<p>I can not decide on what degree to go after. When I am looking for a degree to obtain I am looking for what jobs that degree will open up for me. Here are some facts; I will be obtaining my BSBA (bachelors of Science in Business Administration) with a minor in human recourses from DeVry University in two weeks. I want to immediately go and attain a graduate degree because I know that I will not be motivated to go back to school later on in my life and a DeVry degree is worthless. The school that I want to attend is CSU (California State University) Sacramento because I dont want to spend 5 times more money on a private school. Here is a link of all the graduate degrees that they offer. </p>
<p>My strengths are that I am a:
Outstanding leader
Strong problem solver
Effective public speaker
Good mathematical skills
Excellent understanding of concepts
Superb reasoning skills</p>
<p>My weaknesses are that I:
Have problems writing constantly
Do not have the most extensive vocabulary
Hate remembering useless information that will not benefit me
Do not like to be doing the same thing over and over again
Like to use my brain</p>
<p>What I think are good carrier characteristics are:
A salary of around 75k to 100k
To rarely work more than 40 hours a week
A job that should be around for 40 years
The job to be is somewhat of demand
That maybe requires a license</p>
<p>What I think are bad carrier characteristics are:
A job that will not get affected much by outsourcing or of shoring
The ability to get the job without a degree in that field
The lack of critical thinking involved that the employee is more like a tool than a person
An inconsistent salary (like contractors)</p>
<p>I know that I am not going to find a perfect job that fits me to the T but I would like to at least like to get one that comes close. I have thought about getting a MBA (Masters of Business Administration) but I am not sure I want to do it because I am kind of scared of the business world, the MBA is not necessary to become a manager, and it is kind of getting devalued. Please correct me if I am wrong. So what degree do you think I should apply for?</p>
<p>You want to grad school - a highly demanding course of study and (generally) research. Why would they admit you if your "DeVry degree is worthless"? The school is unranked on any listing I can find, so grad schools are likely to agree with your self-assessment and put you in the auto-reject pile. The program gives them no reason to expect that you are ready for graduate study.</p>
<p>The job you are looking for ($75-100k, ~40 hrs/wk for 40 years, etc.) is not one you are going to find with an undergrad from any but the best universities. With a grad degree in the right field, it becomes possible but still unlikely. Especially in the near-term hiring climate.</p>
<p>My suggestion: go find a job. If you do not know what you want to do, you are not ready for grad school - grad school produces specialists. You will also need some time to produce the kind of miracle that will get a reputable grad program to admit you.</p>
<p>As far as what kind of grad study to pursue? The only thing that comes to mind is the MBA. You do not seem to have a future in research. And DeVry even has its own MBA program.</p>
<p>I'm actually curious to know what the options are for Devry graduates. I've always been told that Devry is not regionally accredited (just nationally), and for that reason, their credits do not transfer to other schools (and their degree will not be recognized). The end result is that Devry is a vocational school. </p>
<p>But a quick Google search shows that they are regionally accredited, so I'm a little confused about their standing in academia.</p>
<p>You're getting a degree in Business Administration, but you're "kind of scared of the business world"? That's a little contradictory, but I assume you mean you don't want to get a degree that will push you into a big corporate mess and would prefer to focus on entrepreneurial or franchise ventures. No, you do not need an MBA for this, but also, you should not expect to come that close to those rather stringent requirements for your dream job. Most people with masters degrees, contrary to what little miss octuplets believes, would be lucky to break $60k (sorry, she really ticks me off). And working no more than 40 hours a week for it? You'll have to be employed by a big oil company with cash to burn to pull that off, and those companies probably will go under before the 40-year mark, if the current depletion of natural fuels and boom of public interest in alternative energy continues at its current rate.</p>
<p>Why did you go to DeVry? Given that you have "superb reasoning skills" and "like to use your brain," this was an odd choice. Was money tight? MBA's are very expensive, even from public schools, and students are almost never offered aid for them because the majority of applicants (a) have been in some sort of management position for a couple of years at least and (b) are willing to pay or are employed by companies who are willing to pay for their education.</p>
<p>I agree with fish that right now your best option is to find a job (though I'm not sure I agree that you would be placed in the auto-reject pile). Don't be afraid that you won't want to go back to school later; if you're anything like what you've described, if you need to you will. Use your after-hours to research careers that might be good for you.</p>
<p>Become a highway patrolman. Sure you have to go to police academe, but starting salaries can easily be 75,000-100,000. Plus you can often retire by 55. I would look into that if I was you.</p>
<p>Sorry it took so long to reply back. Yes DeVry is regionally accredited to thank god I can transfer my credits over to another school. Yes money was tight and is still tight but I need to go back to school and find an employer instead of just finding an employer because I have loons that need to be paid off but I can keep differing payments if I am in school. The reason for why DeVry sucks is not that they aren't regionally accredited (because they are) it’s because they are not AACSB accredited. I know that I will most defiantly not get all of the above things when looking for a job but I can hopefully get at least some. O and BLAH2009 I did not say that I want to work less than 40 hours a week but rather 40 hours on the dot and make a decent living. Thank you guys for trying.</p>
<p>Staying in school just to keep up your loan deferments is kind of like running a Ponzi scheme on yourself. If that is really important to you, I would again recommend an employer with tuition reimbursement - as long as you are studying at least 1/2 time (evenings, probably) you can defer loans. A far better option would be to just find employment and start repaying the loans.</p>
<p>Credit transfer is relevant only when transferring mid-program. Your problem is program recognition - your odds of getting in are directly related to the admission committee's opinion of your prior school. This is affected by accreditation, but more by reputation and the success rate of prior graduates and current professors in your area of interest. You are not well off in this category.</p>
<p>You just do not seem a good match for any kind of research-based graduate program. You seem intent on postponing "real life" in the hopes that a few years down the road you will be able to have a great job doing something as yet undefined. The precise problem is that you have to define that something now, just to get in to grad school.</p>
<p>
[quote]
You seem intent on postponing "real life" in the hopes that a few years down the road you will be able to have a great job doing something as yet undefined.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Absolutely. You're taking shots in the dark at random careers based on what the local college that might accept you has to offer. That's a direct path to failure, but in graduate school and in life. </p>
<p>Take a few years off, figure out what you want to do with your life, then figure out the degree that will get you there, even if you have to take a lower paying job right now. There's more to life than money. Besides, it'll cost you much more in the long run to get a degree from Cal State then realizing that you hate the field.</p>
<p>My advice? Forget grad school. Get a life, take some risks, and find something you really love to do. It's the norm for people to be wandering around for a while after college graduation to find something that works for them.</p>
<p>Hello once again. A few things that I want to point out. 1: I will most defiantly be getting a full time job. 2: I want to go to graduate school part time not full time because like Cosmicfish said, you can defer your loans by going to school part time. 3: It absolutely makes no since to not go to grad school right now because of just the money that I could be saving if I do go right now. 6.8% interest is a lot and in this economy it will be hard for me to find an employer that can afford to pay me well enough that I could survive and make payments towards my loans without running out of money so that my credit score gets affected. At least if I go to grad school now than when I get a good job I could be paying of my loans for the next 3 years interest free which would save me a bunch of money. 4: I am not postponing real life (although I can see how someone could get that impression). I want to get a carrier now not later and I am still waiting for that dam degree so that I can start applying for some work. 5. Research degrees are not for me so no PhDs. 6. I am thinking of just going for an MBA. I made this post to see if there were any other degrees out there that would be a better fit for me but I am starting to think otherwise now. Although I was looking into getting an Ed.D (Education Doctorate). Hardly any research involved (many the practice of) and it has to do with administration which again is what I like to do. 7: Thank you all for the feedback it means a lot to me. I understand that I am many to blame for the confusion because I did not give that much information about myself and my situation. Keep the comments and opinions coming.</p>
<p>I would concur with others in this thread that grad school may not be for you at this time. Grad school is a big commitment and it is a commitment you should only make if you are genuinely passionate about specializing in a particular field.</p>
<p>i gotta agree, though. i think you may be best served starting to pay the loans with interest now rather than trying to get a graduate degree. the tuition you'd be paying would more than outweigh the interest on your loans. it would be extremely difficult to be admitted to a grad school with a degree from devry anyway.</p>
<p>All I know is that I am very passionate towards administration. In fact I don't what to do anything else. I think I will just do the MBA. A Carrier in education just might now be my thing. As long as I go for a degree that is leadership oriented I believe that I will do just fine.</p>
<p>First of all, you're supposed to decide what you want to do before you decide where you want to go. Graduate school isn't like undergrad -- it's a very focused course of study, and you have to have compelling reasons to go when you apply rather than 'I just thought a master's degree would be a good idea.' Furthermore, you are supposed to decide what you want to do first so you can select solid schools in your field.</p>
<p>So, like was already said, it would serve you much better to find a job and work for a couple of years, and then decide whether you actually need a graduate degree. Working will sharpen your focus and point to the degree you'd like to earn.</p>
<p>If you really can't afford to pay your student loans, you can put them into forbearance. But I find it interesting that you claim that you can't pay them and you haven't even tried to find a job yet that would allow you to pay them. Try first to find a job that will pay you enough to pay off those loans. You can go into graduated repayment or even extended repayment.</p>
<p>Depending on which Ed.D you get, there may indeed be a lot of research involved. Some Ed.Ds are research based and others are administration/services based. But in order to get an Ed.D you are going to need some experience in education or at least a compelling record showing an interest in educational policy and administration.</p>
<p>And the word is spelled "career." "Carrier" is a different word.</p>
<p>I find it interesting that he says that he can't pay his student loans, so he's going to get an additional degree and take on more student loans. </p>
<p>heero_sky, If you're going to work during the day and get a degree at night, wouldn't it make sense to get a degree in the same field as your career? I think you're catching so much heat in this thread because you're throwing out all sorts of potential degrees, and they're all different. There's the Ed.D (presumably because you like the idea of a doctorate), the MBA (because it's so common), then you post the entire CSU course catalog and ask for a suggestion. </p>
<p>If you at least get it down to a specific field (education, business, etc.), then you'll get more helpful responses. You're also more likely to get admitted. With a Devry degree, you're already starting off in the hole. If you want a college to admit you to a program (especially a doctorate), you're going to have to show very strong interest in a field. And program can sniff out people that are faking it.</p>