Engineering or accounting masters with a liberal arts BA

Graduate School
1

<p>I have a bachelors in political science. </p>

<p>I have always wanted to be an engineer and I did pretty well in some accounting courses in college. </p>

<p>As I understand it there are masters programs where a specific undergrad degree is not needed and prerequisites can be substituted. From looking at these I am guessing I would need about 30 credits in prereqs on either path And about 5 more years of school total.</p>

<p>If I can't qualify for an engineering masters program even with prereqs, or there are too many needed, would a second undergrad in engineering be worth it?</p>

<p>Are my expectations reasonable?
Would one be a better career path than the other?<br>
Is it worth it to go through all this?
Anyone have a similar experience?</p>

<p>For background.
I am 27, currently a police officer in a mid size city and I want a career change. I am 4 years into my current career and having a blast. I am very good at my job but I have already reached my top pay and will never make more than I do now which is depressing. I work a ton of weird hours and I can see the fun getting old. I originally took this path in hopes of getting a federal job but none of the agencies seem to value my experience very much. They have all the cops they need on the task forces. My friends are advancing and becoming comfortable in careers and life. Mean while I cant imagine having kids with my erratic schedule and a wife that also works a lot. </p>

<p>I could go to the suburbs, make more money have a better schedule and quality of life but if I'm gonna do that I would rather just start a new career altogether. It's always a fall back plan but I don't want to be a rural cop.</p>

2

<p>Before you decide, keep in mind your retirement benefits. If you’re under a defined benefit plan, you might be better off sticking with it until you’re vested. Many plans allow PO to retire after 20 years and that’s when many start a second career. </p>

<p>I was lucky enough to fall into a state retirement plan job. At the time, I didn’t think anything about it. Now, I’m glad I did as it provides pension and medical benefits, making our retirement possible.</p>

3

<p>If you want engineering and you live in a major metropolitan area, you might be able to find a university which offers some of the prerequisite courses you want to take in the evening or online. It is probably better to get a second B.S. for engineering but for accounting, you may be able to get right into a graduate program.</p>