well, maybe take major specific language courses, and then enroll at a local university, majoring in either computer science/engineering, nuclear physics, or finance/econ.
It would be about 3k a year for China or 7k a year for Korea, but I may be eligible for scholarships. I could teach English or work on the side (or go to school part time while working full time) to maintain my debt from GU, then pay it down in full after I have my science degree and return to the United States.
What do you think? Would the extra time/$12k~$28k be worth it? Would employers value me more if I had this kind of varied experience?
It depends on what you want to do, but I lean toward no. If you want to work at a place like CFR or Brookings, read the bios of their fellows and see how they got there. The cost of an additional degree is more than tuition. It’s the opportunity cost of not working during that time period. Have you talked to any of your professors to get their view?
Take a broader look at the people in your field who are doing things that you want to do. Look at the degrees that they have and the experience. I’m sure there’s a place for N. Korean experts with lots of technical background and expertise AND a place for experts with more of an IR/history background, too. Both are necessary to come to an agreement. There’s a really good chance that you don’t actually need to do another degree in anything.
Why not first try to find a job in your field (or a closely related one) before running back to school?
But if you did want to acquire additional expertise, getting a foreign second bachelor’s probably isn’t the way you want to go - especially if you want to work for a U.S.-based organization (or even international organizations that are spearheaded by Western countries). The distinguished fellows at your think tank: are they graduates of foreign universities with second bachelors? Or do they have U.S. or European degrees and experience? I’m betting that it’s the latter.
There are lots of graduate certificates that may be good places to start that are cheaper and shorter. You could potentially pursue one online while you worked full- or part-time. But even if you wanted a full degree, a master’s degree is going to be a far better bet for you than a second bachelor’s. Finance or information science you could potentially do without even completing too many extra prerequisites, although it depends on the coursework that you took in college. Yes, you would likely be more valuable with some technical expertise, but there are a lot of different ways to get it besides getting a second bachelor’s. You could even work for a tech company and acquire some of that expertise on the job.
As a side note, one thing you MAY want to do is actually expand out a little and acquire some expertise beyond North Korea - so other countries in the region. Who knows what the world will look like even 5 years down the road. It’s good to be T-shaped - have some deep expertise in one particular area both also some breadth across related areas so you can transfer those skills easily.
Is there someone at the think tank that you can talk to about your job prospects? Talk about your future plans and see what they think would make you most marketable? Make sure that the opportunity cost of the second degree would be offset by the financial gain from taking that time to earn it.
Given that you’re graduating with a “mountain of debt,” getting a second degree doesn’t seem like the most prudent option at this time. That doesn’t mean you have to rule it out all together, though. As has been mentioned, there are part time and online degree options that would allow you to cut away at the mountain of debt while getting a second degree.
You mentioned that some of the most distinguised fellows have military experience. Would you consider pursuing a commission in the armed services? What about a job at the DIA? You’d gain real world experience while earning something (and again, working to pay down that debt.)
That debt load is the clincher. You cannot afford to go to another school. All loans will start requiring payback, a foreign school likely will not remove that requirement. Time to focus on getting a job, any job, not your dream one. Start looking for positions this fall- explore the job market for everything your majors could be useful in. A few years later you can revisit more education.
How much debt will you have from Georgetown when you graduate? Having some debt from earning a master’s degree can be worth it, particularly in fields that focus on the prestige of your graduate degree (and I think IR is one of them). Of course, however, you want to balance that with your ability to repay - don’t bite off more than you can chew.
I agree, though, that finding a job is the best route. Your first job is very, very unlikely to be your dream job - usually you work up to that. It may not even be exactly in the field you want; it may be adjacent. So I’d agree with starting to look for jobs that seem interesting and likely to help you position yourself in a way that will allow you to move into the career/job you want. IR programs tend to prefer people with some experience, anyway!
Some employers will PAY for you to go to school to increase your credentials and/or help pay off your loans. I’d take a break from piling on more debt until you see how that job market plays out. Really, you need to be networking and interning, since many internships are the pool of folks they look most closely at in choosing whom to hire.
If you go overseas, it will make a big difference if you are working for a US employer or a foreign employer. A US employer may pay your travel, a very good wage, a housing allowance. You’ll be able to pay back your existing debt. If you get a job in a foreign country, it’s likely you’d be paid much less.
@SEMseoulsearch Don’t really see the point of a second bachelors. If finances are to tight for the added debt of a masters, consider a PhD. Most well regarded PhD. programs come with free tuition and in addition to the free tuition, pay a teaching stipend ranging up to $35K/year
Jack of all trades but master of none applies. Hitting the pause button in your education with a BS or BA in hand while you pay off some loans and find out more about what further education will get you where you eventually want to be is the way to do things. It sounds like a break will do you more good than random studies. There will be so many with better credentials. Get the work experience- that will be a bonus in finances and future job seeking in your preferred field. btw- I have heard most business majors work at least two years before B schools will consider them for masters programs. Plus, you chose your majors because of your background, aptitude and interests. Not sure you would do well in the tech fields. Being mediocre in any of them will not further your goals. The techies will more likely get your skills and outshine you.
Since both of those countries respect US undergrad education,…especially elite schools like Georgetown, getting a second bachelor’s degree in those countries would be highly redundant at best…and a waste of time.
It would be a bit different if you were discussing Japan with the intention of working for a Japanese conglomerate as in that case, they will strongly prefer someone with an elite undergrad Japanese degree or in some cases, overlook if it someone pursued a Japanese grad degree…but that mentality isn’t the norm in China or South Korea as both will respect elite US undergrad…and often respect US/European grad degrees far more than their own. .
You’d be much better off getting a respectable/elite Masters in your field and/or finding a related job to build up work experience, pay down undergrad debt, and possibly get the employer to defray part/all costs of the Masters degree.
No, please don’t consider a PhD simply because it’s funded. PhD programs have completely different training and career goals, and you may find yourself sinking 6+ years into a program when what you really need is work experience. You’re still paying - just in opportunity cost and lost wages.
Hi there, I understand your concerns. International security work is indeed getting way more technical. Looking at the bios of the previous generation does not reflect this shift.
However, I don’t think getting second bachelors from a S. Korean or Chinese institution is going to help you much. I work for a DC think tank that does domestic science policy, and unfortunately, HR folks glaze over those credentials and look for degrees from schools they recognize.
However, I think living and working in Asia post-grad is a great idea. Have you considered interviewing with the consulting and finance firms that recruit at Georgetown? Many of them would be very excited to have a fluent speaker in their programs. You would gets hands on experience in finance or IT - which are highly valued technical skills - and get a handle on your debt.
You could then take advantage of employer paid tuition to fund a Masters in Data Science, Systems Engineering or Cybersecurity. (If you are working in the DC area, move to MD or VA so you get instate tuition. GA Tech offers the data analytics degree online.)
Good luck to you. Your observations are spot on - but you may need to adjust your approach.