Took a re-do on college already - WHAT GRAD PROGRAM?

[xitsmike]

OK, I thought about posting this in the freakout forum cus that is what I am about to do, and it is not application season. Thanks for bearing with me on a long post. If it is tl;dr then sorry, I understand.

I am turning 26 this month and currently in an undergrad program in college I don't actually plan on completing. I am perennially changing my mind on what I need to study. I completed a BA at 23 in 2009 at the height of the recession, in PoliSci/CrJ and was not able to find any job I liked in it - not even any steady job for that matter, and definitely not one that paid well. Even though I graduated Summa cum laude, from honors program, 3.85 GPA, etc etc.

I went back exactly 1 year ago in the summer and started taking math and economics courses. My thinking at the time was I need to do mathematics and some hard sciences or business type courses given the demands of the market, and I want to get into a good grad program which will require math undergrad work. So I've taken calc 1,2,3 lin alg, higher alg since then, taking basic analysis and probability for stats next semester. I am trying to move fast since I am not getting younger. Got A's in everything except calc 3 an A-. Also done economics intro to macro/micro, intermediate macro/micro and one other for total of 15 credits, all A's.

I know I can pretty much succeed in any grad program, but choosing the right one is what my difficulty is. I think I know, I am unsure, I change my mind, I hear good things about other career prospects, etc etc. In the past I naively thought that if I just do well in my program I will get a job in the field. I went to public Uni due to cost. I want to apply to grad programs next year and not limit myself to public options, hopefully fund it with an assistantship. Parent aid is not an option so it will all be loans and hopefully tuition waiver for assistantship plus the stipend. Maybe this is a dream but..

I currently am a loan officer at a credit union. This experience plus good grades and math prowess I hope will make me competitive for some good programs, particularly in Business schools. But what would you go for if you were me and contstrained by the following:

Getting older, need to be able to finish it in 2 yrs and start working (finite lifetime over which to pay off my ridiculous loans by then).

Need to obviously acquire a good job after graduation and lowest possible risk of unemployment.

Something that is math based or related.

Something that my older age at time of graduation (29ish) will not count against me as an entry level job seeker.

Since I will have already spent an extra 5 years not earning great income as compared to the person who did grad right out of college, I need to make decent income in an EL position - i.e. 60k minimum.

Here's a curveball: given the conditions, I'm not even sure grad school is a necessity or the right choice. Here are options I am juggling:

-Take some more stats/probability this year and start taking Actuarial exams in Spring. Apply for positions after 3 exams passed and no additional degree required to move up (just achieve fellowship in one of the societies and take the classes employer pays for to pass tests).

-Apply to my local public uni's night/weekend MBA program (3 yrs) while continuing to work at the current employer. Move up within my employer upon graduation a definite possibility upon graduation. Interested in Analyst positions.

-Keep going to grad school for math - work in numerous possible fields with an MA, especially if statistician.

-enter local public uni MS Accounting program - finish in 2 yrs (but since my BA not in accounting, my MS won't have a concentration like forensic or tax accounting, it is a general MS program. Dunno how bad that looks. They say top firms recruit there from that program though. But then I won't have the 150 hrs for CPA out of grad.

-take 24 credits in undergrad accounting in 1 yr and get EL job in accounting without finishing up a full second degree.

Please ignore the fact that I kind of sound like "Maybe I will be a rocket scientist, or maybe a hedge fund manager, or maybe a CEO, or president." I know, it's ridiculous. But for sake of discussion please just assume I'm a genius (I'm not but I do OK in school) and can do whatever I choose.

My school is University at Albany, SUNY. I have never really considered really considered what my options are for other schools - I grew up independent, had to fund college independently starting with and after going to community college, there was really no other option to think about except the public system. Maybe now I have more options.

If you read this all - congratulations. So what would you do?

[dntw8up]

If excellent job prospects and a decent salary are your primary goals, the graduate accounting program seems like your best bet; there is an overabundance of MBAs, but a perennial shortage of accountants.