I'm Baaack

[Basket Weaver]

Hello All,
I'm sure many of you have no idea who I am but I used to be pretty involved in IC. I am now contemplating going back to school to use up my GI bill money. I have contacted several schools (Walden, Capella, and UOP) about their doctorate programs. I though it would be prudent to tap the collective here and see if anyone had better info on a doctorate program that I could complete quickly.

Yes, I know they are not meant to be completed quickly but I could really give a flip about the "experience or networking" I just want to bust my butt and get it over with...alas the name basket weaver; if they had a PHD in it, I'd be there.

I retired from the AF and moved here to Arkansas just to find that any degree here is about worthless. A Masters degree here is paying $15-23 an hour! (Yes, I have proof https://www.arjoblink.arkansas.gov/ada/s...and=660624). Needless to say we are eager to get out of here and get back with the Department of Defense and go back overseas. The positions that I am interested in require a doctorate degree, thus the sudden desire to complete one.

If anyone has information they'd like to share with me I'd love to hear about it.

Regards, Lee

[Farmerboy]

Welcome back! I don't have a whole lot to add but hope you find a program that fits you soon.

[cinderly]

Hi, Lee! Welcome back!

I don't have direct experience with any doctorate-level programs at the moment, but there's a thread over at degreeinfo discussing UK-based PhDs by research that might be helpful to you. There's also a Doctoral Board thread that inadvertently serves as something of a directory for available distance-delivered doctorates.

Good luck in whatever program you end up choosing!

[Ruddigore]

It's good to see you around again!

I've always wondered what happened to Basket Weaver. Now I know.

[Chebasaz]

Rawr!

Hey Basket Weaver! Welcome back!

[Jason86]

The Weave is back! I'm familiar with you and former frequent poster 'Snazz' because of your cool names & from doing searches & finding your informative posts. So thanks for all the help.

I agree with the suggestion to check degreeinfo forum it's a great resource for post grads.

Jason

[ShotoJuku]

Welcome back Lee, I answered your PM!

[Katterina]

Welcome back!

Any particular major you are looking into?

[Basket Weaver]

Thanks All,
I am looking at a DBA (Doctor of Business Administration). It is less theoretical than a PhD but has more practical application in the business world. I am looking at getting this because my family and I are going back into the Department of Defense and the degree will help insure I get to the level I'm worth...or at least think I am. In the civilian sector, the degree would overqualify me from most jobs but the DoD honors education and pays accordingly.

We returned from overseas (18 years) and decided to make a go of it here in the not so great state of Arkansas. We moved here to be near family and to take care of my parents. I hired on to a pretty good job at Eaton and life was good until the economy collapsed; 8 months later I was out of work. This is when I learned that Ar. is the 48th lowest paying job in the union and most of the job descriptions begin with "Looking for an exciting career in the restaurant/services industry?" I did a search the other day and found that there were a total of 7 jobs....in the entire state....requiring a masters degree, one was for a Social Worker paying $15 an hour! This is a very beautiful state, I've met some great people and we plan on keeping the house here to return/retire to...just not a very good work state.

We've submitted many applications to USAJobs.com and now are in the waiting mode; it can be a long process but the pay/perks/travel are very competitive and we sure miss being overseas.

One thing I wanted to post, from my experience this past year and a half anyways: If you feel the desire to pursue a Master's Degree, make sure that it's a requirement for the job you're pursuing. It is a heck of a lot of work just to find out that the job doesn't even require one or you won't earn any more; it is NOT automatic that you'll be paid more because you have a masters! Additionally, when it comes to the pay you can expect, don't be deluded by the school regurgitating their statistics that if you have XX degree you can expect to be paid XX amount more; I think this is simply a marketing ploy to lure you into the school so they can make money (college is simply a business...nothing more). While it may be true in certain areas, it may not be true where you live. The unemployment lines are now saturated with highly educated people looking for jobs. Employers know this and are paying whatever they want because they know people need to work to support their families. While I do believe having a degree is important, its not the Saviour it's cracked up to be. Having a degree coupled with experience is just as important; keep all of this in mind when contemplating higher education, no matter what level the degree. Just my two cents worth...anyone else running into something different?

[Gary]

Still, I believe any Masters is better than not having one when it comes to federal employment, especially now when like you said, they are very selective because of this economy. Even a Grad cert (1 yr) can give you a boost IF you believe the reqt's posted in the vacany announcement. USAJOBS is an eye opening experience now, it is nothing short of an adventure. You hope that your faxed transcript, resume, DD-214, makes it to it's intended destination.