LaVisHh said:

Lav I felt like that too when I read this thread! But ya know something, I LOVE my job and I'm going on my third promotion in 3 years so I feel like I've done very very well. Shit, I've gotten a 10k raise in 3 years!! And I know I'll go back to school when I'm ready for it, and when I can enjoy it more. Fancy degrees don't mean anything if you don't like your job or if you can't find one!

Congrats to you for being a mom and juggling school and work. THAT is an accomplishment!

My degree was in Computer Science. Four years in Trinity College, Dublin. I put myself through university, living completely independently and working part time jobs in evenings and weekends. I came out owing about $10,000 which wasn't too bad. I took a year out as well to get some cash together and travel around Japan so it took my 5 years.

I didn't bother with a masters because in my line of work, industry experience is far more valuable these days. However, I believe I now automatically qualify for an automatic masters degree because of my professional experience in the industry so I should get my act together and get the forms sorted.

matt and CarrieLee...see, posts like that give me hope, in this gloomy market. I was told to get a 2-year and get my foot in the door, because experience means a lot in the field of technology.

Thank you both!

LaVisHh said:

I don't know much about the tech industry (aside from the fact that it's in a slump), but I agree that getting your foot in the door is important. One of the big buzzwords among career counselors is "networking"--well, it's a lot easier to network after you've gotten your foot in the door and gotten a job somewhere.

It is true that, statistically, the investment a person makes in a getting a degree should pay itself back many times over. But there's no guarantee--go visit a major college town like Bloomington, Indiana, and see how many folks with Ph.D.'s are working as waiters/waitresses.

I know one guy who has completed about 3/4 of the work required for a bachelor's degree. He's been out of school for about 10 years now. And while he could always go back to school, right now he's making a living by doing two things:

1) He runs his own company, and I don't think finishing his degree would help him at all there--he was a history major.

2) He has a side job that requires no college education whatsoever.

He's a busy guy, and right now, I see no reason for him to finish his degree. He seems very happy doing the work that he does. And if he wants/needs to finish up his bachelor's degree program in the future, he has that option and can do it in a year. My mother started college in 1969 and didn't finish her degree until 1991.