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[Arkos]

Hey guys, I'm interested in going back to school for a graduate degree and was wondering where to start. I graduated with 2 BA's in 2010. Potentially interested in fields not directly related to my undergrad degrees. I thought getting a good GRE prep book might be a good place to start figuring out what kind of stuff I need to review or (re-) learn. I was also considering calling for an appointment with an advisor at the school / program I might be interested in, is that a thing that people do? Or how else would I get advice on / learn about the programs, what they would require, and how to fund this endeavor?

Any tips on good GRE prep books / materials, or other advice on going to grad school after a long-ish break?

 

[ThatStupidLion]

interested to know too - my undergrad is animation/vfx, and was interested in get a postgrad degree in business, graphic design, or comp sci. something where I could move higher than a skill based lead animator. i'd love to do an engineering or science degree too, but dont think my undergrad would help much there.

 

[STI]

Unless it's required for your career or you are getting paid for school, don't bother with higher education. Employers don't care. Work experience matters way more than education .

Edit: that's why exp is placed all the way on top and education is placed at the bottom of the resume

 

[Mihos]

Get a kick ass trapper keeper!

 

[Vicetrailia]

Unless it's required for your career or you are getting paid for school, don't bother with higher education. Employers don't care. Work experience matters way more than education .

Edit: that's why exp is placed all the way on top and education is placed at the bottom of the resume

That's not exactly true. Just having a MS vs a BS in some careers can automatically boost your salary 18k. Some careers pay off more with a graduate degree than others though. So it just depends on what they want to do. This also applies to certifications, you can demand more in the same role for having one come negotiation time.

 

[*Nightwing]

That's not exactly true. Just having a MS vs a BS in some careers can automatically boost your salary 18k. Some careers pay off more with a graduate degree than others though. So it just depends on what they want to do. This also applies to certifications, you can demand more in the same role for having one come negotiation time.

Another point to add to this I never realized until recently, that a close friend and I both lost our jobs over a year ago: I actually get calls and interview requests and job offers for the same jobs we apply to and he does not even get a dear John thanks for applying, and I help him with his resume and applications, and he used to be my supervisor. And the difference is I have a B.A. And he only has high school diploma. I never realized how a degree opens the doors for you when looking for any type of work.

As to a graduate degree this has been my experience; I was thinking bout it for years, but depending on the course of study, you might have to complete pre-requisit classes before even applying, and those would be out of your pocket since they are not part of an actual degree program, you might be inelligable for financial aid (in my case I have a degree in business and wanted to go with a master's in computer science which is on the extreme side of incomparable programs of study needing a lot of pre-req clases). So I'd really recommend looking over all the different programs you are interested in, check to see what pre-req are needed, and evaluate to see if it's even feasible to begin the process.

I went ahead and just began and enrolled in an undergrad degree in computer science, transferring credits from my general education classes and my only regret so far is wasting so much time in not just going for it originally, as I'd be done by now, but c'est la vie

 

[bigedole]

I'm an electrical engineer, I do SOC design. A Masters essentially starts you 2 years ahead, and a PhD about 4 years ahead of a Bachelors. After 6 or so years working in the industry, companies won't really care about your education anymore as experience is considered immensely more valuable. There were a lot of jobs available in my career field, I found it beneficial to start working immediately after getting the Bachelor's since you get to make money and build experience right away.

 

[joombo]

Any tips on good GRE prep books / materials, or other advice on going to grad school after a long-ish break?

I got a 330, and I only used the official materials: GRE test book, supplemental essay scoring, the official app. Additionally I recommend Magoosh, they have so many practice questions and thorough explanations for all of the questions. Remember when I was in grad school I used to buy essay online from time to time 'coz I don't have writing skills at all. It helped me to save my time and prepare for exams better. Good luck with studying!

 

[beanoboy7]

Applied Behavior Analysis

Thank me later

 

[Arkos]

I got a 330, and I only used the official materials: GRE test book, supplemental essay scoring, the official app. Additionally I recommend Magoosh, they have so many practice questions and thorough explanations for all of the questions. Remember when I was in grad school I used to buy essay online from time to time 'coz I don't have writing skills at all. It helped me to save my time and prepare for exams better. Good luck with studying!

Thank you! I appreciate the discussion about whether to go to graduate school, but what I was looking for was this - information assuming that I am and answering my questions. I'll look into these things.

 

[Tesseract]

only thing i'll say about this = make sure you do it for the right reasons

i'm sitting on a math phd and i kinda hate it because it's brought nothing but mental pain and scarring

 

[StreetsofBeige]

Only do it if you think it will help your career. And make sure to do the math and see if it's worth doing since FT studies means you aren't working (opportunity costs).

I have an MBA. Sounds great and all, but they have become a dime a dozen as every university churns them out since the fees are crazy.

Looking back, I think it helped me with my career. Then again, a more valuable usage of time might have been to skip the MBA and instead get a CA designation. Hindsight is 20/20 though.

 

[nephilimdj]

Unless it's required for your career or you are getting paid for school, don't bother with higher education. Employers don't care. Work experience matters way more than education .

Edit: that's why exp is placed all the way on top and education is placed at the bottom of the resume

Weird thing to say, masters or PHD in a lot of areas will 1.5 to double your income, from accounting to nursing.

 

[Arkos]

Any more advice on GRE material, or "where to start" as far as investigating programs (who to contact and how, etc.)?

I have a few different things in mind (this is very early research), and I do think I'm going to contact my undergrad and use some of their alumni services to investigate options and talk about what might be best. Any other advice like that?

If it helps I'm going to be changing fields so I won't have any direct experience in whatever field I decide on. My current job is just that, a job, rather than a career.