hailstate92

So I have a question about the effect of work experience when applying for PhD programs. For some background, I have a BS from Mississippi State University in aerospace engineering and currently work as an engineer for NASA. In addition, I’m on staff at a church and am working on my MDiv at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. I would eventually like to pursue a PhD in New Testament, early Christianity, or patristics. I know that attending an evangelical seminary (especially a Southern Baptist one) severely limits my chances of getting into top tier programs, but does my decade of engineering work experience help me in any way? Or would my best route be to finish the MDiv, do a second Master’s at a non-evangelical school, and then look at a PhD? Just looking for some advice since my background is a little different than most folks going into this field. Any advice is greatly appreciated!