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Long story short, all the masters programs I am interested in [mba, masters in quantitative finance, or masters in data science/business analysis] seem to be targeting the working professional rather than a 21 year old fresh out of undergrad. There seems to be one targeting fresh undergrads, but it's a very new program [as in it's starting this fall] at a college that might be out of my reach [GA tech].
My gpa is in the low 3's. Last I checked it's a 3.2. I'm a dual cs & econ rising senior, so I think I have a chance of getting a professional job when I graduate [I will have 3 internships, and this upcoming year I'll have a part time job with my school's IT department]. If I don't get a professional job like most other people my age, I guess I'll just give up my dreams of middle class life and work my way up from employee at mcdonalds.
I graduated with a CS & Economics dual major and had no issues finding a job. You will not either as long as you are graduating from a decent school. The school is more telling about you competence than your GPA. You also have internship experience... so it's not like you're clueless. You'll likely do better in interviews.
I don't see McDonalds in your future. Start applying all over Silicon Valley and Silicon Alley.
Well first - just because you don't get a "professional job" the minute you graduate, doesn't mean that you will A) work at McDonalds and B) if you do work at McDonalds - that you will stay there and never get a professional job. That greatly depends on you and how motivated you are, how you apply what you learned in school and whether you take advantage of career counseling offered by your college.
Second - your first paragraph seems to have nothing to do with the second. Are you wanting to go to grad school? Are you wanting to discuss whether grad schools target older adults as opposed to younger ones? Are you worried about your low GPA if you apply to grad school? Are you trying to decide between grad school and starting to work? You don't necessarily have to drop the idea of grad school if you do get a job.
Well first - just because you don't get a "professional job" the minute you graduate, doesn't mean that you will A) work at McDonalds and B) if you do work at McDonalds - that you will stay there and never get a professional job. That greatly depends on you and how motivated you are, how you apply what you learned in school and whether you take advantage of career counseling offered by your college.
Second - your first paragraph seems to have nothing to do with the second. Are you wanting to go to grad school? Are you wanting to discuss whether grad schools target older adults as opposed to younger ones? Are you worried about your low GPA if you apply to grad school? Are you trying to decide between grad school and starting to work? You don't necessarily have to drop the idea of grad school if you do get a job.
the grad schools I want to attend target mostly working professionals [working in the field, well not so much for mba, but mba itself is pretty much a dime a dozen]. Working professionals on average make up 70% of the student body. Thus, my best bet is to work for a few years. So that leads to my main question: how hard is it to give up the work force for a year or two and reenter academic?
The second part deals with becoming a working professional, which isn't exactly the easiest thing to do for as new graduate. Everything now rests on the idea I'll get a normal job out of graduation. Most people don't, and I don't see myself as an exception. If I can never get a normal job, there's no point in going for a masters degree targeting working professionals. The only thing I can do is work my way up in Mcdonalds/fast food like setting.
If all of those programs are targeting working professionals, then its really not that hard for all of those working professionals to leave the workforce and reenter academia. It's best to save up for a few years that way you can afford to take a year or two off work.
the grad schools I want to attend target mostly working professionals [working in the field, well not so much for mba, but mba itself is pretty much a dime a dozen]. Working professionals on average make up 70% of the student body. Thus, my best bet is to work for a few years. So that leads to my main question: how hard is it to give up the work force for a year or two and reenter academic?
The second part deals with becoming a working professional, which isn't exactly the easiest thing to do for as new graduate. Everything now rests on the idea I'll get a normal job out of graduation. Most people don't, and I don't see myself as an exception. If I can never get a normal job, there's no point in going for a masters degree targeting working professionals. The only thing I can do is work my way up in Mcdonalds/fast food like setting.
As Howiester said if the target is working professionals and if as you say 70% are working professionals then it wasn't hard for those people to go back to school.
But I still don't understand why you seem to think that even if you have to get a job outside your chosen profession it will be fast food. And even if it IS with McDonalds or the like then there is nothing that says you cannot still look for a job that is within your chosen career field.
Are you saying that if your first job is not within your career filed you will just give up on ever trying to get a professional job? If so then that's a bit ridiculous.
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It's hard, but you do what you have to do. I had five years between graduating and starting grad school. Spending less and not being able to do what I wanted to do when I wanted was difficult, but I wouldn't change how I did things as my professional job clarified what I wanted to get out of grad school.
Everything now rests on the idea I'll get a normal job out of graduation. Most people don't, and I don't see myself as an exception.
You are an exception, in my experience.
My kids and the vast majority of their friends have jobs in their majors, right after undergrad!
Your pessimism comes through on this thread. Hopefully, it does not is real life... or you WILL have trouble finding jobs!
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