# Second Bachelor's or Master's?



## Treece (Feb 24, 2013)

Hello. So I began thinking about my interesting situation. I currently have a Bachelor's degree in Child Development and wish I didn't. Well paying jobs are rare and usually in the government sector which again, makes it rare, but I have no problem doing it...just have yet to find one. Combined with that I don't think it's practical for me. I didn't get a Bachelor's degree to be a childcare teacher (I don't like it), and to make less money (seriously, the pay of a childcare teacher with a degree is a joke), or a couple dollars more than I do now and I'm a server...didn't need a degree for that. 

So, I want to go back to school for a degree in Computer Science. The University I was looking at will let you get a Master's Degree in the field but of course you have to take preparatory classes. I thought it was a good idea to get it in the same amount of time that I would for a Bachelor's, but I've been looking at jobs to make sure I don't fall into the same trap that I am now. Unlike my current degree, or social work there isn't an emphasis on Master's degree. The emphasis is on experience. Asking for a Bachelor's and then anywhere from 1-10 years experience depending on the job. So now I'm thinking that a second Bachelor's would be more ideal for this field. Especially considering I don't have the educational background, why put more effort and money into it when I can go for something more entry level. 

On the other hand I worry about money. I don't think the government is too willing to give out money for a 2nd Bachelor's despite they barely helped to begin with and I could kick myself for the debt I'm in. Then again though, I could probably afford undergraduate tuition compared to graduate tuition... So any thoughts?


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## PowerShell (Feb 3, 2013)

What are your career goals? Why are you choosing computer science?


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## Treece (Feb 24, 2013)

I want be able to provide for myself and a family. That's supposed to be the point of going back to college right? I want to enjoy my job and I would prefer something that was more technical than social. I'm trying to find a career that I think I can handle, will be interesting, and that pays. I'm not in it entirely for the money or I'd be a doctor, or skip school altogether and go into sales (insurance for example) but i don't like the pressure of having to sell things to people. I like to work and not be bothered. Another reason why I dislike childcare is that many centers want you to continue your education, taking at least one or two classes and that's annoying. Why the hell did I graduate to have to keep taking classes?

I chose computer science because it seems the most interesting and a field with many job prospects. I could say I'm also interested in mathematics but I'm not really sure how that relates to getting a job...like, I don't know where mathematicians get hired and if there's a huge job prospect. I'm reading up on computer programs to see if I would actually like it before I jump back in but the classes will be the real test.


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## PowerShell (Feb 3, 2013)

Computer science is a very broad field. Do you have a specific job in mind once you get that degree?


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## FlightsOfFancy (Dec 30, 2012)

Treece said:


> I want be able to provide for myself and a family. That's supposed to be the point of going back to college right? I want to enjoy my job and I would prefer something that was more technical than social. I'm trying to find a career that I think I can handle, will be interesting, and that pays. I'm not in it entirely for the money or I'd be a doctor, or skip school altogether and go into sales (insurance for example) but i don't like the pressure of having to sell things to people. I like to work and not be bothered. Another reason why I dislike childcare is that many centers want you to continue your education, taking at least one or two classes and that's annoying. Why the hell did I graduate to have to keep taking classes?
> 
> I chose computer science because it seems the most interesting and a field with many job prospects. I could say I'm also interested in mathematics but I'm not really sure how that relates to getting a job...like, I don't know where mathematicians get hired and if there's a huge job prospect. I'm reading up on computer programs to see if I would actually like it before I jump back in but the classes will be the real test.


I was in the same boat; the only thing is, you may have to take a lot more courses. I was a Math/Chemistry and physics minor so I had a lot of the BS almost complete. I would definitely say go for the Master's because it will be more lucrative in the end; however, if you are too far behind in terms of the undergraduate, I suggest you not try the Master's as it will be radically different from social work. Have you tried programming? Are you good at it? Is it fun/easy(within reason) for you? Start reading cplusplus.com - The C++ Resources Network and java tutorials. Do you understand Object Oriented Languages? If I asked you to make a simple ATM app (ask the customer for the card, if not found return etc), could you do so even in pseudocode?




PowerShell said:


> Computer science is a very broad field. Do you have a specific job in mind once you get that degree?


I understand you took the non-bullshit route, but a lot of companies (whether or not they SHOULD) want you to have a degree in Comp Sci. They also want you to have a lot of breath of knowledge that can really only come from dedicated self-study or formal study. 

In "How to crack the coding interview" the author clearly makes it apparent that, no matter what type of comp sci job you are going for, if it requires coding at all, they will ask the same basic shit be demonstrated:
_*1) Data Structures (this seems to be very important to all fields). Poor knowledge of data structures and/or demonstration of such will get you a 'we'll call you back' very quickly.
*_
KNOW THEM: https://secweb.cs.odu.edu/~zeil/cs361/web/website/Directory/page/topics.html#topics is the course I took; if he offers it this summer, TAKE IT. It will save you A LOT of time and cancel a lot of prereqs
2) OOP knowledge (when to create an object etc).
3) General Algorithms and complexity (Sorting) 
4) Language specific skill (API/STL). 

If you are going for database, normalization etc.


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## PowerShell (Feb 3, 2013)

FlightsOfFancy said:


> I understand you took the non-bullshit route, but a lot of companies (whether or not they SHOULD) want you to have a degree in Comp Sci. They also want you to have a lot of breath of knowledge that can really only come from dedicated self-study or formal study.


You have to also factor in I'm a Systems Administrator. Too many people equate Computer Science just with coding. That's why I point out there's a lot more out there including infrastructure. If Treece were to say she was interested in something other than coding, I could give more specific advice. There are a lot of good paying jobs that offer excellent career options that in the computer science realm but in the subset of maintaining infrastructure.


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## FlightsOfFancy (Dec 30, 2012)

PowerShell said:


> You have to also factor in I'm a Systems Administrator. Too many people equate Computer Science just with coding. That's why I point out there's a lot more out there including infrastructure. If Treece were to say she was interested in something other than coding, I could give more specific advice. There are a lot of good paying jobs that offer excellent career options that in the computer science realm but in the subset of maintaining infrastructure.


this is true, and also is she gets into Database management. Her second post does allude to computer program code, however.


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## PowerShell (Feb 3, 2013)

FlightsOfFancy said:


> this is true, and also is she gets into Database management. Her second post does allude to computer program code, however.


She said she's reading up on programs to see if she likes it. I guess if she doesn't, that shouldn't discourage her from pursuing a career in the computer industry. My degree was Technology Management with a concentration in Networking and Network Security. Basically it was a straight up systems\network administration degree. I took 1 Java class. Besides doing some scripting, I don't touch code. There's a lot of infrastructure related jobs where you don't touch the code itself. Yes you will write scripts to automate stuff and also edit config files, but beyond that there's not a lot of coding or math involved. 

Just another route to explore.


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## Treece (Feb 24, 2013)

Well, there is a lot for me to try and reply to here, so, I shall try. After I thought about it some more, if I were to pursue another degree I thought that the Bachelor's would be a better choice. In this field there seems to be more of an emphasis on experience rather than degree. And since I'm very ignorant to this field I think it's better if I got my Bachelor's. It would be less work (in that I'm not taking graduate level courses without a strong background), and I can save a bit money (I won't be elligible for federal aid but I may be able to actually afford undergraduate level courses without taking huge loans again).

As far as what I want to do ultimately, I have NO idea. The adivsor suggested their Information Systems program but it seems more business and management based. I really don't want to manage anyone nor be involved directly with the business aspect. A lot of people say they get burned out with coding and I don't know if I will or not. I guess at the moment I'm open to anything because I don't know about it all. I suppose systems analyst or systems programmer seem to be kind of common and would be something I would like to try.

I still can't say if I'm good at programming yet but I have seen the simple "Hello World!" code in a compiler and it reminds me of HTML code. Once explained I can understand what prompts a computer to do what and then the codes "make sense" in that it doesn't look like a foreign language but rather "return 0" is pretty much what it says. I imagine not all code is that simple but...you get my point right? Lol.

My other issue though is that a lot of jobs want you to know like 5 different programs and I've recently been seeing C# in place of C++ and I guess my worry is that I graduate but I still have no idea what they're talking about lol. So...yeah...confused I am. And it just makes me worry.


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## PowerShell (Feb 3, 2013)

Have you considered going to a tech school and getting an associates degree in programming? I know a decent amount of people who have got bachelor's degrees in a completely unrelated field like Art and then go to get an associates from a tech college and have worked their way up.


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## Treece (Feb 24, 2013)

The tech schools around here are expensive o.o 
I could go back to my old school for an associate's but trying to avoid the lengthy drive.
I do appreciate the suggestion though.
I also wonder if that would get my foot in the door anywhere...but it would be even shorter time. If you could help me with that point I could try looking at other places that will offer an associate's...maybe paid internships?


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## PowerShell (Feb 3, 2013)

Treece said:


> The tech schools around here are expensive o.o


How expensive? I know in Wisconsin to get a degree from a tech school it costs like $8000. That's not too bad for a degree.


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## Treece (Feb 24, 2013)

About 20k for the whole year at ITT Tech. I don't know of any others near me that aren't in the ghetto, but I haven't dug much either since I wasn't planning on it.


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## Tea Path (Sep 5, 2012)

I would advise taking courses that are cheap for you so you don't accrue debt. Community college is a good way, but be sure that they will transfer.


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## PowerShell (Feb 3, 2013)

Treece said:


> About 20k for the whole year at ITT Tech. I don't know of any others near me that aren't in the ghetto, but I haven't dug much either since I wasn't planning on it.


Don't you have anything funded by the state? I think Wisconsin was the first to pioneer the modern tech college system and we have a lot of good tech schools here that are funded by the state and not private. They offer reasonable tuition. An example of one in my backyard is Midstate Technical College Mid-State Technical College


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## Treece (Feb 24, 2013)

Well I'm sure I can find something, I would also want to check that the schools I'm looking at are accredited and not just giving away paper for thousands of dollars, but my problem remains, how do I sell myself with an associate's degree?


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## MBTI Enthusiast (Jan 29, 2011)

I've heard there is a great need for computer science majors these days. In fact, one man I talked to said he was having trouble finding employees for his company because people turned HIM down. Quite a shocking prospect for those of us who are desperately looking for jobs. I have a Master's in Biomedical Engineering, and often wish I had more Comp Sci experience for some of these jobs. So, yes, I think that's a good choice.

As for second Bachelors or a Master's, yes, Master's degrees are not often required for engineering jobs that I've seen. However, I do think the Bachelor's degree would be much more costly, especially if you can't get as much financial aid. If you got a Master's without the undergraduate education supporting it, I am unsure if it would mean as much, unless you find a job where you could combine the two areas. If you can and want to get another BS, that would probably be a better decision.


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## Up and Away (Mar 5, 2011)

Second bachelors= waste of money

Waste of money= Isnt always a waste of time


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## PowerShell (Feb 3, 2013)

Treece said:


> Well I'm sure I can find something, I would also want to check that the schools I'm looking at are accredited and not just giving away paper for thousands of dollars, but my problem remains, how do I sell myself with an associate's degree?


You market yourself as you already have a bachelor's degree and decided to get an associates degree because you felt doing the job in the associate's would be a better fit. A lot of companies say "bachelor's required" but don't specify what bachelor's is required. It's basically any bachelor's works. Our team lead (supervisor) for the Systems Administrator group has an Art bachelor's degree and an associates degree in computer networking. He was able to easily get a job and work his way to a management type role. It can be done.


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## Treece (Feb 24, 2013)

Alright, thank you very much for all of your help!


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