{"id":634,"date":"2018-06-30T16:52:46","date_gmt":"2018-06-30T20:52:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thedistrictnerd.com\/?p=634"},"modified":"2018-06-30T16:54:34","modified_gmt":"2018-06-30T20:54:34","slug":"to-masters-or-not-to-masters","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thedistrictnerd.com\/index.php\/2018\/06\/30\/to-masters-or-not-to-masters\/","title":{"rendered":"To Masters or Not To Masters?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cShould I or shouldn\u2019t I go back to school?\u201d If you are a career changer with a degree that is the game changing question. Asking for advice doesn\u2019t help. Everyone has the right answer. \u201cYou don\u2019t need a degree to get the job.\u201d \u201cThey\u2019ll teach you how to do it.\u201d Or my favorite, \u201cJust get a foot in the door and they\u2019ll pay for any education you need.\u201d I\u2019ve heard it all. You\u2019ve heard it all. But none of that matters. What matters is what\u2019s best for you? And for me? My journey is a winding, bumpy road that started with sage advice and ended with my decision to go back to get a Masters because it is best for me.<\/p>\n

I graduated with an Art History degree, which means I\u2019m proficient in research and seeing how things connect. The first ten years after college, I was flexible about my career because I had no passion. All I desired was a moderately challenging position at a company I could grow-in. \u00a0Not tied to a position, I focused on companies that did meaningful work. Eventually, I would want to move-up in my position. At which point I would try the free sage advice I had been offered my whole life.<\/p>\n

Taking Advice<\/h5>\n

I tried the \u201cthey will pay for your education\u201d method where I learned continuing education funds are rare. Not every company invests in continuing education for employees. Most medium to small companies either have limited or no budget for professional development. There can also be years in service or subject requirements. Most importantly, policies change the company could aid one year and none the next. There is no guarantee that funds will be available.<\/p>\n

I, also, tried \u201cswitching departments\u201d which taught me that the size of the company\/department matter and it is not easier. The opportunity and ability to move around depends on the size of the company\/department and some office politics. Managers don\u2019t like to piss off other managers by taking their employees. And being internal only means competing against internal candidates, not a guaranteed in, hiring managers only want the best candidate.<\/p>\n

And I even tried, \u201cYou do not need a degree, just a certification.\u201d Recently I completed an Android Development certification program. The bootcamp was successful in teaching me how to do, but not the why. But when it came to my job search, my lack of additional technical experience and education were the biggest hurtles in my job search. This piece of advice is very specific to the person, company, position, and industry.<\/p>\n

At every single company, I tried the \u201cThey will train you.\u201d This one kills me. Of course, they will train you, everyone does training. But they aren\u2019t going to teach me computer science or information science theory, logic and design of writing code, or high-level math. Concepts important to understanding any programming language and makes it possible that a company can train you. Do you think someone with no computer science understanding could create Facebook or the google search engine? No.<\/p>\n

Finally, after years of trying various pieces of advice and watching others try them, I realized there is a certain amount of luck and timing involved. And when I saw luck I mean right boss and right time at the company\/department. Where I went wrong was believing it was applicable to everyone and everywhere.<\/p>\n

Decision Time<\/h5>\n

Unfortunately, there is no one size fits all path to changing careers. So, what is a girl to do? I decided to take a bold and dangerous move and enrolled in a bootcamp<\/a> for Android development. While the program covered a range of concepts related to computer science, java, and android development my gaps in knowledge left me insecure.<\/p>\n

So, this past winter I started courses in math and computer science at the community college. The experience has been both empowering and rewarding. The bad memories from undergrad math have been overshadowed by current positive experiences. And the technology classes expanded my knowledge and encouraged my curiosity. Allowing me to dream beyond android development. I\u2019ve decided my next step is a Masters in Computer Science.<\/p>\n

My Advice<\/h5>\n

As this journey continues, I look forward to my adventures in graduate school because I know it is the right decision for me. In my opinion here are questions to ask yourself when deciding whether to attend a bootcamp, get a certificate, Bachelors, Masters, or self-study route. While I previously characterized my decision to go back to school as bold and dangerous there was great deal of self-reflection.<\/p>\n

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