So, I'm considering returning to NC State for a Graduate Program.

Thoughts?

2/15/2011 12:12:41 PM

which program? costs? (tution vs paying job etc) upside? (get paid more? getting paid for by employer? personal satisfaction? career change?)

2/15/2011 5:54:52 PM

^ this.

provide that and we (those of us with graduate degrees) can give you thoughts on said info.

2/15/2011 7:30:59 PM

What had happened was... (Warning, TLDR to follow)

I dropped out of NC State after three semesters straight out of high school. I returned to Raleigh, had a "life-event" and ended up moving to Lynchburg, VA to attend Liberty University. I ended up with a Bachelors in Communication, and really loved all my classes. (4.0 for the last five semesters of my college career) I then had an internship with the Philadelphia Flyers in their Public Relations department and once again, loved every second of it.

That's when life took a different direction.

I came home and got engaged. After working at Outback Steakhouse and Kay Jewelers for a while, and dealing with a really just overall bad relationship, I called it off and my ex-fiance moved out of my apartment. That was really the best decision I've ever made.

So I'm a Christian (not bringing it up as a debate topic, just sayin) and an opportunity to have an internship at a prayer house arose and I ended up moving away for three months. I came back to Virginia in May and lived in Lynchburg for about a month and a half before moving across the ocean to Budapest, Hungary. During that month, I also got engaged again to the woman I will be marrying this summer.

So here I am as an English teacher (read: missionary because I have to raise support) to 3rd and 4th graders, and I am having a ton of fun with it, but A) the pay sucks and B) I don't see it as my "calling" per ce. Also, since everyone and their brother has a Bachelors degree these days, I figure that my getting a Masters would help to set me apart from the pack. (No pun intended)

I have several connections with the Carolina Hurricanes and would really love to work in professional sports. I'm not entirely sure whether I should look for additional education or just try and find a paying job through my connections.

That being said, after looking at NC State's Communications Masters, the classes look like a ton of fun and I know that I would be committed to it, as most people that go back to school are.

----------------------------------

TLDR : I want to work in professional sports but don't know if a Masters or connections will be the better resource.

2/16/2011 2:18:28 PM

I got stuck on a job in Lynchburg awhile back (stayed at the Quality Inn for about 4 months) I thought that was you at Outback

I dont really have any advice, but you always seemed like a cool guy, and good luck

2/16/2011 2:31:06 PM

Quote :

"NC State's Communications Masters"

I graduated in Dec. 2007 with a master's in communication from State. It was a lot of money. I don't know your financial situation very well, but it sounds similar to mine at the time.

I had been writing for a newspaper in South Carolina, and the pay was, predictably, awful. I still loved writing, but I wanted to be paid better for it. So I went back to State. I didn't have much money saved up, so I had to get student loans to cover tuition for the two years.

It's a lot to pay back, but I also wouldn't be where I am today if I hadn't gotten that master's. It got me a job at PR firm in Raleigh, and now I'm working at PR firm in downtown DC.

I don't regret it at all. Even with all the loans to pay back, it was the right decision for my situation. The master's made up for having next-to-no experience in PR, especially since I chose my undergrad degree (BA in political science with a minor in journalism) to pursue a career in journalism.

I haven't been in school in three years, so things may have changed, but feel free to PM me with any questions about the program.

2/16/2011 2:54:02 PM

See my Bachelor's is in Communications with a focus in Print Journalism.

Any other back-to-school stories?

2/17/2011 3:54:37 AM

I definitely have a better job now with my MS than with just my BS. However, it really all depends. If I were in your shoes, I'd probably be asking those contacts (if they were friends, or other people I could talk to off the record) whether or not a Masters would get you in the door. Maybe you could get an internship with the 'Canes while you finish your Masters.

2/17/2011 6:16:18 PM

definitely ask about the future prospects first. if you can't be reasonably certain of better work then i wouldn't do it. odds are, since you're looking at a career change of sorts it would probably be a good idea overall.

2/23/2011 10:56:03 PM

http://thewolfweb.com/message_topic.aspx?topic=609483&page=1#14608121

I did undergrad at State, worked for 3 years, now I'm back at state for grad school. As I said recently in the other thread.

Quote :

"My undergrad degree, other than general critical thinking skills, probably didn't help a lot with my job in any practical way (other than being a basic check mark on the resume). My graduate degree however I expect will be immensely useful, if I can get a job in this environment. I'll graduate in May, so if this thread lives for 6 or 7 months, I can give you a better answer. But the grad school experience has included an internship, and many semester long consulting projects, budget analyses, cost-benefit analyses, and the like where real world experience is tied into the learning. And in other classes where consulting and service learning projects aren't realistic, there is a lot of role play, with people who take it seriously, and with professors who know what they are talking about. The hands on nature is a big part of why I expect it will be useful. But overall, undergrad was necessary for getting a job, not so much for doing it, but grad school I expect to be very helpful."

The value of the undergrad degree was because its basically required for everything, the value of grad school is because it is very specific and hands on to what I'll be doing.

Quote :

"I figure that my getting a Masters would help to set me apart from the pack. ... I want to work in professional sports but don't know if a Masters or connections will be the better resource."

For my money, it would depend on how sports specific a communications degree can get. My brother got some kind of sport specific graduate degree from ECU. I don't know if its right for your situation, but checking out the kinds of curriculum and classes grad programs like that offer might be helpful:

"Department of Exercise and Sport Science"
http://www.ecu.edu/cs-hhp/exss/graduate.cfm

Quote :

"EXSS Graduate Programs Doctoral Degree (PhD) in Bioenergetics and Exercise Science Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) in Physical Education Master of Arts in Education (MAEd) in Physical Education ONLINE Master of Science (MS) in Exercise and Sport Science * Adapted Physical Education Concentration * Biomechanics Concentration * Exercise Physiology Concentration * Physical Activity Promotion Concentration * Physical Education Pedagogy Concentration * Sport and Exercise Psychology Concentration * Sport Management Concentration Certificate in Sport Management"

For example, in the Sport Management Concentration, I see some classes here that might be interesting to a person into communications:

Quote :

"OMGT 6123 Quantitative Methods (3 s.h.) EXSS 6102 History & Philosophy of Physical Education (3 s.h.) EXSS 6106 Contemporary Sport (3 s.h.) EXSS 6131 Management & Leadership in Sport (3 s.h.) EXSS 6132 Legal Aspects of Sport Management (3 s.h.) EXSS 6133 Sport Marketing & Public Relations (3 s.h.) EXSS 6136 Financial Management in Sport (3 s.h.) EXSS 6300 Research Techniques in EXSS (2 s.h.) EXSS 6301 Research Seminar in EXSS (1 s.h.) EXSS 6445 Sport Psychology (3 s.h.) EXSS 6692 Internship in EXSS (3 s.h.) Elective (6 s.h.) (I highlight this b/c you might be able to use it for a few communications courses) EXSS Comprehensive Examination (0 s.h.)"

[Edited on February 26, 2011 at 5:44 PM. Reason : .]

2/26/2011 5:40:06 PM

before you think about getting a master's with the purpose of getting a job in sports, you might want to call up a few of those friends at the canes and find out how they're doing in terms of hiring. while you're at it, call up other sports teams as well.

i don't know about now, but last i heard, the business is doing horribly. i can't imagine they are looking to pick up new people any time in the next few years.

long term, it's a very tough business. just keep that in mind before selecting your program. also, it depends on what aspect of sports you want to go into. there are good sport management programs, and keep in mind that where you get that master's from will determine a surprising amount about who will hire you. make sure you pick a program that state is very well respected in.

2/26/2011 6:51:48 PM

^ Agreed on the point about the program's reputation. I can't speak for your specific program, but in general with graduate programs, the composition of the faculty can make a large difference. Strong faculties will have a lot of good industry connections, particularly if the program has a significant number of practitioners. If you can leverage those connections, they can carry a lot of weight when you go into industry by opening doors and opportunities that might not be available to other programs.

I've seen this happen particularly in small but highly competitive fields like art and political science where the faculty member would simply call up their friend in a top design firm, and the hiring manager, which normally would get thousands of resumes per single slot, would bend over backwards to accommodate a strongly recommended student. Those networks will also help you down the road, being able to provide you with leads or serve as an advocate if you get caught in an unfair situation.

Connections by themselves won't score you a job, but when all else is equal with one thousand candidates, the one who has a powerful patron will easily float to the top.

2/27/2011 3:04:44 PM

2/27/2011 3:42:25 PM

The feedback here definitely gives me a few things to think about.

As of right now, I'll be teaching English here in Hungary for another year and then we're planning on coming back to the States so that I can get my Masters. As far as where from, that has not been decided. The responses also make me want to think that through again as well.

Guess it's time to A) start looking for some GRE books, B) really do some research on programs and C) start asking people in my little mini-network.

Anyone else have any stories about going back for Grad School?

3/4/2011 7:58:11 PM

I didn't really "go back" to school per se, just continued with it after undergrad.....

I am certain my degree helped me get my job, especially since very few people in this area (Hickory) have advanced degrees. I was up against about 60 applicants, some of which were definitely more qualified......but i think my resume got me to the interview, and from that point i could win them over. Granted this is the public sector, so it is a little different.

3/5/2011 12:22:08 PM