rha@bunker.UUCP (Robert H. Averack) (10/03/88)
For the last several years, I have wrestled with the question of
whether or not I should go back to school, in pursuit of my Master's
Degree. It has been 10-1/2 years since I got my B.S. in Mathematics,
and like so many others, the thought of putting myself back into the
pomp and rigor of academics, after all of this time, is a little scary.
To give a little insight into where I'm coming from, let me cite
some data about myself:
(1) I am 31 years old (as of next Monday), married, and I
have a 9-month old daughter and a very large mortgage
(presently, my wife is staying at home, but she too is
considering going back for her Master's).
(2) I have been in Data Processing since 1-month after my
graduation from college. Presently, I am a Senior SW
Engineer, principally involved in high level analysis,
design and strategic planning (turnkey products and
application authoring tools).
(3) My overall experience is that of an "application jock",
i.e. a designer and implementer of financial applications
(banking and brokerage) for PC's and Mini's -- C, Fortran
and Assembler are my languages, DB/DC, etc.
(4) I have worn different hats on different projects (coder,
lead analyst, user liason, project leader, etc.), so I
am acutely familiar with the full gamut of activities
that occur on both development and support projects.
Now, what aspirations do I have for my future? Well, I would very
much like to move up into more of a management role in the organization,
while at the same time being in a position to remain current with the
evolution of technology. I very much enjoy all phases of the development
life cycle, but I particularly enjoy the early phases, when the critical
decisions are made.
Besides all of this, my educational background, besides being in
Mathematics, is also in Education, i.e. I minored in Secondary Education,
receiving a N.Y. State Teacher's Certificate upon gratuation. I really
enjoyed teaching, and had the conditions in 1978 been better, I'd probably
be teaching today. So, what has also stood in the back of my mind over
these past few years has been how I might someday be in a position to go
back into teaching (probably at the collegiate level), while at the same
time being financially secure.
With all of these cards layed on the table, I now open the floor to
you. What sort of advanced educational path should I consider, in order
to accelerate the realization of these goals? M.S. in Computer Science?
M.B.A. in Data Processing? Operations Research? Finance? Are there any
of you who think that any advanced degree would be a waste of time? Lastly,
what about Doctoral programs? Is it in any way possible to pursue a Ph.D.
as a part-time endeavor?
I am very much interested in the opinions of both current graduate
candidates and those who have already received their degrees and have
gone into the field. What are/were your ideas about applicability of a
Master's/Doctorate? How have they changed? What do you see as the most
in-demand courses of study? For those of you who are doing it, or did it
on a part-time basis, how bad was it?
I think it would be advisable to E-mail me your opinions, rather than
tying up the net with this. If viable, I will summarize everything that I
get from you on the subject -- of course, if you wish to remain confidential,
I will gladly honor that.
Thank you very much for any experience you can share with me, and
any advice you can give me.
--
{oliveb,yale,decvax,philabs}!bunker!rha
Bob Averack
Bunker Ramo, an Olivetti Company
Two Enterprise Drive - Shelton, Connecticut 06484