Serious thread: graduate degrees - http://www.mmcafe.com/ Forums


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Spoon
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"Serious thread: graduate degrees" , posted Fri 9 Apr 10:14:post reply

Though we know of two fabulous europeans who have been conferred titles here, I'm curious about anybody else who has or is pursuing an advanced degree.

I'm going to be starting on my MS somewhere this September (haven't decided yet), and I'm curious if anybody else has had experiences with graduate studies and life after it that they'd like to share. Was it everything you hoped it would be (and worse)? What did you decide to do afterwards, and what did you actually end up doing afterwards? For those that have gone past the MS level towards the doctorate/PhD/post-doc (I'm sure there are some of you here!), what kept you going (hopefully something more than having already committed so much time/money to it all...)?





[this message was edited by Spoon on Fri 9 Apr 10:22]

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Mozex
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"Re(1):Serious thread: graduate degrees" , posted Fri 9 Apr 23:45post reply

I have a brother who pursued a PHD but never finished his dissertation/thesis/whatever it's called. He stopped working on it because he found a really good job, but is unemployed and working on it again.

I have a friend who recently completed his masters, but I don't think he really got all that much out of the experience. He was working on the degree part-time while working full-time so he didn't really focus on it. Expect to get out of school however much effort you put into it.

Masters degrees are almost always helpful, but in engineering a PHD can actually hurt your chances of becoming employed - you've been warned.

Just personally, I'm more interested in getting a degree in a different field than getting an advanced degree in something I already know a ton about.





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shin ramberk
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"Re(1):Serious thread: graduate degrees" , posted Sat 10 Apr 00:30post reply

What exactly are you trying to accomplish with a graduate degree?

If you enjoy academia, research and teaching- then go for a PhD.

If you want to learn advanced skills, get better jobs, make yourself more competitive in the job market then do a masters program.

My job requires I have a masters degree. There are some good jobs you can get with just a BA or BS.

My best piece of advice is to do an internship while in school. You'll learn a lot and possibly get a job afterwards.





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