<p>I have a bs in biology and another in agriculture. I've been out of school for 6 years but have been thinking of going back for a masters in agriculture. I'm single with no kids and 31 years old. I'm just not happy with where I am. I've had 3 jobs since graduating and just can't seem to find the one I want. It seems getting a master's would open up new doors....or should I just keep my current job as a crop consultant and work to where I want to be?</p>
<p>I suggest you do a lot of research as to what you can do with an advanced degree in agriculture and anything else. What the job prospects and wages will be. You also need to figure out how you will pay for it and your living expenses while you do this.</p>
<p>My son’s SO went back to school to get her master’s which is a very expensive endeavor for her. She did not get accepted to any of the state programs so she’s going to a private one. She’ll have borrowed $50-60K with interest by the time she is done. She lives with her parents, has a paid off car, and had some money save, plus her place of work contributed to some of the first term of the program which helps. But it’s been a rough haul for her even with her parents and my son picking up a lot of her living expenses. Her field is one that is in demand, and she can expect a $20K premium in annual pay over what she was making without the master’s which means that over 4 years, she’ll have made up for the loan she took out I believe her grandparents have also committed to helping her pay it off. She also has no undergraduate loans, nor does my son. </p>
<p>That the field does have the ready demand and is related to her previous work (and her mother’s) so she has inroads to the enhanced opportunities made this worthwhile financially. If it did not, I don’t know if it would have been worth it to her If she were doing this just for her personal fulfilment and interest, she’d be, say $50K in debt and still earning what she was before she took on this degree and I don’t see how she’d be able to pay that back in 10 years even at that pay level and still move on with other things in life. it would be a luxury she could not have easily afforded and really been a burden. </p>
<p>So you take the cost of what a program that you are considering is going to cost and how you are going to pay for it. Is it worth what you may have to pay for it for years after the fact, if it isn’t going to enhance your employment possibilities and pay? </p>
<p>I have an offer for a graduate assistantship. I would have my school covered plus receive a $18000 stipend. I would say with a masters there will be an immediate 10 to 30k salary increase.</p>
<p>If you have financial aid which covers a large portion of your expenses, then the only question is whether you can make do with the lower income. From what you say, you are really not happy in your current position so this decision might be easier. In addition, if you say that new doors open with a Masters, then this seems like ao positive factor in your decision.</p>
<p>In that case, what’s holding you back? Nice offer-- most Master’s students do not get funded. Timing is great window of opportunity…</p>
<p>Just worried about insurance as I will have to go with Obamacare. So i am not too old to be a full time student? Finances will be tight but I believe I could make it.</p>
<p>There’s no such thing as “Obamacare.” The Affordable Care Act opened the way for healthcare exchanges, so you’re mandated to buy insurance on the private market. But the private healthcare insurers who provide insurance now are the same ones that did before the ACA passed - Humana, Aetna, Blue Cross/Blue Shield, etc. It’s just that now their individual, non-employer based plans are supposedly more affordable. The other thing is that as a full-time student, you’ll be eligible for a lower-cost health insurance plan through the university. They are usually provided by a big insurer - my university uses Aetna, for example. They’re typically $2-4K per year. In fact, if you have funding, it might be covered already.</p>
<p>And no, you’re not too old to be a full-time student. Several of my friends in master’s and doctoral programs were in their 30s when they began; one person in cohort was 34 when she started. She’s had two children during her time here.</p>