Hi Everyone,
I am looking to pursue a Master’s Degree, and could use some guidance.
I graduated from the University of Miami in 2015, earning a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration (marketing major, psychology minor). I currently work for Bloomingdale’s; I completed the company’s Executive Development Program, and am now a Sales Manager. The work is unfulfilling, and so I seek to further my education in a field that is more meaningful to myself and society.
Recently, my mind has been on pursuing:
-Disaster management & emergency sciences
-Homeland/national security
-Law enforcement
-Something that involves authority, politics, military, investigations, policing, crisis situations, and the like.
-Based on these, I think a Master’s in Public Administration might be right for me.
Other interests I am seriously considering:
-Automotive industry & sports cars (second bachelor’s in engineering?)
-Animal science & behavior
-Computer science (another second bachelor’s scenario)
-MBA (focus on finance or something more technical than my undergraduate work)
-Master’s of Information Systems (blend business background with technological aspirations)
Advice on my proposed directions, and tips on narrowing them down? Recommended schools, programs, or locations?
I’m at the outset of this process, so any information - general or specific - is welcome.
Thank you very much!!
The single best advice is to go get a job in any one of the areas you list, and learn more about the field, what areas you enjoy (and don’t), and what, exactly, having a Masters would get you.
Investing in a Masters degree without a clear objective is a good way to waste time and money, and right now it seems that you not only don’t have an objective but you don’t even have a clear field of interest.
Have you looked at jobs in any of those fields?
Consider looking into MIS (management information systems) it’s sort of a combination of CS and Business, your business background would be an advantage going in.
Mandalorian:
Thanks for the input. The MIS degree is on my list of possible pursuits. The University of Florida offers this degree; I live in Florida, so the in-state tuition is an advantage. Curious if this would require the GMAT or GRE for entry…?
classof18student:
I enjoyed UM for the most part. Manageable class sizes, quality of professors, and diverse student body were great. Career center is good. Solid camaraderie in the dorms, but the living spaces themselves are small and old - shared bathrooms, which was gross at times. Beautiful campus, however many parts of it were under construction when I was there. I guess this is kind of a good thing… it’s clear the school is physically expanding (new medical center and student activities center). Greek life was a big part of socializing, and seemed to grow as I was there - although I did not participate. Students are generally very privileged, and some are snobbish about it - Louis Vuitton bags, Porsches, etc. Lots of clubs and extracurricular activities, my favorite of which was the radio station. Lots of school/sports pride - THE U!! Expensive tuition. In retrospect, I might have gone to UF to save money, yet still get the “good school” reputation… but I do not regret the education nor the people I met.
Collegemom3717 has the best advice. So far your list of options has a lot of really disparate fields on there - law enforcement/disaster management/homeland security is already a pretty broad area, but animal science is very different, and computer science is yet another really different field. It’s pretty normal not to know what you want to do yet even when you’ve recently graduated college, so you need to figure that out before you go pay for a master’s degree. Working in the field - or trying an internship or volunteering, where it makes sense - is the best way to figure that out.
Thanks for the advice everyone.
Been applying to some positions on USAJOBS.gov (federal employment) to see what responses I get. I think this is a good place to start. I am open to relocation, which is an advantage.
I will definitely check out some volunteering.
Look beyond USAJOBS too - federal jobs are great, but they are competitive and they can take a really long time to get back to you (if they ever do). Also look at nonprofits, NGOs, think tanks, consulting firms, local and state government and police departments, and even private companies that do this kind of work (many contract with the federal government).
Great, thank you very much.
I sent a few applications to American Red Cross. I will continue the search.
I’d recommend that you try to leverage your marketing degree. Nonprofits (disaster relief?) are always looking for good folks to help with outreach, whether on the donor side or community. The pay won’t be great starting out – but then neither is retail. Get you foot in the door and see what you can do.
Good luck.