Possibly going back to school, already have degree though.. (bachelors, PhD, skills)

[11thHour]

This will be kind of long - so you've been warned! I'm at a crossroads in life. I have a bachelor of science, graduated '99. My major was 'professional pilot'. Since most seem to not know what that would entail, here's what it consisted of:tons of flight training and tons of flight certificate ground schools (those alone encompass a lot of subjects), math to trig, several law and aviation business and management classes, aerodynamics, the usual general ed stuff, several meteorology courses, biology, etc. My goal was to be an airline pilot.

Since then, I have worked at several 'regional airlines'. My timing was bad - I started right before 9/11. Lost my job. Took a non-flying job for a few years (airport management - bored me to tears!!!) and was hired again by a regional airline. I'm slated to lose my job next month again. My first job netted me $18k as a pilot, and I've never broken $35k in this field. I have moved multiple times due to being moved to different airline bases. In summary, I'm done with this career. Tired of being broke, tired of moving, tired of instability - and tired of starting all over at the bottom of the payscale with each job loss. Most of all - I'm tired of being gone all the time. I just want to sleep in my own bed at night!

I actually have no choice in the matter - we have to meet strict medical requirements as required by the FAA. Well, I no longer meet one of them, so I'm being forced out anyway. (Note: in a normal job it's a non issue..)

So I need to find a new career. I've been looking for jobs, but I'm hitting walls. First, no one seems to like my degree. Second, all jobs require 'experience'. I wish the degree was named 'aviation management' as it would at least show I have management and business courses. Also - my job consists mostly of being a manager anyway. Flying is just a small fraction of what we do. We are inflight managers and decision makers under sometimes immense and incredibly stressful situations, applying and analyzing mind boggling amounts of information and regulations. But we are locked away where no one see us do our work, and therefore misconceptions abound!

But over and over interviewers are shooting me down right off the bat, thinking I'm just a bus driver in the sky. They don't know how wrong they are! I explain that I'm more a manager than a button pusher. I explain my education, but for some reason I'm getting nowhere.

So I'm considering going back to school. I'm very interested in three fields: botany, meteorology, and geography/GIS. I see that in each field, masters and even a Phd is recommended for good positions. I've been out of school for 9 years and don't know how these things work. If I decided to pursue one of those programs, would I have to start over and get a bachelors in them, then move on to masters and up? Or could I go into the masters of those programs? Also - I've still got quite a bit of school debt from my bachelors program - flight training is very expensive. Would this disqualify me for more aid if I need it?

Thanks for any info you might have!!

[ogre]

Well, I'm another one who has started over and has included a return to school as part of this. I've been at it (being back in school) for several years, and am now investigating graduate schools, so I know something about this situation.

First of all, congratulations on deciding to keep forging ahead. Regarding your questions, something that jumps out at me is that you are trying to decide between three fields of study. Unless you can narrow this down through past experience--for example, if you studied enough meteorology for your first degree to have a really good idea how you like it--then, if you can possibly swing it financially, it might be good to return to undergraduate school long enough to take several classes in each subject, so you get a better idea which one really works for you.

Okay, now that I've just suggested taking some additional time as an undergrad, I may seem to be contradicting myself, but I would suggest moving on to graduate school as early as possible. The main reasons to start out with undergraduate classes would be to narrow down your interests and to establish a foundation for grad school. Whether or not you need further undergrad classes to be at the level where you're ready for graduate school depends on the field, and how much of a background you already have in the field. I would suggest checking the following websites--http://www.gradschools.com/ and Graduate Schools and Programs | The Princeton Review starting points for learning which schools have graduate programs in your field. Also, you might want to look through the grad school guidebooks for this information.

The websites of the graduate programs will have good info on what is required for admission. Also, they will list faculty contact people, who should be helpful in answering questions about whether you have the undergraduate background needed for admission to graduate programs in the field. It's best to ask these faculty contact people specific questions, rather than just a general "anything you can tell me about your program." You are asking exactly that specific kind of question when you discuss your background and ask whether this will be enough preparation. I would also suggest that you avoid sending e-mail to graduate program faculty contacts at times when they will be especially busy, like the beginning and end of a semester, or the week or two before the start of a new semester.

Whether your current student loan debt will affect the cost of graduate school depends on at least a couple of factors. One is whether you are prepared to accumulate more debt. A question to ask of financial aid offices at schools you are considering is whether there is a cap on total student loans you accrue. Finally, if you are up to date on repaying your debts, the first two issues I pointed out are the main concerns, but if you are in default on a student loan then you will be ineligible for further financial aid from the government program.

One reason for my suggesting that you move on to graduate school as soon as it is feasible is that at the graduate level there is the possibility of taking care of most or all fincances through a teaching or research assistantship, something that you might want to consider seriously during grad school because it is also an additional way to learn about your field, and it can be a good resume item.

Okay, well, this is getting kind of long, but I hope this gives you some answers. Best of luck with your move into this new phase of life.

[zman0]

A graduate program in a scientific field is going to require that you have certain background knowledge in the field, usually taught in upper-level undergraduate courses. So you might need to go back and get another BS degree, although this time you should be able to skip those classes not directly related to your major.

As for which field to go into, I would look at the potential ends that you would like to achieve. Instead of getting a Bachelors/Masters/PhD in a field and then looking for jobs, find a job that you would be interested in and work towards that end. Even if you don't end up in that position, you can find something close to it.

I've always imagined education like climbing a tree. Some people start at the bottom and grab whichever branch looks best at the time and moving their way up, only to find they can't get where they want to go without backtracking. Instead, find out where you want to go, and plan a way to get there. Even if you have to stretch or take the harder way sometimes, you'll end up where you want, and you'll find there are lots of other options there as well.

[ElleBebe]

I don't know anything about going back to school, but I have had experience trying to get a job, and I know that it's absolutely necessary to rewrite your resume to fit the job description; the name of your college major/degree doesn't matter so much as the quality and type of the positions you've held in the past. If you're trying to change fields but you're still looking at management positions, just write your resume so it highlights your management experiences instead of the flying part. Just don't lie and say you've done things you haven't. Most jobs have many aspects to them, and can provide skills, training and experiences that translate well into other fields and positions.

[Elipar]

I agree whole-heartedly with ElleBebe. When evaluating applications, you'd be surprised at the number of people who write a purpose/objective that has absolutely nothing to do with the job they're applying for! Search the internet for resources on how to write a convincing, purposeful resume that speaks to the reader. While most resumes focus on education, yours should focus on skills and achievements.

As for going back to school, I recently sold my business to go back to school 5 years after graduation. It's not that bad. It requires an understanding of what it is you want, and how you're going to get there. You can't just decide to go back to school and hope something comes of it.

As far as possible careers, there are many out there that do not require a bachelor's in the field of interest, though it is a significant limitation. For example, I looked up Master's programs in Advertising, and the University of Texas at Austin has an excellent 3 year program. There are MFA in Interior Design that do not require interior design bachelor's. Architecture is something that can be done without pre-reqs. Finally, the field I'm in - dentistry (and medicine) does not require a specific background, although you're probably lacking some pre-requisite classes.

Bottom line, if you're not happy where you're at now, do some MAJOR research before you dive in. But when you're ready, have a plan and stick to it.