Second Bachelors or Masters

[Otto von Bismarck]

Hello all,

Sorry if this is in the wrong board, I would have posted this question in "decisions decisions" but I didnt think that was specific enough for this kind of question. Anyways, I am graduating with a German Studies bachelor this fall. I will be graduating with a 3.1 GPA. To be honest, I dont really like my major very much. Long story short, I got it because it was the major I could graduate with the fastest. I had the misconception that any bachelor was enough to find a good job, but with the job market today and the strong competition between humanities graduates, I am quickly finding that my career opportunities post graduation are very poor.

I am currently studying in Berlin for a semester, and I met a Pole who was majoring in Computer Science. I had never considered it before, but from what he was describing of the major and the career opportunities, it seems like a good match for me. I havent done much programming, and I havent taken math classes in years, but I think I am now disciplined enough to study and work hard.

My main question is, which do you think would be better, getting a second bachelors in Compter Science, or completing the prerequisites and getting a masters in Computer Science? Which would take longer? Bear in mind that I would have to start from the ground up for either. Would most community colleges have the classes I would need for my prerequisites if I want to get a masters?

[mechengr2000]

I dont think there are any programs that would feel comfortable accepting you for an MS in Comp Sci when they see you havent taken any math or comp sci courses in your undergrad career.

I advise against picking a field because you heard it has good career opportunities because you will be competing against people who are passionate about the field.

Do more soul searching - what is it that you like to do? Do you like working with people? Do you like math problems? Do you like creative thinking or deductive logic? You mentioned you were eager to get into the workforce, so what was it you saw yourself doing after graduating with your first BS?

Hello all,

Sorry if this is in the wrong board, I would have posted this question in "decisions decisions" but I didnt think that was specific enough for this kind of question. Anyways, I am graduating with a German Studies bachelor this fall. I will be graduating with a 3.1 GPA. To be honest, I dont really like my major very much. Long story short, I got it because it was the major I could graduate with the fastest. I had the misconception that any bachelor was enough to find a good job, but with the job market today and the strong competition between humanities graduates, I am quickly finding that my career opportunities post graduation are very poor.

I am currently studying in Berlin for a semester, and I met a Pole who was majoring in Computer Science. I had never considered it before, but from what he was describing of the major and the career opportunities, it seems like a good match for me. I havent done much programming, and I havent taken math classes in years, but I think I am now disciplined enough to study and work hard.

My main question is, which do you think would be better, getting a second bachelors in Compter Science, or completing the prerequisites and getting a masters in Computer Science? Which would take longer? Bear in mind that I would have to start from the ground up for either. Would most community colleges have the classes I would need for my prerequisites if I want to get a masters?

Edited May 19, 2011 by mechengr2000

[Otto von Bismarck]

<br />I dont think there are any programs that would feel comfortable accepting you for an MS in Comp Sci when they see you havent taken any math or comp sci courses in your undergrad career.<br /><br />I advise against picking a field because you heard it has good career opportunities because you will be competing against people who are passionate about the field.<br /><br />Do more soul searching - what is it that you like to do? Do you like working with people? Do you like math problems? Do you like creative thinking or deductive logic? You mentioned you were eager to get into the workforce, so what was it you saw yourself doing after graduating with your first BS? <br /><br /><br />

<br /><br /><br />

Hmm, I'm looking at the graduate Comp Sci program from CSUN, and it looks like I could get into that if I was to complete the basic prerequisites. I just looked them up, and most of them I could do at a JC.

http://www.csun.edu/~lorentz/gradprog/GeneralInfo.html#procedures

Perhaps, but with my current degree I am going to have to compete with people passionate about marketing and direct sales. Neither one of those I am passionate about.

I don't really know exactly what I want to do for a career. My dad said something useful, which was something like "sometimes it's not knowing what you want, but rather what you don't want." And I know two things I absolutely dread (from previous work experience in retail): public relations and telemarketing.

I like working in groups, where we meet occasionally to collaborate but do our own portions of work independently. But I am also absolutely fine working all by myself, and the prospect of telecommuting seems very nice. I was good at math in high school, but I didn't keep up with the math because I stupidly thought that I wasn't smart enough for engineering or advanced mathematics. It's amazing how most media portrays mathematics as impossibly complicated and only attainable by geniuses, but that's another subject.

As strange as this sounds, I just assumed that I would get a job in business. What that job entailed exactly, I didn't know. But the more I look into most business jobs, the less many of them appeal to me. I do not want (nor have the qualifications for)accounting. I do not want a position in sales, nor most managing (especially retail management). Researching sounds like it would be good, but as far as I know, there generally aren't many positions for dedicated researchers. At first, the thought of marketing sounded appealing. But the more I think of it, marketing seems very unstable. People are unpredictable, and even if you do everything right, sometimes products just wont sell.

It seems that a career in a computer science related field could give me what I desire. It could give me enough independence to work on my own, or work with a team. It would be a stable job, and should I prove to be adept at it, the financial prospects would be good (not that money is very important, though). Another thing that computer science will allow me to do is actually create things. I think it would more rewarding to build something tangible. And judging from other comp sci majors I have met, we seem to have pretty compatible personalities. Not that I invest too much faith in this, but the Myers-Briggs personality type I fit into is IsTP. It seems that most of the careers I am eligible for with my current degree are better suited for more extroverted, highly sociable people.

So all of this is to basically suggest that I am fairly certain I want a degree in computer science, or at least another technical major. The way I figure is, I'm still young, and I may as well complete my education now. If getting a(nother) degree in a technically related subject will make me far more marketable, why not? I don't see too many job opportunities that I am eligible for that appeal to me.

[President]

Getting admitted to the Master's of Computer and Information Technology (MCIT) program at University of Pennsylvania would be the BEST case scenario for you.

(http://www.cis.upenn.edu/grad/mcit/index.shtml) It's a Master's program for those who have undergraduate degrees that are NOT in Computer Science or a related area.

The Ivy League name brand is more than enough to get your foot in the door of an interview. Plus, they seem to have an excellent career service office. But it is up to YOU to demonstrate that you possess the core competencies that a technology person is expected to have.

[Otto von Bismarck]

<br />Getting admitted to the Master's of Computer and Information Technology (MCIT) program at University of Pennsylvania would be the BEST case scenario for you. <br /><font face="arial, verdana, tahoma, sans-serif"><font size="3">(<a href='http://www.cis.upenn.edu/grad/mcit/index.shtml' class='bbc_url' title='External link' rel='nofollow external'>http://www.cis.upenn...cit/index.shtml</a>) </font></font>It's a Master's program for those who have undergraduate degrees that are NOT in Computer Science or a related area. <br /><br />The Ivy League name brand is more than enough to get your foot in the door of an interview. Plus, they seem to have an excellent career service office. But it is up to YOU to demonstrate that you possess the core competencies that a technology person is expected to have.<br />

Thanks for the information and recommendation!

So I'm guessing that a university's reputation is important when finding jobs?

I'm planning on taking the core requirements for most computer science programs at the local community college. That way, I will have a good idea if this is a viable path for me. Would my GPA from those courses factor into most admissions for graduate schools, or only my GPA from courses I took my bachelors degree?

[Otto von Bismarck]

<br />Getting admitted to the Master's of Computer and Information Technology (MCIT) program at University of Pennsylvania would be the BEST case scenario for you. <br /><font face="arial, verdana, tahoma, sans-serif"><font size="3">(<a href='http://www.cis.upenn.edu/grad/mcit/index.shtml' class='bbc_url' title='External link' rel='nofollow external'>http://www.cis.upenn...cit/index.shtml</a>) </font></font>It's a Master's program for those who have undergraduate degrees that are NOT in Computer Science or a related area. <br /><br />The Ivy League name brand is more than enough to get your foot in the door of an interview. Plus, they seem to have an excellent career service office. But it is up to YOU to demonstrate that you possess the core competencies that a technology person is expected to have.<br />

Thanks for the information and recommendation!

So I'm guessing that a university's reputation is important when finding jobs?

I'm planning on taking the core requirements for most computer science programs at the local community college. That way, I will have a good idea if this is a viable path for me. Would my GPA from those courses factor into most admissions for graduate schools, or only my GPA from courses I took my bachelors degree?

[President]

Thanks for the information and recommendation!

So I'm guessing that a university's reputation is important when finding jobs?

I'm planning on taking the core requirements for most computer science programs at the local community college. That way, I will have a good idea if this is a viable path for me. Would my GPA from those courses factor into most admissions for graduate schools, or only my GPA from courses I took my bachelors degree?

Since you've already graduated, those courses will not be included onto your undergraduate transcript. There's absolutely no way for you to improve your GPA. But showing that you have the aptitude for CS through a local CC would never hurt. Most importantly, though, I think it's important for you to start working on personal software projects (i.e. freelance, or just for kicks). I recommend you to create your own homepage in the near future and upload some of the projects that you finish. But that's just my opinion.

The reputation of the school isn't "important" per se. Your skills are important. The reputation of the school will only get you started by opening a lot of interview offers for you. In addition, career services at reputable universities are generally very well established.

[FingersCrossedX]

Since you've already graduated, those courses will not be included onto your undergraduate transcript. There's absolutely no way for you to improve your GPA.

If you go for another degree it would help. Just taking a few classes won't help because like President said they wouldn't go on your transcript. A second bachelors wouldn't take as long as the first and it would give you a solid foundation of intro courses. From what you said, it sounds like you don't have much of a background in CS, so I think the second bachelors is a good idea. Does your local CC offer four year degrees? I know the one where I grew up only had Associates degrees.

Edited May 29, 2011 by FingersCrossedX