The Risk of Less Education
by Motte Brown on 03/05/2008 at 12:56 PM
While working on Capitol Hill, I decided I needed an advanced degree to further my career. So I took the LSAT and was accepted into Regent University's School of Government graduate program. And just before I was to begin classes, my new wife (five months) got pregnant.
Now I know many would not have paused at this news. But I did. Because I knew graduate work meant limited availability at home and even more college debt. So I had a decision to make. Would my time away from home and money be worth it? Would I see the return in my career I was hoping for?
I chose ... not to go. Instead, we worked out a plan to pay off all of our debt before the baby's birth and trusted God with my future earning potential so that my wife could stay home. And it's worked so far. We've lived on one income for 10 years and two kids debt free (except our mortgage).
Now I would never be so presumptuous to say that everyone should take that path. Many pursue advanced degrees and are rewarded with position, financial security, and job satisfaction. Only God knows what would have happened if I had chosen to brave $20,000 in graduate work.
But I've found that sometimes not choosing more education is a risk worth taking. Even for English majors.
1. Christina (in green) said the following at 1:10 PM on Mar 5:
:)
I keep thinking I want to go back to school, but I can't think of what benefit that would give me given my particular goals of being SAHM (thank you to boundless for exposing me to that acronym).
It definitly wouldn't be worth the money. And where I would benefit from being better able to educate my children, by the time they would be old enough to utilize my knowledge from an advanced degree, they'd be in college themselves =p
I think the most important lesson you can learn in school is how to learn. Once you have this down, I don't think you should need advanced degrees to progress in your education.
2. obewan said the following at 1:41 PM on Mar 5:
I have found in the engineering profession that job skills trump a graduate degree.
I once got a second degree in compuer science. I was in graduate school at $30,000 a year and dropped down to a community college program at $1200 a year. (Because the grad program was way too theory oriented.)
Because I took the right computer languages, I beat out my former classmate from grad school (who finished his MS) for a job offer at the same company.
Then I dumped the whole second degree profession to take a job with my former degree skills and tripled my salary.
3. Marilyn B. said the following at 1:44 PM on Mar 5:
I am always encouraged when I hear of young people daring to swim against the tide and build "traditional" families. It's harder and harder this day and age.
When I was young I had high aspirations, missed most of them. One goal was to be "wife/mom". Keep in mind I was a young woman of the 1970s, a time when to *want* motherhood was to subject oneself to extreme ridicule.
I am so thankful for my husband who put aside pursuit of his MBA to spend more time with the kids and me. We have 4 kids to be proud of. All are mature, emotionally healthy individuals for which we are thankful. (whispers...looking for spouses who are the same...)
Encouraging also to hear that an English major can find meaningful work. One of my daughters is majoring in English. ;-)
4. P&P said the following at 2:00 PM on Mar 5:
Wow. This is one post that my liberal heart agrees with totally. I've seen too many of my peers pursue graduate degrees only to end up deeper in debt and not happy with their careers (lawyers especially).
I'm all for learning new things and upgrading your skills if you're in a technical or scientific profession, but amassing debt in the six-figure range requires a great deal of consideration.
The other thing schools can do is to make certain programs more affordable. A good friend of mine wants to go into a top-rated Masters in Social Work program, but the cost of the degree is prohibitive, especially considering the starting salaries of social workers!
5. BDB said the following at 2:07 PM on Mar 5:
Depends on your field of study, I suppose.
You are right, going to graduate school while working full time with a family will shortchange time with your family.
But if you're single when you finish your undergraduate degree, finishing the right professional degree immediately gets it off your plate before you have kids. This is especially true for medical school or law school. You might even meet someone in graduate school.
For many careers, you're handicapped without a master's degree. Many people don't find this out until they are in their 40's, applying for jobs and losing out to younger people with master's degrees. What education does is compress experience - you know more sooner. But professional degrees expire, especially in engineering. An MBA doesn't get you a job after 5 years. But it might get you into the "interview" pile when all other things are equal. The question will be - what did you do with it?
Two mom-friendly fields, education and nursing, strongly prefer the Master's degree. Just avoid debt.
(Had I realized this when I was in grad school, I would have spent more effort meeting people in the education department in the building next door...oh well.)
6. Anna said the following at 2:52 PM on Mar 5:
Motte: Glad to hear you were able to stave off student loan debt. I wish my views on family had been so-aligned when I took out $160,000 to pay for a law degree. I'm not currently in a position to start a family (single gal praying boldly here), but am already worried about how my debt load will affect my family's future options. Granted, my degree has opened many doors for me, but in the end, it has closed many doors that I would prefer to remain open!
P&P: Yup...I fit your description perfectly!
7. Carrie (the original) said the following at 3:08 PM on Mar 5:
"But I've found that sometimes not choosing more education is a risk worth taking. Even for English majors."
That made me chuckle. Thanks, Motte.
As an undergrad English major, I came into the workplace with an abundance of people skills and close to actual work skills. I'm now trying to figure "advanced degree or just working on my professional skills". It's a tough choice.
Good thing that more education is not afforable right now.
8. Seni said the following at 4:31 PM on Mar 5:
I am a lawyer, and I love my job. The Lord has blessed me with a great job and the ability to make my enormous student loan payments.
My husband is currently in law school. Yes, the sacrifices(financial and social)are not easy, but that's where we feel the Lord is leading us, so we are just following.
Just some advice:
1) Don't put a degree on hold to be a SAHM if you are not even dating or engaged. Too many of my friends are thirty-something and have no career or prospects for marriage. Go for the career; it's okay to give it up later to be an SAHM. (I haven't ruled out that option!)
2) Deciding whether to go to grad school is a decision between you and the Lord--after all, He knows you best!
3) Don't automatically assume that grad school is the "worldly" option. There is a lost world out there that includes educated and wealthy people. We need to shine our lights everywhere--that includes corporate America and the legal field.
9. Brian said the following at 4:59 PM on Mar 5:
I am grateful to have had the opportunity to pursue my MBA directly following my undergraduate degree, prior to my responsibilities as husband (and soon, father). When I was making this decision, I spoke with a friend of mine in his forties who said that he always figured he would go back, but then life (family, kids) became way too important to miss.
Motte, I'm proud of you for making that decision and trusting God in the outcome. I would encourage, however, young men who are single and aspire to be the sole wage-earner of a household to pursue an advanced degree. Education is experiencing inflation as well as currency, and many of the promising career paths today require a masters degree.
10. Kellie said the following at 5:44 PM on Mar 5:
My mom went got her B.A. and her M.A. while raising three kids. The house was a little messier and more dinners were of the take-out variety, but we all loved and well taken care of. She also had a 4.0 throughout her college career. I'm not quite sure how she managed that!!
11. Ashley said the following at 7:57 PM on Mar 5:
I know I certainly had a hard time deciding whether to go to law school or not. Debt is certainly not something I am looking forward to dealing with. However, I am confident that just as the Lord opened doors and paved the way for me to get here, He will show me and my future husband how to lead our financial and career lives in a way that will not hinder His goals.
Life is a balance. Sometimes God puts something on our hearts to do, and so we should definitely do it. He will provide a way if it is His will. We just need to ask for His wisdom.
I can also say that it is so much easier for me to pursue this degree without a family to consider yet, although we do plan to get married before my third year. I can't imagine the incredible sacrifice and challenge it would be to have children and be in law school (or grad school in general). My career choices after school will certainly be influenced by my desires to start a family eventually.
basically - Follow God, He won't mislead you. Education can be a necessary component of achieving His goals sometimes.
12. Andrew (tlw) said the following at 8:28 PM on Mar 5:
So much education … for so much cost … for how much learning?
Higher education used to describe anything beyond school. But “qualification inflation” suggests a graduate degree is becoming necessary.
I disagree. Higher education is a self-sustaining industry that feeds on the young. Graduate schools do the same thing, except to older students. Most of what we learn in college is unnecessary and irrelevant. Experience will usually count for more than a string of letters. Provided you can get an interview for the job.
Whilst some professions like engineering can’t be learned on the job (“what do you mean the bridge collapsed again?”), there are plenty that can be.
I have a grad degree, gotten cheaply and done part time whilst working. It is in a different industry to where I currently work. Sure, it looks impressive on the resume. But I could have learned the same stuff by just getting a job in that industry. And every job I’ve had since college (most of which were “degree mandatory”) could have been done by a school-leaver with a good work ethic.
Don’t get me wrong. I enjoy learning and spent far too much time earning multiple degrees in college. But it’s an insular environment. It is too easy to put off dealing with reality, because the mindset is very tempting: “I don’t have to grow up yet; I’m just a college student.”
Conclusion? Years of specialised learning means we end up knowing a great deal about very little at all. And any profession that requires an expensive grad degree as the price of admission is probably a highly regulated, status-rich, state-sponsored cartel. The high wages in these professions are usually the result of restricted supply and legislative support for maintaining “standards” by “registering” the practitioners.
Mike Theemling, can we hear your thoughts on this? I always find your input good to read . . .
13. Christina said the following at 8:32 PM on Mar 5:
Seni,
Thing is, my degree doesn't need a graduate degree to make decent money.
And if I'm single, what's the need for an over abundance of money?
However, if while I'm single, I put in money towards my education, I'll be paying off more debt when/if I do get married. I'm already doing so with the undergrad degree.
In the long run, just isn't worth it.
14. Amy P. said the following at 8:42 PM on Mar 5:
Hey Anna from #6! Girl, let me just encourage you to live as frugally as possible and pay, pay, pay that debt away! If you live very frugally now as a single woman you can pay debt off very very quickly. This means forgoing the "new car" for the sake of driving the same old used car until it dies to save money.
This is what I did. I paid off just over $30,000 in 1.5 years by living frugally (w/my parents). This amount was approx have of my net salary. Although I am still praying boldly for the possibility of marriage. I know that when it comes that I have paid off my under-grad debt and am well on my way.
I would recommend the Crown Financial Ministries book "Your Money Map" by Howard Dayton if you are looking for budgeting advice and for a plan to become debt free by steady plodding.
I know that you can do it! God Bless!
15. Leah said the following at 9:57 PM on Mar 5:
My theory at the moment is that there are only three reasons to do an advanced/post-grad degree-
1. It is required for your profession. eg. in Australia it is required for Engineers and Psychologists to do Honours to become registered.
2. You're pretty much guaranteed to get a better job/better pay if you have this qualification.
3. You are simply genuinely interested in the subject matter and can do it debt-free (or be able to easily pay off the debt afterwards). (NB: In Australia this isn't as ridiculous as it sounds, most degrees only cost around $5000-$8000 a year, not the 20 or 30k a year in the US).
And girls- Seni is right when she says Don't put a degree on hold to be a SAHM if you are not even dating or engaged. Too many of my friends are thirty-something and have no career or prospects for marriage. Go for the career; it's okay to give it up later to be an SAHM.
Even if you are dating/engaged, still go for the career! If/when you get pregnant, you can cross it out.
16. Justice said the following at 10:29 PM on Mar 5:
Brian,
What you are saying makes since, but as a soon to be grad (16 days to be exact!) I have been given a lot of advice to wait a few years to start an MBA program, and these weren't negative people either.
Motte, so you never got a graduate degree? I have the same values, want my fiance to stay at home, live debt free, etc. How do you recommend this to people who live in expensive areas? I live in California, we are thinking of moving to Hawaii. Both places are pretty comparable in living expenses.
17. DannieA said the following at 12:11 AM on Mar 6:
Depends on the situation...but again it's a testament to the fact that getting married and having a family should take priority in your decision making once you have accepted family responsabilities....
18. S said the following at 4:41 AM on Mar 6:
The important distinction is that some jobs to require an advanced degree to be effective and successful in that position. I can do my job with a B.S. in engineering. While my sister requires a PhD in Chemistry to do her job.
19. a sassy sister said the following at 7:30 AM on Mar 6:
Bottom line:
No matter what we do professionally, we must take all the information learned and apply it to what we do to the best of our ability. If we don't, can we really say that we've learned and really taken advantage of our education? Please keep in mind that this is true whether you complete higher education or don't. Knowledge without application is useless, and that is something that affects all of us, regardless of our age, education, marital s tatus, or finances.
I think the best think we can do is not try to make everyone fit the way our lives were or are going. Some people may benefit from getting another degree. Some may not. No matter what the decision, it must be approached wisely, prayerfully, and carefully, with an honest assessment of the benefits and (REAL, not imagined) consequences of the decision.
Above all, however, we must realize that others(including society and culture) cannot make our choices about education and vocation for us. It still remains a choice we must make individually(even if we consider the impact our decisions have on others).
20. Sarah P. said the following at 8:01 AM on Mar 6:
Ya, I was a Lit major, and I seriously considered grad school. Many of the young women from my college have gone on to work on higher degrees, but to me it looks like they're "marking time" - they didn't much like the working world, and so they wandered back into academia. Now, I'm basically doing publicity in my current job, which I love - a mixture of journalism, media interactions, and website management. Fits me perfectly, and I'm learning a ton. My mother wanted me to earn a Master's in journalism, but I told her, "Why go for a Master's when I can just do journalism?" :D
I'm with Christina (#1). All of life is a learning experience. I'm in the middle of six different books right now, all of which I actually chose to read (being graduated is a lovely thing). I have been learning independent movie production and direction, and I am writing another script; also, I am thinking how best to edit and add to my 99-page senior project in order to convert it into a publishable book.
Not to mention that all of this is flexible, so that I can rearrange if I should meet a fascinating young man. If not - well - my days are full, useful, amd creative. I don't think I'm wasting my potential yet. :D
21. Marilyn B. said the following at 8:14 AM on Mar 6:
A big YES to those who suggested pursuing the advanced degrees *if you are still single/not dating*. The master's degree is much preferred over the bachelor's in so many fields. We have coached our kids to pursue education first. We know what difficult lives they will have if they remain single *and* less educated.
Though my husband is very competitive in his field (currently an IT professional) due to a wealth of varied experience, many of his peers are struggling to stay employed due to the absence of advanced degree.
22. Motte said the following at 12:37 PM on Mar 6:
Justice:
I answered (or should say, attempted to answer) your questions on this week's The Boundless Show. Look for it tomorrow afternoon.
Here's a question for you and your fiance to consider: Is your desire to live on one income a conviction or merely preference?
23. Lynne said the following at 1:08 PM on Mar 6:
What an interesting thread! I have two pieces to contribute.
First, I chose to pursue multiple graduate degress, and my husband and i chose to delay having kids until I finished (or the last year as it turned out : ) Even though we are old and tired, it's definitely been a good choice for us and we feel like God has blessed us family and work wise.
That being said, there are a LOT of resources available outside of the traditional grad school options. Career counselor/coach (Marty Nemko, not a Christian) in California has a lot of resources on his web-site about exploring career development options outside of grad school. Having worked as a career counselor, I think it's very worthwhile stuff to read and think about.
24. obewan said the following at 1:13 PM on Mar 6:
Comment 21 reg. IT:
"...many of his peers are struggling to stay employed due to the absence of advanced degree."
As a former IT professional, it seemed clear to me that lack of relevant programming languages was more the driver of unemployment than lack of an advanced degree. The person with a community college course in Java programming or website design would be in line for a job before the person with a MS in THEORY of database design in many cases. My problem was that I could no longer keep up. I went to night school for 10 years and amassed 248 credit hours, but never earned an advanced degree. In the IT field it can become a real treadmill. The technology changes every 2-3 years, and it is widely agreed that industry rather than academia has the fast track to the latest technology. When I was in school, it was widely agreed that the schools were 5 years behind the employers on technology transfer. By the time a language was widely taught, it was no longer the latest and greatest thing. In MANY cases, the only professors who could teach “real world CURRENT programming skills” were those who worked in the daytime (in a high tech job), and taught night courses (to other working professionals). Grad school programs at night were tough and hard find, and I found in my case that the local community college actually had better courses in some cases than the ivy league grad school program I was paying $30k a year to attend.
Bill Gates is a good case in point. He dropped out of an Ivy League undergrad program to found Microsoft and became (until recently) the richest man in the world.
25. Mark said the following at 2:11 PM on Mar 6:
I chose to go to graduate school twice, and am grateful for the opportunities that each program offered. The first time I enrolled, I wanted to do something other than be a lab technician (nothing wrong with that at all) and ended up in a job for two years that I didn't like. A little bit of deliberation and prayer and I decided that I wanted to go back to school again and use it as a chance to relocate since I have no dependents and no girlfriend to consider. My goal was to put myself into a position to teach college, but I ended up getting an industry job after graduation.
Along the way, God showed me a lot of the problems in my life, I learned about the meaning of being part of a body of Christ and helped to plant a church in an area with a lot of unchurched and dechurched people.
I wouldn't trade the experience for anything: I grew spiritually, got a great job (am well paid for it, too) and now live in an area I really enjoy. To boot, since the degrees were science & engineering, I was able to get assistantships to cover the cost of school and living.
26. Justice said the following at 2:56 PM on Mar 6:
Motte,
I would say conviction, I've planned on doing that since I was a teenager, my fiance has always wanted to stay home as well. It's not really an option for her to work, not in a caveman type way, it's what we are planning on. Anyhow, I'll listen to the podcast this weekend and check it out. We're serious about moving to Hawaii :) Feel free to email me
27. Marci said the following at 4:41 PM on Mar 6:
Ummm...
Well, no matter what, follow the Lords leading. To be honest, though, I certainly wouldn't advise most people to skip advanced degrees. Back in the day, people with advanced degrees/more education were regularly looked over in favor of those from more "hands on" programs - but now that those with advanced degrees are willing to work for similar pay (to start, at least) this isn't a real issue. I mean, if you had to pick between two people who would work for the same pay and one had more education, who would you pick?
Another note: if you're a minority, it's best to get an advanced degree come what may. I will shamelessly admit that when I one day have children, I will incessantly reinforce the need for minorities to have advanced degrees (for obvious reasons ...advanced degrees of caliber prove that you attained grades most people didn't/have smarts many people don't; you ward off the steotypes that an employer may have about hiring a person of a certain racial background).
So sad, but still so true! But it's nothing new - immigrants often have tons of education, and the children of immigrants are prone to following suit to increase chances of professional developement.
Blessings
[sigh]
28. Leah said the following at 5:55 PM on Mar 6:
I'd also point out it varies from country to country- for eg. Marilyn (#21) said her husband's peers struggle to stay employed in the IT industry because they only have undergrad degrees. However, in Australia, the people I know with post-grad IT degrees have said it wasn't worth it and getting out into the workforce would have been more valuable. My fiance, who is in the IT industry, has only an undergrad degree, and every job ad he's ever looked at is searching for people with an undergrad degree AND (usually around 3-5 years) EXPERIENCE. The post-grad degree + no experience is no more impressive in Australia's IT industry than an undergrad degree + experience. It's not really a matter of struggling to STAY employed, it's a struggle to GET employed as a grad. Once you're employed, generally your chances just go up and up (provided you stay up to date as technology evolves).
I think experience is generally more valuable than post-grad degrees.
29. AEB said the following at 8:30 AM on Mar 7:
I intend to go back for a MA in Lit when I'm in my late 30s or so. My parents are both college professors, and I can see myself doing that in midlife when my (theoretical atm) children are old enough to fend for themselves. I hold a BA in English and had a terrible time getting a job after graduation because I had no experience, although perhaps I wasn't creative enough in where I looked. I am currently working as a technical writer, but am wondering if I should take a class to improve my chances of promotion.
On the other hand, my husband has only a few college credits and is a very capable IT guy. He is younger than I and I am afraid he is being passed over because of his youth and his lack of a degree--any degree. I've found that companies don't care what your degree is in, they just want to see that you have the discipline to get one.
30. A.M.C. said the following at 11:58 PM on Mar 7:
Motte-- Now you've mentioned this issue, I could definitely use some advice if you don't mind.
==> Which factors should a young man more than half-way through college take into consideration in terms of further education if there had been major changes in his career plans? Such is my case:
==============================
* I was a "solid pre-med" by the end of high school, but since I was interested in medical research back then, and I knew that having a back-up plan would be wise, I went with an engineering major instead. During my first two years of college, however, I gradually lost interest in both a clinical career and medical research, but instead started to feel called to settle locally to serve the city. After further thought and months of praying, I did a 6-week-long service project during the summer of 2007 (in which I was assigned to help at a Christian health clinic), only to confirm my earlier suspicions that I might have a gift in administration.
* To make a long story short, I ended up deciding not to veto healthcare entirely, but to seriously consider health management as a career option. But that would cost me two more years, as it would require at least a Master's degree. Furthermore, although my parents are willing to (and have been able to) pay for the portion of my education costs not covered by institutional grants, they're concerned that my "new plan" might be worse than my "back-up plan." [According to their research, I would have worse job opportunities and earn less if I go into health management instead of using the B.S. in Chemical Engineering that I'll get in 2009 (which may be sufficient for a job in the pharmaceutical or bio-tech industry).]
==============================
==> So, college debt is *NOT* an issue here. The issue is whether getting further education to pursue my dreams is worth it if it means getting a job that I might prefer, but at the cost of reduced financial security and, therefore, possibly a lesser chance of being able to get married later AND support my future family on just one income.
[In my case specifically, the outlook of my new plan isn't as grim as it looks, at least according to some of the sources given by my college's pre-professional office. Besides, I can honestly say that I strive to live a simple lifestyle (partly with the idea of preparing myself for the possibility of "downward mobility" later). But I'm sure that my situation is not unique-- surely such a "reality check" would be an issue for many others, such as the humanities majors (Motte, I'm glad that you made it :-)
31. Jill said the following at 10:29 PM on Mar 10:
Justice,
Sorry this is a little late--I didn't have time to read the comments, and didn't catch your question until I heard it on the boundless show. Maybe you are still reading--I hope so.
My husband and I moved to Hawaii immediately following our wedding. We have lived on O'ahu for the past 3 and a half years, and are expecting our first child next month. To offer you a little encouragement--we have lived on my husband's income the entire time we've lived here and I will be quitting my job as a school teacher in order to stay at home with our baby.
We've been able to make this choice because we live frugally--we have one car (a little older, but we bought it outright), we ride the bus, we don't eat out a lot, we rent a small cottage, and we don't ever carry a balance on our credit card. We were blessed to make it out of school without debt, so we've been saving pretty much every penny I make since we moved here. Granted, we've waited a few years to start our family, but some financial discipline has allowed us to make me staying home an option for us (in fact, we wouldn't have moved here if we had not been able to financially make that choice).
I know the high cost of living can be discouraging, but I wanted to encourage you because living in Hawaii has been a wonderful experience for us. We love the place (of course!), but it has also been really healthy for us to "leave and cleave" during our first years of marriage. You have to evaluate your own situation, but it has been great for us.
God bless!
32. BDB said the following at 9:42 PM on Mar 11:
A.M.C. (#30)...
You're tryng to choose between Chemical Engineering and Health Management? There's a huge difference in what you do career-wise. Do you want to work long hours for a pharmaceutical company? Or do you want to work in a public-health bureaucracy moving paper around?
With an MPH, there are, indeed, a number of well-paying jobs in administration in hospitals and other health-care organizations. Of course, you'll be looked down on by all the M.D.'s, but hey...
33. BDB said the following at 10:06 PM on Mar 11:
A.M.C. - here's another thing you can try: a job search.
Go to www.monster.com and for your key word, type in the degree name. Sort by areas with 30 miles of the city you want to live in. That will give you an idea of what is available for a B.S. or M.P.H.
34. A.M.C. said the following at 4:20 PM on Mar 13:
Re: BDB (#32-33)
Thanks for the reply-- I'm surprised that someone would actually dig into an older thread.
* Now you've mentioned monster.com as a reality check, I've given more thought to the problem that I'm currently facing. Since I would prefer not to waste more time, I'm actually looking into an MHS program instead an MPH program. [For some reason, they require applicants to MPH programs to have 2 years of work experience or another degree above the Bachelor's level.] After all, the MHS program is more specialized, plus second year of the program includes a 11-month-long paid internship, which would surely help in transitioning to a "real job" later.
==> But reality strikes-- there are literally zero results within 30 miles of my desired region for the MHS degree, at least according to monster.com. (This concern is real. Although I'm definitely willing to relocate if needed, the signal that I might be called to settle locally to serve in a specific city has only gotten stronger since 2007-- to the extent that this issue is now a higher priority than my affinity toward any specific career. Basically, I've already come to terms with myself that "I'm willing to do whatever the Lord asks me to do HERE.")
* Now you see why I've been making it an intentional effort to live simply whenever possible-- since I cannot be sure what kind of job I'll be getting when my top priority is "following God's will" (which I have perceived to be serving a specific city), I basically told myself that I cannot count on being able to make a specific annual income, and thus must prepare for the worst in terms of budgeting.
==> On the bright side, though, there are quite a few options with the B.S. Given the fact that I've been able to keep a 3.8+ GPA over the first five semesters of college despite my difficult classes, I think I do have the potential of actually excelling as a chemical engineer. It's just that my level of interest for a back-up plan is obviously low. I would probably rate the idea of working for a pharmaceutical company as 5 to 6 out of 10-- although it's not something I would be passionate about, I wouldn't hate it either.
* Then again, since I tend to see myself as a "jack of many trades" or sorts [definitely not "all trades"-- I might be above average in multiple fields, but definitely not all of them], you could argue that my preference for other career fields wouldn't be much higher either. So, just from a practical standpoint, it seems that I might as well forget about my new plan entirely, but to start the job search with my engineering degree instead. Alternatively, if two years of time is not too costly an investment (remember, tuition is not an issue), I could always go ahead with applying for the MHS program, only to fall back on the option of getting an engineering job if the outlook for health management isn't too good.
==> Bottom line: I'm not that worried about my future right now (at least when compared to how I felt a year ago, when I was struggling with whether to stay as a pre-med or not). Surely the Lord will make a way, and I can glorify Him no matter what kind of job I end up taking...
35. Alicia said the following at 5:30 PM on Mar 13:
Wow Kellie! What an inspiration your mom is to me--finishing her BA and MA with a 4.0 AND raising kids! What an educational hero in my eyes! :)
I'm still single, so I don't have the obligations of my own family to take care of, but I still have obligations to my parents, siblings and extended family. I'm working full time and going to school (almost) full time, plus working in various ministry roles at Church.
Rather than fighting "against the tide," I've been greatly blessed to have parents and a family who is willing to help me and we work together as a team so that I can get things with school finished. I think that when you have encouragement and support from other people in your life, that it makes things a little easier.
I can't speak from a position of being married and having kids, because I'm not in either of those situations. But I will say that pursuing your education alongside your career/work is possible....demanding, but definitely possible. If you have the dream and the passion to accomplish it, I believe that there are ways of making it happen. :) I think that it is different for each person because each person has different personal goals.
If you have the drive, determination and time (and are really good at keeping a schedule and being persistent with coordinating everything), then I think that it's a good option for you. If however, you feel as though you are going to be overburdened, then that is okay to. We are all called to work in different situations and I think that God will bless both if we are faithful in what He is calling us individually to. :)
36. BDB said the following at 5:44 PM on Mar 13:
AMC:
Two other things to consider:
1) The good news about chemical engineering is that you can take other classes (like organic chemistry) that prepare you for work in the medical field. Every doctor had to take O-Chem as an undergraduate. So your time is not wasted.
2) You might want to consider a health-care internship. It's possible that the jobs you're looking at are only listed as "Masters preferred." Then a M.P.H. wouldn't come up, nor a M.S.H. But the departments at the schools you are applying to can tell you what job titles the degrees are good for.
I had a cousin go into the Peace Corps. She had a liberal arts degree, but did health and nutrition, since what Americans typically learn in high school is much more than people in some countries know. She came back and did her M.P.H. and works in a health bureaucracy somewhere now.
Working for a pharmaceutical company can transition to working as a pharmacist or something like that. There are lots of opportunities in health care. Good luck!
37. Elissa Wilson said the following at 10:39 PM on Aug 18:
20K try 40K!! This graduate student loan has practically become our "family pet", as Dave Ramsey calls it! The number never seems to decrease even after two years of payments. Wow. So I too attended the Institute in the Summer 2002 following graduating from a private university. Forgive me as I'm no English major but this dillemma of what to do with your life is continuing to plague me even now following completion of grad. school three jobs and three moves. Wow do I need a revelation! So now that my husband who is 31 has figured out he is going to pursue a graduate degree over the next 2 years I am continuing to pray, seek wise counsel, gain insight into Gods purpose for my life and take career apptitude exams. I was excited to hear of a new one today put out by Crown Financial called the Career Direct Complete Guidance System. No I'm not a spokes person just an co-journeyer in this matter. Thanks for your dialogue and thoughts on this matter. As Del Tackett says "remember the stones" that is those times the Lord almighty make your steps sure. In His Care, Elissa