Ok - that certainly helps.
I'd say you are taking all of the right steps (steady income, gainfully employed, and no student loan debt) to make this worthwhile for you.
Regarding the University:
I briefly researched UoH - CL and it's not listed as a top school in Forbes or U.S. News. (To be clear, it's listed as "unranked" at U.S. News.) This is not to say it isn't a good school but what I would suggest you to be mindful of is:
- Retention
- Percentage of grad students who had one or more job offers either at time of graduation or 6 months after (It would be great if you narrow down the statistics to this particular department or degree program.)
- Caliber of employers that hire from this university from this department
- Prestige within the IT community
- Etc.
IT can be a very competitive market and you'll want to make sure you attend a university that can get you in the door. Some employers will not even review your resume if you do not graduate from a particular school - others don't even care if you have a degree as long as you can do the work. (Make sure the list of employers that you'd like to work for aren't on the former list. If they are, adjust appropriately.)
Regarding the Degree Program:
Information Systems is an interesting degree program because the meaning of it and the career opportunities varies depending on what you're studying. (It's not like Comp Sci where everyone knows you're there to learn how to develop software in a general sense.) My program was a mix of heavy tech, economics, and business which prepared me for certain positions. I would suggest...
- Talking to the career services center to see what types of positions folks got hired for upon graduation.
- Make sure this degree program prepares you for what you want to do in this field
- Can you take a MS in IS without a BS in an IT field or will you have to take additional courses? (Meaning, will they teach you from the ground up or are they expecting some pre-req knowledge?)
- Etc
My Overall Thoughts:
I think this could be a positive move for you if you go through your due diligence. I did massive amounts of research before receiving either degree and it paid off - I'm doing something that I love for a very large, prestigious company. (I cannot say the same for my peers who graduated with me - some are just not happy in their careers or the salaries they make by accepting certain positions.) A person who designs web sites **typically** is not going to make as much as a software developer. A person who accepts a consulting gig will be traveling a lot whether they like it or not. Just really dig in and talk to folks at your Career Services Center and people in the field you are interested in.
Personally, I received my BS from a public state school and took a full-time job. Then, about 6 months later, I went back part-time for my MS. After a couple of years I graduated and just stuck my feelers out there - received job offers for more money due to the advanced degree and job experience in addition to a better position working for a larger company.
Best of luck to you!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Chris1917
Thanks for your reply.
1. I'm looking at University of Houston at Clear Lake
2. The tuition alone will cost around 24,000. I'll be paying as I go, no loans. I don't have any loan debt.
3. I've been working as a paralegal for the past 5 years.
4. I'd like to switch to a corporate career--I'd really like to get something that would allow me to become a business analyst or business systems analyst.
5. It would take me over 4 years. I would work fulltime while obtaining the degree. I would try to get a corporate job next year-not really an option this year.
6. This will be an MS
Is it ok if I ask if you feel your degrees have been worthwhile and also what kind of work do you do?
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