Go Back to School?

[themitten]

Hey all,

 

I am currently serving a US Army officer. I'm looking to transition into a consulting firm or a research role at a NGO once my service is complete. I already have my MPA from a solid-state school. Would it be crazy to go back to school? I'd be targeting Georgetown's Security Studies Program. If I did go back, what type of salary and job opportunities could I expect? I'd have 4 years active commissioned service at the time of matriculation.

 

Thanks for the input. 

[Undecided2015]

I pretty much posted the exact same topic a few threads down entitled "What would you do"? Strange coincidence.

[Howie]

So the MPA is either useless or irrelevant now?

[terrapin]

I would look at PhDs but that's just me. Never understood those who get two masters degrees, without getting them concurrently.

[themitten]

I would look at PhDs but that's just me. Never understood those who get two masters degrees, without getting them concurrently.

 

I feel like a PhD is a little too much... I'm not sure if I want to go back to school for 4 years.

[themitten]

I pretty much posted the exact same topic a few threads down entitled "What would you do"? Strange coincidence.

 

Just read over that. We are in a pretty similar situation. Transition out of the military comes with a lot of tough decisions. 

[Gov2School]

I think the key question to ask yourself is: Do I have a really specific idea of how this degree would help me, and is there nothing else on my resume that could stand in for this degree?  If you don't know the answers to those questions, you might want to wait to go back to school until you do.  

 

With your background, already a vet and holding a master's degree, you're competitive for a lot of different kinds of jobs, especially in the security studies field. You would get veterans preference in hiring if you wanted to apply to federal government jobs at State, Defense, or elsewhere for example.  You might also think about applying for a government fellowship for Master's Degree holders, particularly if it's something that allows you to rotate at several different kinds of jobs (the Presidential Management Fellowship springs to mind).   If you're interested in security issues you could pursue jobs at security oriented think tanks as well.  Nonprofits, consulting companies, congressional staffs are all areas where you frequently find vets working.  

 

If you take a little time to work in the non-military world, it may give you a better sense of what you specifically want (or don't want) and whether you really need another Master's degree to achieve that.   Since it seems like you're considering a wide range of job options (consulting to non-profits is a super wide range), maybe you should consider working first, and then going back to school once you've figured out if you really need it/want it.  

[MPAallday]

I think an important thing to ask yourself is what you want to get out of the program. If you are interested in simply pursuing further education for education's sake, then I would recommend a PhD program. If, however, your MPA is proving to be inapplicable to your intended career path, then you'll have a lot of options on the table to consider. If that is the case, could you give us an overview of your intended goals as well as why your current masters degree is not serving you well?

[themitten]

It's not so much that my current degree can't serve it's purpose, it's that I feel like I am on the outside looking in. Many job offers come from summer internship opportunities- something I don't have access to anymore. I'd essentially use the second masters as a way to transition out of the military. I feel like the transition from active-service to full-time employment is very challenging, partly because very few organizations are looking to take a chance on a guy who they consider an "unknown". 

[method]

Not sure about this program at Georgetown, but not many of my public and non-profit sector classmates at Michigan have internships that convert into full-time employment.  Internships definitely help with networking and resume building, but just a heads up that conversions seem to be the exception or minority occurrence in these types of programs.

[Gov2School]

While i agree that turning an internship into a job is not as common in the public affairs/nonprofit space as I think most people assume (it's very common in consulting), themitten has it right that most jobs in this space come from networking.  And Grad School can be one way to build or tap into a network, no matter what kind of school you apply to.  Do you need to do it? I guess it depends on the individual, if you're uncomfortable networking on your own or just don't feel you have the contacts to break in to what you want, then maybe it would be worth it.  Also, if you want to work in DC, but haven't spent much time there, going to school in DC can be a way to sort of "learn the scene" before you jump into the job market.  

The best thing to do would probably be to figure out what kind of network is already available to you and start reaching out.  Family, friends, and former military colleagues who have transitioned can be a great place to start. If you have a supportive higher up, maybe you could ask them about contacts they have in DC or in the field you're most interested in.  You could also try leveraging online networks like LinkedIn to find other vets working in the field you want to go into and just get in touch with them to ask about their path.  That's one easy way to start networking before you even put in an application, and you may already be doing it.  Informational interviews can be very helpful when you're trying to make decisions like this. 

[went_away]

Mitten - check out the GMAP program at Fletcher. You might be able to get it paid for as they have some kind of a scholarship program with DoD, not to mention your access to the GI Bill. There are a lot of current and former military people in the program and it's for working professionals, so you could complete the program as you finish up your service. 

 

cheers