Eliminatus said:
BS Engineering
Really thinking hard about a Masters. In between jobs and have an untouched Hazelwood I would love to use on something and not let it go to waste. Just no idea what really. I don't feel an urge or need to expand on my BS so the world is kinda open I guess. I'm using this thread for ideas now.
Giving you my perspective, but it is thirty years old.
I went straight into a master's program as a full-time student after graduating with my engineering BS. The job market wasn't really that great when I got my BS, and I felt a little unfulfilled with just that degree.
Getting the MS gave me a focus which the undergraduate program did not, and it may have opened some doors for more design-oriented work that a BS alone would not. I'm not sorry I got it.
That being said, I'm not sure I'm really ahead money-wise. It did involve sitting out of the job market for a couple of years. If I had to do over again, I would have tried to find a job that would allow me to get my master's while working full time. Better companies offer tuition reimbursement.
If you want to get your master's, make sure it aligns with your long-term career goals and serves a purpose. As I said, try to find a job with tuition reimbursement.
One other thing. It was drilled into me to get an MS with thesis option rather than an MEng without a thesis. Looks better on a resume. This advice mostly came from academics.
The truth is maybe it makes a slight impact on a your first job out of school. After that, your work experience is more important. Unless you want to work on a PhD, I have found MS vs MEng makes little difference in the professional world. Again, getting the MS with thesis is not something I'm sorry I did. It is a proud accomplishment of mine, but really has made no difference in my career.
