talons1025

considered relevant experience? I did some of that (off the radar) while living in Cairo. I would LOVE to do it again. I specialize in the middle east, and from what I understand it is very difficult to teach there without a lot of experience. I would be very happy to go to Asia to do it. I had figured that "relevant experience" would be something like working as an intern for some Gov. contractor haha.

my biggest fear with school loans is that I will be unable to pay them off. I am surely overreacting, but I fear that the job market for IR masters is terrible and I would be stuck "under-employed" Also, since I never took loans out for undergrad, I was unaware loans can be taken out for things such as food and rent, ya know, things that require living. And in regards to overseas branches, that is a no go. TO the best of my knowledge there are none.

Hello, I guess I have a few questions and am kind of in a state of uncertainty. But first, a little bit of background on me... I graduated college with a degree in sociology / poli sci, moved to egypt for 6 months to study arabic and write about the political transition / elections in the country, moved back home to Chicago, and am now working for an insurance company. In the 10 months i have been here, I am already being groomed for upper management, something that makes me quite flattered. This, however, is not my desired life. I have been wanting to get into the international affairs scene for ages now. I suppose my desired "end game" would be working in diplomacy with the state dept or consulting in intelligence / political affairs for the government. Obviously these are competitive end games, but that will not deter me from trying. I noticed that Texas A&M has a certificate program in international affairs that seemed quite nice. I figured that signing up for such a program would be a benefit to my resume and would still allow me to continue working where I am at. Problem is, various professors have told me that certificate programs are a waste of time and that most MA/MS programs in international relations prefer students with relevant work experience and only take a select minority without it. Also, they are typically leery of certificate programs, as the courses may not transfer as easily as indicated at the outset - particularly if one ends up trying to get credit from another institution. So after hearing this news from 3 professors, I feel at a loss I suppose. I would not feel right quitting my job to move somewhere to go to school (if getting a masters, I would greatly prefer going to somewhere in DC since that is where the contacts primarilly are.). If I was to move, how would I afford to live without a job? These are the issues I have I suppose. I had thought that a certificate program would be nice to have on a resume since it would show potential employers (and even schools) that I at least KNOW material in that field, thus giving a leg up on applications for both schools and for jobs in the area so I could continue to work while going to school. This brings my question, based on your experiences, are cert programs pretty much a waste of money? How does one uproot their lives to go to school jobless?

I understand that it would pose problems in relation to travel to other areas of the Middle East considering the conflicts between the Israeli world and the Arab world, but travel is not really my focus point. I just want my masters, come home to the US, and try to land a job in the Dept of State or FBI. Travel would eventually come afterwards, but as of travelling while working on my degree...not likely.

I want to study for a masters in Middle Eastern Studies in a university in Israel. Safety aside, would a degree from a university in Israel hinder or help me if I want to pursue a career in Counter Terrorism / political analysis? (government job) The government loves when candidates go abroad / study abroad, but I wonder if Israel is a bit too.... risqué?

Why wouldn't apply to a school in Israel if I love the Middle East? Last I checked, Israel is a big part of the Mid East..

http://international...te-g/mameh.html this is the program I am referring to. They claim it is "ME studies" but if it is "ME history", I do not see that as being as valuable... EDIT: by the way Burkharan, do you have any experience / knowledge about this program at all? http://humweb2.bgu.ac.il/mapmes/about

Sure I can elaborate a bit. I speak Arabic, enough to get by, but would like to gain fluency. I want to use my degree to work in foreign service for the department of state. Counter-terror has always been an interest to me too, but I do not want to sound like I am connecting terrorism to middle eastern cultures when terrorists come in all sorts of nationalities. There is a graduate program in Israel's Tel Aviv University that sounds pretty great. Intensive Arabic training on top of ME studies graduate degree studies.

I am under the assumption that graduate schools in America are superior than those abroad, but I will ask this question anyway. I want to get a graduate degree in Middle Eastern Studies and wonder if it would be better to actually go overseas to a university in the Mid East to be educated or simply to a school in America.

My dream goal is to work in counter-terror or foreign policy, but I am having a tough time deciding what Masters to pursue. I absolutely love the Mid east, the language, the culture, etc, so a ME studies degree would make me happier. My concern is, what can I do with it if government work does not work out due to its difficulties getting hired? International relations probably has a lot more opportunities elsewhere than a ME studies degree I would assume. Am I wrong? Anyone have any input? On a sidenote, I know Arabic at an intermediate level and am thinking of applying to Tel Aviv University in Israel for 2012.