For past couple of months I have been thinking to get a US degree. I have a BSc in CS from Karachi university and an MBA in Finance from IBA Karachi and Alhamdulilah those have brought me this far. I continuously pursue continuous education and have a couple of professional certifications that are also the demand of my field.
Currently I am working in middle management at a firm on wall street and was wondering that I need a US degree for my next career jump. Like if I want to be a director or want to promote to a C level position a US degree is must for that.
^ Good for you, I am thinking to get an online degree rather then an on-campus one. Will it make a difference?
Also by far the majors I have decided upon are mostly related to some kind of Masters in Information Security as that's more related to my field. MBA won't teach me anything new.
What is of interest to me is to find out what is the life situation of folks who consider going back to school is.
Such as what age bracket they belong to, whether they are single or married and have children.
If they are married, do their spouses make enough money to support the family on single income while the other spouse goes to college full time.
Or does the college going spouse work part time and take courses part time, etc.
Also how soon would the investment in college pay back in terms of money.
After all college is expensive everywhere.
The only thing I would say is to do it before kids. ( Not sure if you already have kids ) With kids the whole equation ( and attitude ) changes. At that point even if it is financially viable, it may not be feasible. Before 'the brigade' pounces on me, I give the same advice to guys too.
^ Good for you, I am thinking to get an online degree rather then an on-campus one. Will it make a difference?
Also by far the majors I have decided upon are mostly related to some kind of Masters in Information Security as that's more related to my field. MBA won't teach me anything new.
It does since these days going to school is more about networking. The online vs onsite also depends on employers.
My minor in MIS is Information Security. Its one of the big buzz words these days.....
What is of interest to me is to find out what is the life situation of folks who consider going back to school is.
Such as what age bracket they belong to, whether they are single or married and have children.
If they are married, do their spouses make enough money to support the family on single income while the other spouse goes to college full time.
Or does the college going spouse work part time and take courses part time, etc.
Also how soon would the investment in college pay back in terms of money.
After all college is expensive everywhere.
Well in my case I am in my 30's, got married last year and don't have kids yet but we are planning for them soon insha Allah. Me and my husbands both have very good and stable jobs. I have been working in the industry for past 15 years now as I did my graduation and masters along with a full time job.
My company reimburses the tuition fees so no worries on that front.
The only thing I would say is to do it before kids. ( Not sure if you already have kids ) With kids the whole equation ( and attitude ) changes. At that point even if it is financially viable, it may not be feasible. Before 'the brigade' pounces on me, I give the same advice to guys too.
I don't have kids yet but planning for them, I work from home so I am thinking that shouldn't be a big problem. I can study after my husband comes home.
It does since these days going to school is more about networking. The online vs onsite also depends on employers.
My minor in MIS is Information Security. Its one of the big buzz words these days.....
I work in the IS field so for me the choice is due to the career demands. Our local state university does offer degrees in which you have to attend some courses at the campus and rest online but they don't offer the majors I am looking for.
I would be opting for online degrees as I just need a degree to jump to the next level as my experience should be more then enough for potential employers. For networking I work directly with most of the clients which include major financial firms along with regularly attending conferences and training's so that should suffice. With online I also have the choice on how slow or fast I want to go through it.
I don't have kids yet but planning for them, I work from home so I am thinking that shouldn't be a big problem. I can study after my husband comes home.
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In that case, start before the kids. That way you will treat it as a commitment and prioritize it higher once you have kids.
What is of interest to me is to find out what is the life situation of folks who consider going back to school is.
Such as what age bracket they belong to, whether they are single or married and have children.
If they are married, do their spouses make enough money to support the family on single income while the other spouse goes to college full time.
Or does the college going spouse work part time and take courses part time, etc.
Also how soon would the investment in college pay back in terms of money.
After all college is expensive everywhere.
Begum finished her undergrad after we were married. Mid 20s for me, early 20s for her. No kids.
She did her masters at 32, with 2 kids and a full time job.
I went through a 6 month executive program at 39, two kids, full time job
I have also done multiple certifications in this time but they tend to be intense short term. Ranging from a week full time to a month part time.
Begum is now going for additional specialization in her mid 30s and with two kids, full time job and with me on the road quite often.
Simply Seema- you are on a tech track so a tech related degree will probably be best. Online or in person is your call but, Quality of program is important, so I would say Duke or UNC versus NCState.
Begum finished her undergrad after we were married. Mid 20s for me, early 20s for her. No kids.
She did her masters at 32, with 3 kids and a full time job.
I went through a 6 month executive program at 39, two kids, full time job
I have also done multiple certifications in this time but they tend to be intense short term. Ranging from a week full time to a month part time.
Begum is now going for additional specialization in her mid 30s and with two kids, full time job and with me on the road quite often.
Mashallah X2.
About the Same for me. Completed my first masters 37 with 2 kids full time job and a part time job and 2nd masters being 39 2 kids and a full time job.
Was able to get a better job after the masters so didnt have to do a part time job.
Simply Seema- you are on a tech track so a tech related degree will probably be best. Online or in person is your call but, Quality of program is important, so I would say Duke or UNC versus NCState.
Problem is none of these universities are offering courses in security. So now my top picks are Carnegi Mellon, MIT, Stanford or Barkeley.
About the Same for me. Completed my first masters 37 with 2 kids full time job and a part time job and 2nd masters being 39 2 kids and a full time job.
Was able to get a better job after the masters so didnt have to do a part time job.
Very nice. I think you have to be a good team and adjust, then it's not too tough, although it's hard for people to understand your schedule. We did cut back in social stuff a bit because free time was reduced and going more to the family. Not having famiky around meant that we were really managing all this on our own.