I finally got the material from HR regarding their Tuition Reimbursement Program, and am now brainstorming a return to school for maybe a masters... like maybe an MBA, or really, anything that will increase my earnings.
As you can probably tell, I haven't quite decided what is the best course of action yet, and any input on this would be greatly appreciated.
PRO: Employer will cover up to $5,250 for undergraduate programs, or $12,000 for graduate programs. Annually.
CON: Has to be something that is beneficial to the company. So, I can't pick a major in Pharmacy or Adult Entertainment or anything like that.
Also, I might only have 2 years to do something about this, depending on how long the contract holds up....
Another con is that I have a Bachelors in Criminology, and not only is it likely to be unrelated to most of the masters program that I am looking for, but it's was also many years ago. So, that may push me further back....
What do you think? Any other suggestions aside from MBA? I'll update as I go along on this one....
Update:
Ok, I just got off the phone from talking to two representatives from the University of Phoenix....
Yes, they're that all-online outfit. Good news is that it looks like everything looks ship-shape and that I could get a MBA from them within 2 years....
Bad news? They're an all-online entity that doesn't offer any co-op training, job recruitments or networking. On the other hand, if I stay with my new employer, such an MBA is good enough for them....
Another "bad news" of sorts is their cost, which I thought was a little high... but it's still doable in terms of getting it covered and finished within 2 years so....
Everything lines up on this one. I'm not saying this is what I should do but at least it's an option.... But what do you think of it?
MBA?
March 12th, 2009 at 03:49 pm
March 12th, 2009 at 04:34 pm 1236875659
CON: Lose free time temporarily
I think it is a great idea!
March 12th, 2009 at 04:57 pm 1236877029
March 12th, 2009 at 06:17 pm 1236881852
I've had a handful of (Terrible) co-workers came out of grad school with some pretty unrealistic expectations. They were sold a bill of goods, for sure.
But hey, if it's paid for... & you realize an MBA is often less preferred in business than experience. Which I guess my point is it could be a useless degree without experience. I am not sure what kind of experience you have though. If you were going to shell out money - I would scream no. Taking classes to test the waters couldn't hurt though. But I would get more guidance from professionals in your area as to what would be your best course of action for your end goals.
It is feasible it could help you move ahead in your current job? I assume, if they would be willing to pay for it. So, something to consider.
March 12th, 2009 at 06:24 pm 1236882289
But that's also why I am still in the brainstorming stage. Just want to get an idea of what to expect in general. Thought about MAC as well... and Pharmacy for that matter. I agree it would be more practical, but again, still just throwing ideas around and seeing what sticks.
March 12th, 2009 at 07:18 pm 1236885534
Sometimes we regret missed oppurtunity. More education seems to me to be a valuable asset. In the end do what fits best into your life plans!
March 12th, 2009 at 07:30 pm 1236886212
March 12th, 2009 at 07:41 pm 1236886883
No, haven't taken my GRE yet! Definitely something I need to look into, but want to nail down the path first, then see what I need to take afterwards.
March 12th, 2009 at 07:51 pm 1236887513
PROs - Getting new insights from classes which I can apply to my position and team, keeping up with new technologies and be on top of current economic trends. Business networking (most students are working for a business or currently own their own business), more understanding of how a particular company work as a whole and in details, tuition is paid for. In the event of a layoff, having a degree with my experience will look good on my resume. As a deaf person, I constantly need to be reminded on my English grammar and pronunciation of words since I cannot hear sounds to replicate those, classes are where I can get honest feedbacks.
CONs - For me particularly, I spend much time going to classes, taking online classes and homework outside of my work schedule. I am on the computer all day at work; taking online courses extend my computer daily usage from 9 hours to around 13 hours. This burns me out and impacted my relationship with family and friends because I didn’t want to check my emails or check out my online network sites. This can sometime makes me feel like I am “working 80 hours a week". I get burnouts after the second or third semester hearing business terms all the time. I worry that the amount of time and energy I put into this, I will not get as much return because I am already at the highest grade in my position. For me to get a promotion, it would have to be in a different department.
My dream was to become an occupational therapist; right now I just do not have the means or the ways to achieve that. If business was my passion then I would have a lot more desires and motivations and my list of cons would probably be a shorter list. This is not to say that I do not enjoy my job, I actually do love it but the field has its limits. I love to learn new things and reap any opportunities to gain more education. However, I do want to learn more about things like adventure, meeting new peoples, trying out new hobbies, take dance lesions and etc along with education. It is hard to do these things if one was working and in school all the time. If you are just starting from square one with school, it will take a few years to complete a degree unless you can find time to take more than 2 courses each semester/or quarter. If you can work part time, taking more than 2 courses is very doable.
Just my 2 cents
March 12th, 2009 at 08:53 pm 1236891195
March 12th, 2009 at 09:50 pm 1236894653
March 12th, 2009 at 11:58 pm 1236902331