<p>I graduated from NYU Stern with a business degree but I didn't really enjoy the classes and now I'm having a difficult time finding a decent job that I like. I also don't think I really fit in in the finance/business industry, which probably doesn't help when I'm at interviews. So I'm looking to change paths. I took a couple of computer science classes my last year at NYU and I really liked them and did really well in them. So I'm thinking of going back to school for computer science. I also minored in math so I have taken linear algebra, calc 3, diff eq, and discrete math. I graduated in 2011 if that matters.</p>
<p>So the question is should I get a second bachelors or go for a masters? I already have tons of debt from NYU so I don't want to spend a lot of money whichever route I choose. I was thinking of maybe doing a second bachelors at somewhere like USC (I was accepted by them before for economics and they offered me a really great financial aid package but i turned it down for NYU, not so smart decision financially...). USC grad admissions said that the computer science master's program was intended for students with extensive background in computer science so grad school isn't an option at USC. USC undergrad said my liberal arts classes at NYU could probably cover most of their liberal arts requirements so I would probably only have to spend 1.5/2 years to get the bachelor's. I live in NYC so I could also try to go to City College or Brooklyn College for a masters for not much money, but then I would have to take the prerequisite undergrad classes before taking grad classes. Which option do you think would land me the better jobs/makes the most sense? I'm also open to other schools in big cities that would offer me generous financial aid packages like USC.</p>
<p>Get the Bachelors. Companies (and schools) are starting to notice all the people jumping on the CS bandwagon and coming back for a MS in CS with a non CS undergrad. In many cases, the professionally oriented MS CS programs tend to have watered down versions of the undergrad classes. I’d say a BS CS carries more weight than solely a MS CS. However, a BS CS/EE + MS CS trumps both in my previous sentence.</p>
<p>I don’t think you are going to get ‘generous financial aid packages like USC’ for you 2nd Bachelors.</p>
<p>Did you do a search in this forum for the information given for the many similar queries? Maybe some info there. At least you have the math necessary, so that’s a plus.</p>
<p>I would suggest to go for a nationally accredited colleges(DETC oriented) which are 50% cheaper than any other option you have. Try finding some ‘hands on’ kind of degree like that focus more on programming, development than any other thing, example. A masters from Aspen apparently looks like a community college program, but believe me you’ll get a job based on ur learning :)</p>
<p>Unfortunately, you will never see a “generous financial aid package” again because you are no longer a first-year student. You are also not technically a transfer student (having already earned a bachelors degree elsewhere), so those options are gone as well. Few colleges offer much aid for a second bachelors degree. However, they may allow you to transfer in credits for the general electives which can save you some time and money. There may be small scholarships you can apply for, but most are reserved for first-year or transfer students. You can look at outside scholarships, but again, make sure there are no guidelines about first-year/transfer vs. second bachelors. </p>
<p>You would do best to look at cheap in-state options. Maybe start with community college, take the basic 100/200 level CS courses, and then transfer that to a 4-year school to finish the rest. If you owe a substantial amount of student loan debt, I would personally make an effort to find a job first, work for a few years and pay it down as much as possible before returning to school to take on more debt. If you really aren’t able to secure full-time employment, then I would take any reasonable job, even if it’s not related to your major, and work your way toward the 2nd bachelors either part-time or full-time, depending on your work schedule.</p>
<p>First of all, I think you’re jumping the gun with graduate school/second bachelor’s. My first inclination is to suggest that you just keep trying to find work that interests you. Working in a particular field is completely different from “taking a couple of…classes,” so you have no idea that you’d like working in CS just because you took a few classes. I personally think you should take more time finding a job that you like. Switch fields - if you don’t like finance, a general business degree from a school like Stern should help you find jobs in a variety of fields - marketing/advertising, general management, perhaps even human resources or something. Many jobs are not major specific, too, so if you have good math skills you may be able to get a more quantitative job like at a test-prep agency or something similar.</p>
<p>If you are really bent on getting this degree, you’re not going to get into a CS master’s program without the prequisite classes. So you have two choices: 1) getting the prerequisites as a non-degree student at your local public college, and then getting an MS; or 2) getting a second bachelor’s degree in CS. If you already have a couple of CS classes (2-3), most majors in CS are about 10 courses, so you would only need 6-8 more courses. Then you could get the MS from City or Brooklyn.</p>
<p>You need to minimize your debt, too. USC is not going to give you a great financial aid package anymore, since this is your second bachelor’s.</p>
<p>You also might consider getting a master’s in a computer/business oriented field that does not have extensive CS requirements, like IT. Baruch College offers an MS in Information Systems, for example. You may also be interested in something like statistics or business analytics, which can use a considerable amount of computers and programming. Baruch offers an MS in statistics; Hunter College offers an MA in applied math with a concentration in statistics; and NYU Stern offers an MBA with a concentration in business analytics. Columbia also offers an MS in statistics as well as actuarial science and mathematics of finance.</p>