How to gain research experience outside of school

[ejsd1989]

I finished undergraduate in 2012 with a BSCS and have been working in industry since. In the near future i would like to apply for PhD, but i have a lack of research experience along with a low gpa.

Ultimately i'd like to begin doing research and begin building some experience, but i am have trouble finding research opportunities given that i'm not in school.

This experience will be an invaluable learning experience to discover better how i will like research, and also it will potentially help pad the following: 

oGPA: 2.64

Last 60 units: 2.78

Last 4 terms: 3.1

CS Classes GPA: 3.1

Attempts so far:

I have reached out to some professors at local universities in hopes of volunteering as a research assistant, but that has not been working. I've also reached out to professors at my place of work, whom mostly work in health sciences research on education or genomes (i work for a health sciences graduate school). This health sciences research may not be in direct relation to computer science, but i'm thinking it may still be a good way to show capability to do research and to better learn about the research process from experienced individuals. Another idea i have is: attempting to compile my own research based on computer science in education as it would possibly be a viable opportunity given my job as an Education Applications Developer.

The Question:

Should i continue with my attempts, and perhaps something will work out?

Should i attempt to work on my own research?

Do you have any ideas for finding a research position outside of current full time hours?

Any suggestions would be great and very much appreciated. 

[Adamah]

With a 2.64 GPA, I don't think you'd get into any PhD programs. If you think you have since changed and the 2.64 GPA is not an accurate reflection of your abilities, then you'd probably be best off going for a MS first. This would allow you to show a better GPA to PhD programs (ideally a 4.0) and argue convincingly that the 2.64 GPA is not an accurate signal of your abilities. It would also potentially allow you to do research during your MS.

However, keep in mind that the MS has a high cost, especially if you end up not going for a PhD. You have to decide if that's worthwhile.

[ejsd1989]

@Adamah,

I very much do appreciate your response. The few graduate adviser's i've met with have generally recommended the same. Toughest decision i'm currently facing is: whether or not i'd want to quit work to focus during the master's program and achieve high grades and put time into research. Doing the masters while working would most likely result in minimal time to focus on research, but i could receive a minimal refund for some of my tuition from work. 

I'm leaning towards full time for the masters, but it's definitely a tough decision. Once again, i do appreciate your response.

 

[CSallday]

If your ultimate goal is a PhD, definitely become a full-time Masters student where you focus on research and getting publications. One nice strategy is to take lots of courses that are project heavy and result in publishable work. I know people who have gotten 3-4 solid publications just from the papers they wrote for their projects in their grad-level courses. Good way to kill 2 birds with one stone.

Also, since one of the most important aspects for PhD admissions is rec letters from professors (not your work managers), you will want to spend as much time as possible interacting with your professors and possibly doing research with them.