Okay, I think I got it this time.

[emoleys]

Before I start, thanks so much to all of you for not only being open with your advice but also with details about the kinds of situations that some of you have found yourself in. I don't think I could have made it through applications this past year-ish without reading this page

Comments

[endxgame]

I'd just suggest that it might not be the best idea to get a professional degree at this point. Do you think you can get a job in a field you like without one?

Unless you can pay for the professional degree without taking on huge debt I don't know if it's worth it if you're only planning on being in that field for a few years before applying for a PhD. If you're paying back your loan for for the next four years it is going to make it to go to grad school immediately when you think you're ready.

It sounds like a good plan, but I just don't know if an expensive professional degree is 100% needed. I'd apply for some government/NGO/whatever jobs right now and keep the option open for still applying for a MPP or whatever in the winter. If you can get a decent (even if low paying) job in the field you want now that I wouldn't bother pursuing the extra degree.

But that's me.

[emoleys]

I think you're right. I definitely agree that taking on a master's program like this will add to my debt, especially if the ultimate goal is a PhD program. However, I do want to work in NGO/nonprofits for a while just as much as I would like to do a PhD program. Also, part of my reasoning for getting a professional degree first is that academia is becoming an increasingly difficult field to get a job in (not that any other field isn't). My rationale is that even if I don't manage to get a job at a university after a PhD program, the fact that I have a professional degree will definitely give me another option for another job elsewhere.

[idealforcolors]

it sounds to me as though if you're open to seeing where the NGO/nonprofit route could lead you - as a possible career in its own right, not JUST a step to a PhD - then it would be a worthwhile thing to explore and perhaps give you better and wider job prospects. if you're only doing it because you're 100% positive you want to go the academic route and it'll give you an extra credential, though, in my opinion it could be way too expensive and time consuming a route compared to applying to different ma programs. but yeah, more job prospects = a fantastic idea, academia is scary in that respect....

[sarahkathleen]

I agree with this. I think it depends on what you want to do with your degrees when you're done. I don't think it'll hurt to get an MPP/MPA, but I'd also offer that there are cheaper ways to get practical experience in whatever issues that interest you without paying for a professional degree. I did AmeriCorps for a year and have worked at a non-profit for nearly two years. At the very least, you could volunteer somewhere. I'm going back for my MPA in the fall, but I'm not doing it so I can learn about the cultural phenomena that I'm interested in. For instance, I'm interested in the issues surrounding the juvenile justice system, but I'm not going back to school to learn about the system (having worked in it already.) I'm going back to get a lot of the tools and information I need to be effective in that sector (grant writing/management/budgets/law.)

[emoleys]

Wow! I really want to do AmeriCorps, too, but even more so, Peace Corps. Unfortunately, it's just not financially possible for me. I guess that's the problem right now for me. I'm unemployed but am doing volunteer work. It's been tough looking for paying work not just in non-profits and the public sector, but elsewhere as well. I find myself competing with people with higher degrees than a Bachelor's for administrative and intern work. I know that I need this education to be not only equipped for the kind of work I'd like to do, but also a contender for jobs that can allow me to learn more about my interests.