Should I escape the Bush Depression by going back to college?

[backscatter712]

I'm about to pull the trigger on this plan, though it's a bit of a jump for me.

It sounds like a lot of other people have been doing this, but now I think it's my turn. The job market is just god-awful, so I intend to escape from it for a couple years by going back to college. I already have a bachelor's degree in Computer Science. Grad school doesn't look like it's in the cards, because my grades from my previous college years weren't completely stellar. Besides, I'm kind of burned out on coding for the time being, so I want to try a different course of study, say Political Science? (Hey, I hang out here all the time, don't I?) Don't get me wrong. I'm not giving up on computers. I'm probably gonna throw a few Comp. Sci. courses in my studies here and there to update my skills while I study Political Science, so I can keep doing that for a living too.

So that's my plan. Mooch with student loans for a couple years, get another degree, end up with two degrees in two different fields, which gives the bonus of opening up new job opportunities which may be more lucrative and more interesting (If there's one thing I've learned from life, it's do what you love.)

Any thoughts?

[grasswire]

1. what would you do with a poli sci degree?

How would that be related to future employment?

[CountAllVotes]

5. political science -

an adjunct to getting into law school. Perhaps the OP might be thinking longer term perhaps?

:kick:

[backscatter712]

8. I've got a couple answers.

First, I'm adding it to my computer science degree, which means I'm shifting gears from my current resume full of dreadfully boring software testing jobs to maybe doing things like being a tech advisor for our elected officials, or working IT for campaigns, or writing software that does things like automation of canvassing paperwork and phone-banking, demographic analysis, etc. There's the potential for law school, maybe I'll do tech law. There's plenty of directions to go, and niches to find. Bear in mind I'm not giving up on computers. I'm just shifting emphasis and direction, so I can do more interesting things with them.

Second, you don't always get an education just to acquire job skills. I'm jumping into poly-sci because thanks to my hatred of things Bushian and my inspiration from the Obama campaign and administration, I'm interested in the subject and want to learn. Nothin' wrong with that.

I'll probably end up with a moderate amount of student loan debt when this is over - my guess is that I'll be in school for two years, with the option of going for a masters if I think it's a good idea at the time.

Also, I need to do something different. For the past few years, I've been doing software test, and I'm sick of software test. For that matter, I'm sick of software test broken up by periods of unemployment, so I figure if I'm going to be unemployed, I might as well do something other than sitting on my ass.

One thing I've also learned - your career potential grows quite a bit if you become expert in multiple subjects. Right now, I'm a computer guy. There's lots of computer guys, and that makes me replaceable, and makes it harder for me to find interesting work as opposed to boring work. My goal is to have a skill set that makes me far more valuable, and gets me in work that's more interesting for me.

[yurbud]

20. run for office, help some GOP or DLC office holders retire

[backscatter712]

25. I doubt I'll run for office myself...

but I'm more than happy to lend my talents to good progressive folks who are crazy enough to jump in the ring.

[Deja Q]

2. I am.

Bachelor's in marketing. There's enough I find intriguing to be sure...

[dionysus]

3. it sounds good but keep in mind how long it takes to pay off student loans.

i'll be paying mine for decades...

[tonysam]

21. Me, Too

I don't even have that much debt, but I keep having financial difficulties (wrongful dismissals, temp jobs, and the like).

I racked up the debt 10 years ago, and I am no closer to getting it paid off.

[targetpractice]

4. Isn't that risky?

Borrowing money in order to bet things will get better in a few years?

[backscatter712]

12. Watching my savings deplete and hunting for work in this hellish job market is also risky.

At least this way, I'm coming through the other end with an additional degree, and I'll be doing something interesting.

[TahitiNut]

6. Why not the School of Nursing?

:shrug: That's where the jobs are. (At least according to the filipinas I know.)

[grasswire]

7. 500,000 nurses short, we are

That's what I saw on the business report last night.

That's job security.

[tonysam]

22. Medical is Fine if You Can Stand the Horrible Working Conditions.

That's the problem in a nutshell with it. There is no way at age 54 I am going to go back to college and do it. I already have a bachelor's and a master's degree.

[backscatter712]

17. For those interested in nursing, that's a great idea!

I'm personally not interested in nursing, but that's just me.

There's an idea - if I get sick of poly-sci, I could switch to biology or something similar, combine that with my computer sci. degree, and make bank writing code for hospitals and labs and the medical industry!

[Maru Kitteh]

36. Nursing school is very hard to get into. There are many more applicants

than spots available, and it's a grueling profession that requires a real passion, otherwise you'll end up with 40,000-80,000 in debt and burn out in a year of practice.

[BuyingThyme]

9. Yes.

[terisan]

10. If college plan to keep debt at minimum. If job hunting in computer field, try public heath-big $ in

stimulus.

I think that if you love politics, political science is a great choice. Even if you eschew activist jobs (often low paying) there are a number of high paying positions which would go for a political science degree while the computer science degree will give prospective employers the impression you are rational and efficient.

[Fire1]

11. Now is as good a time as any, maybe better.

[damntexdem]

13. Yes. New opportunity, plus time out of the employment market.

And you help my industry: higher education.

[kristopher]

14. Look into the opportunities in a renewable energy infrastructure

For example: the "smart grid" is a totally new concept in power management systems that is IT heavy, and you'll find there are a fair amount of funded grad school positions in the renewable energy and carbon management policy areas.
I'd suggest finding a much more specific topic than political science. Look to your interests and find out who is doing research in those areas, then open communication with the researchers you like the work of most.
You should be able to find a PhD program that pays tuition and about $20K a year if you go about it right. Your computer skills would be a good asset.
Good luck. If you want more information on who is doing what in renewable energy, PM me. If civilization survives, it is going to be one of the best employment sectors going forward from today.

[backscatter712]

16. I'm starting with Poly-Sci because I'm finding politics interesting.

I can always switch majors if I find something better. Or I can go into engineering.

First step: Enroll... And fill out the FAFSA and get those student loans. According to my personal calculations, the loan debt should be a manageable problem - I had a lot of financial help from my parents for my first degree, so my current student loan debt is light. I should be able to swing a couple more years of school and have the debt load be manageable.

[kristopher]

28. You're nuts.

There is absolutely no reason to go into debt for grad school; but if that is your preference, go for it.

Are you interested in politics or governing? Just saying you might want to explore policy programs also. They tend to focus more on the process of governing than the art of getting elected or the various schools of political thought. Instead, policy programs would spotlight the legislative process and the link between that process and the best science available on a given topic. Economics, research methods, specialty science, and law courses are the basic toolkit of analysis and problem solving.

Many of these programs are fully funded and pay you to do research.

[Subdivisions]

18. I am checking into wind turbine technician training programs. I

already manage an online solar products website and business has remained fair through all of this. But, I want to expand my maketability in alternative energy infrastructure.

[kristopher]

29. Do you get seasick?

Most of the wind in Virginia's future will be offshore.

http://www.mms.gov/offshore/AlternativeEnergy/ProgramOverview.htm

[Subdivisions]

30. LOL! Yes, that's true, but I return to Texas tomorrow morning. I was only

in Virginia temporarily on a personal mission, which has now been accomplished.

[MissB]

37. I heard one may be opening up in Vancouver Washington. By

[roody]

50. If I were young and energetic, I would start a water catchment

installation company.

[jimmyflint]

15. I will be doing the same.

No jobs so I might as well go get edjumicated.

[old mark]

19. I went back to college when I was in my mid 40's because I could not

find a job. My wife and I lived on student loans and summer jobs, and I got a decent paying job related to my major(s), a job that gave us health insurance,enough money and a pension (small, but better than stealing cars). Both my wife and I had major life threatening health emergencies that were completely covered under the insurance fron that job, and we would have been either dead or bankrupt or both without it.

I think it's a great thing to be able to have opportunities to improve your life, and I admire anyone with the courage to do it.

Good luck - enjoy yourself!
Do your homework!

mark

[librechik]

23. I did that all through the 90s

now I have 3 degrees and an obscene bill (bigger than my mortgage) from the life-giving loans that kept my family alive. I never got the job that 2 degrees should get you (I have a great job, that I love, for ten years now, but the pay is under 40,000 How can I quit and look for more money? If I got it, it would just disappear into the Student Loan system)

I bring home under $2000 a month. The payments should be $2400. The bargain version is $900. I've exhausted all my deferment options. Are they going to sell me for sausage to make the payments?


WTF????

[backscatter712]

24. One thing I'm trying...

I'm going to see if I can pay for the vast majority of this with federal Stafford Loans and Pell Grants. One positive thing is that the funding for those programs is now vastly increased, which should make it easier. The terms and interest is nice and low, which is more than can be said for private student loans (not that anyone in the private sector is lending these days...)

[northernlights]

31. no Pell grants if you already have a bachelors

And Stafford Loan money is tight.

I got $10K in Stafford loans for the current year. $6K went to tuition. $4K for "other."

General rule of thumb is don't borrow more than 50% of your expected salary when you're done.

And remember when it comes to textbooks, half.com is your best friend...

It's what I'm doing, although I'm downsizing my degree. I have a BS in liberal arts from a million years ago. I'm currently going for an AA in Med Lab Technology. Chronic shortage, just like nursing, opportunities to work in places other than hospitals. Not as good pay as nurses, but I think a little better working conditions.

The problem is I'm getting forced to take on more debt than I'd planned, expected or makes sense. So....we'll see what happens. I'm about halfway through now.

[backscatter712]

40. I'll have to go for scholarships and work-study money then.

Now I have to go figure out how to apply for them so I have a little more cash to work with.

Ah, the life of a college student - a life of poverty...

[northernlights]

48. good luck with that

Fastweb.com is a major place for scholarships. Too many of them are goofy, kid stuff that involve videoing yourself singing a song you wrote about life in 2020. Also, if you aren't already, start doing community service now. It will matter.

Good luck, too, with the work study. Maybe it's just where I'm located (Maine), but it seems that all state grants, work-study and anything else beyond stafford loans goes to "locals." I've lived in New England long enough to know that 6 years doesn't count as local. 6 generations...maybe.

I have a 4.0 average in all the non-MLT requirements, and am waiting to get into the MLT program. Climinal openings are tight. Of the 5 MLT students that I've spoken too in my chemistry class, 3 have family members working in local hospitals, 1 doesn't but was born and grew up in Maine, and the 5 is from Russia -- i.e. the token "international" student.

[leftyclimber]

26. I'll tell you what I was told when I went back for a second Bachelor's in a different field.

With two Bachelors' degrees, you will make no more money than you make with one. It takes two years to get a second Bachelor's. It also takes two years to get a Master's.

If you can, get the Master's.

My undergrad GPA sucked with a capital SUCK. If you've spent a few years out in the working world, you can usually point to your life experience and increased maturity to get around that little problem. ;)

[backscatter712]

34. Going for the masters is a good idea.

I may go for it, depending on what my chances are. That option will be open to me if I start with the second-bachelor's track - if I get good grades and get a professor or two on my side, I'll bet I could get in.

[leftyclimber]

38. That's how I did it.

I did a year of postbaccalaureate work (making a pretty drastic field change myself) that I call "The Year of Apology." I took it upon myself to get the best grades I possibly could and found that I did much better at an "older" age than I did when I was "traditional" college age (I was 34 at the time). There are a lot of nontraditional students in PoliSci so it won't be hard to build a support network, either. (I'm in another field entirely, but we "borrow" a lot from PS in my subspecialty.)

That's where the faculty told me I was a fool not to get a Master's degree. Took out loans for that year (had some work study, but a lot of grants are not available to returning students, and I was poor as sh*t at the time). Applied to some Master's programs, got accepted, took the one that offered me the best research assistantship. Still took out loans for a couple of years, as the assistantship was pretty paltry (couldn't afford a place to live otherwise, even if I had 14 roommates -- expect this). Finished my M.S. a couple of years ago and am currently working on a Ph.D.

I'm not at all happy with my debt load at this point, but I'm also in a position where I should be able to afford to pay the loans when I'm done, providing that when I graduate there are faculty positions available at the University of Southern North Dakota at Hoople or similar institutions. I'm also in the position to take a bunch of cool jobs my B.A. wouldn't have led me to.

If going back to school is something you're strongly considering, talk to some of the PS faculty at whatever your nearby university is. Tell them what you're thinking about doing, and ask them what they think the best course of action is. I was recruited by my current U's PS faculty for a second M.S. in PS, and they were completely ready to waive the entrance requirements for me based on my knowledge of politics (I only had one PS class in undergrad, but I grew up in a political family and was basically as informed as your average DUer IMO). I declined, because PS makes me chronically pissed off and I didn't want to go through two solid years of angry. ;)

Good luck, whatever you decide. Hopefully my story has a few nuggets in it you can use.

[backscatter712]

39. Thanks for the advice.

Like I said, I'm pretty obsessed with politics, which is why I'm considering PoliSci, but I'm planning on looking around a bit my first semester or two, and reserve the right to switch majors if I find something else that interests me more.

[leftyclimber]

41. If you're thinking about noodling around a bit,

consider taking a couple of night classes in various things at a nearby community college. You can taste of the smorgasboard and confirm what exactly it is you're passionate about. PS is a cool field, but there are a lot of social sciences that may address your personal/intellectual concerns as well or better. Confirming you're in the right place is the most important thing. No sense in wasting time and money.

Regardless of what you choose, talk to each of your instructors/professors and find out why they do what they do, and what they think about the job prospects in the field. Figure out if it's the right fit for you before you commit to a bigger program.

And if you have any questions about applying for grad school (or postbac), surviving as a nontraditional student, or whatever, feel free to PM me.

[SteelPenguin]

27. I think it's a great idea

It's a great way to bypass a recession or depression, particularly the worst of it. THe hardest part is just getting the loans. If you can get those, then definitely a good way to go.

[Thothmes]

32. At the risk of being flamed off this board

may be you might look at becoming an officer of the Armed Forces of the United States. You have the basic qualifiations now. OCS normally has a three committment. No matter how you slice it, it is an interesting job. JMO

[backscatter712]

33. Unfortunately, I wouldn't pass the physical.

Granted, the .mil is a better option than it used to be, now that we've replaced the Assclown in Chief with President Obama, and the clusterfuck in Iraq's winding down (knock on wood.)

Still, I was born with club feet, and the only thing I'd get for trying to get in would be some army doctor taking one look at my feet and saying "Sorry son, we can't use you."

That brings me back to college.

[Maru Kitteh]

35. Have you thought about clinical engineering?

Growing field, very good pay. In our hospital those folks have their own little universe and the hospital works very hard to make sure they are happy and taken care of.

[marshall]

42. Have you thought of the military?

With a new commander in chief you don't have to worry about being deployed to some hellhole, and you would be getting trained on the military's dime. It's a lot better than racking up student loan debt.

[backscatter712]

43. Like I mentioned, I wouldn't pass the physical.

I was born with club feet - multiple surgeries, noticeable limp, a decent amount of pain... There's no way in hell they'd let me enlist.

[D-Lee]

44. Look at public administration programs

Really, government is a great employer -- pension plans which don't disappear, great health coverage usually continuing into retirement.

Would probably make you attractive combined with your ability to deal with computer systems and data.

Think it over ...

[TexasObserver]

45. I kind of like that approach.

This job market is terrible, especially for certain segments, one of which is young people with limited experience and job mobility. If you can make it work financially, now might be a good time to go back, but I'd try to get into a masters program. Not much utility in picking up another bachelors in some field that isn't going to get any job offers for you in one, two or three years.

Go back to school? Good idea. For another bachelors? Not such a good idea. Unless its going to be in some field that really enhances your job market potential.

Getting a masters and being ready for the job market in 2011 is a great idea for many, however.

[backscatter712]

46. I'll see if I can get in touch with an advisor or professor or two, and see what I can do.

Getting into grad school and going for the Masters degree would be awesome. Like I said, my grades in my previous stint in college weren't so hot, so I'm not sure I'd be able to get accepted. Then again, half the reason why people go back for a second bachelors is because if they're good and get a prof or two to go to bat for him, that can turn into a path into grad school.

It's definitely something to explore.

[marshall]

47. Think of this as the Obama Comeback rather than the Bush Depression

I think a change in your state of mind will help get you out of the funk. I have younger friends who are in a similar state-feeling like the country is in for years and years of hard times, no jobs, huge expenses, etc. I keep telling them to look up and realize that the country has taken a new direction. Give Obama and Congress a chance to turn things around. Change will come sooner than you think.

[Lost in CT]

49. I am heading for the same boat.... good luck and I agree

this is the time to pull that trigger.

[Stephanie]

51. Public Administration

Helpful with politics and also prepares you to work in non-profit.