Master's degrees

[Discuss Thrower]

Who has one (or many)?

Are you currently or recently worked in the field that pertained to your field of study?

Was it worth the time and money?

Does having a post-grad degree prevent you from working on other fields?

[BucEyedPea]

Sorry to keep commenting on this DiscussThrower, but there are copywriters who do come from journalism backgrounds. I don't see how that can hurt, but helps.

[Randallflagg]

Originally Posted by mr. tegu

Are you or have you ever been a professional athlete?

Nope. played for a year (football) at University of Louisville, but I blew my knee out, ending my aspirations of a "life of Reilly" in the NFL. Yeah, that's the ticket!

Turned out, I was just a working stiff......

[Pitt Gorilla]

Have a Master's degree in pure mathematics. Am currently working in the field.

[Jimmya]

Masters in Education Administration.

[l4z4rd]

Originally Posted by Discuss Thrower

Who has one (or many)?

MS in Financial Engineering - Columbia University

Originally Posted by Discuss Thrower

Are you currently or recently worked in the field that pertained to your field of study?

Yes

Originally Posted by Discuss Thrower

Was it worth the time and money?

Yes, you typically hit a career wall without one in finance.

Originally Posted by Discuss Thrower

Does having a post-grad degree prevent you from working on other fields?

No.

[cdcox]

Originally Posted by Discuss Thrower

It'd be around a year of undergrad study.

Even then, what's the point? If I do that and get an MBA I'd be 30 with no work experience beyond freelance writing.

Truthfully age 30 is a very good age to start your "real" career. I don't know of many 22 year old people that are comfortably settled in their permanent career. Your generation will probably working into your 70s. If you are off and running at 30, you still have time for a 40 year career. Or you can spin your wheels for the next 45 and have nothing to show at the end of it.

[chiefzilla1501]

Originally Posted by loochy

Yes, it's very valuable. They love six sigma and lean folks because they can readily identify areas to cut cost and improve productivity. They generate lots of savings.

Plus Six Sigma isn't just about Ops. No matter where you work, there is a need for process, structure, and problem solving. Six Sigma can help you (it may not always). It definitely won't hurt you. Worst case scenario, they view it as a person eager to develop.

[chiefzilla1501]

Originally Posted by Discuss Thrower

Welp, I'm ruled out of an MBA because I don't have a business-related undergrad.

Really frustrating.. I applied for two jobs (copywriter for retail company and "proposal specialist" at an accounting firm) two weeks ago that I have yet to hear back from. Which means I'm not getting hired, even though these are the only two jobs I'm qualified for.

Lack of business experience isn't going to stop you, as long as you're clear on your vision. You can still get an MBA if you prep and have a passion for doing something. If you don't want to prep and feel lukewarm, it may not be for you.

Just because you're a copywriter doesn't mean you have to go the rest of your life in freelance. There are lots of jobs that would value creativity, ability to create presentations. And here's a little word to the wise... content marketing is the next big thing. The tipping point is near, and it's going to explode. It's possible maybe your best path is instead to pick a technical trade, like digital marketing, study the balls out of it, perhaps take some online certification courses, and make yourself an expert in that field. While I strongly support getting an MBA, digital marketing is one of those emerging fields where experience and knowledge of the craft is a shitload more important than the critical thinking skills you learn in grad school.

[ThatRaceCardGuy]

I'm working on my MBA with a focus on project management. It's more for me than anything else. I've learned more in my first six classes than I did in my undergraduate program.

[BucEyedPea]

Originally Posted by chiefzilla1501

Just because you're a copywriter doesn't mean you have to go the rest of your life in freelance. There are lots of jobs that would value creativity, ability to create presentations. And here's a little word to the wise... content marketing is the next big thing. The tipping point is near, and it's going to explode. It's possible maybe your best path is instead to pick a technical trade, like digital marketing, study the balls out of it, perhaps take some online certification courses, and make yourself an expert in that field. While I strongly support getting an MBA, digital marketing is one of those emerging fields where experience and knowledge of the craft is a shitload more important than the critical thinking skills you learn in grad school.

He said he's not really a copywriter to me but did sport's journalism.

My daughter is interning at Film Marketing company owned by the director of the film school up at FSU using a form of digital marketing. She's a writing major with her second minor being Communications. She's learning a lot.

[chiefzilla1501]

Originally Posted by BucEyedPea

He said he's not really a copywriter to me but did sport's journalism.

My daughter is interning at Film Marketing company owned by the director of the film school up at FSU using a form of digital marketing. She's a writing major with her second minor being Communications. She's learning a lot.

That's the thing. Writing is in huge demand right now. It sounds like he's restricting himself to pure writing freelance. I would agree with you, that digital marketing is basically a massive publishing industry. But the power is in not just being able to write, but also understanding content strategy and knowing digital marketing inside out. Unless I'm mistaken, it doesn't sound like the OP has expanded his horizons nearly as much as he could. Even though I loved my MBA and think it's really valuable, the OP could probably read up on a ton of books, take cheaper online webinars, and gain on-the-job experience and gain a niche that will always be in demand even without a grad degree.

[Discuss Thrower]

Originally Posted by chiefzilla1501

That's the thing. Writing is in huge demand right now. It sounds like he's restricting himself to pure writing freelance. I would agree with you, that digital marketing is basically a massive publishing industry. But the power is in not just being able to write, but also understanding content strategy and knowing digital marketing inside out. Unless I'm mistaken, it doesn't sound like the OP has expanded his horizons nearly as much as he could. Even though I loved my MBA and think it's really valuable, the OP could probably read up on a ton of books, take cheaper online webinars, and gain on-the-job experience and gain a niche that will always be in demand even without a grad degree.

Technical writing is in demand, as is SEO.

I have no background in either of those things.

Copywriting is something I'd be good at, but since I have no experience in it, it's not going to happen.

And the more I think about it, doing an unpaid internship is a loser move too, because it's highly unlikely I'd get hired at whatever firm I intern with, which means getting hired elsewhere is a nigh-impossible proposition.

Pretty much I have to accept the fact that being a fry-cook or barista is as good as it's going to get with my current degree.

[DaKCMan AP]

BS in Electrical Engineering
MS in Electrical Engineering
MBA

All from UF.

[DaKCMan AP]

Originally Posted by RunKC

This isn't about an MBA, but it's business. Is anyone here certified in six sigma or know about it? The company I work for is going to pay for mine which is really cool.
The only thing I've heard is that it is pretty valuable to have in this economy.

Thoughts?

Yes - Green Belt Certified.

Useful for manufacturing and can be useful elsewhere. The tools can also be misused by dolts to show a cost savings on paper that is very different from reality.

[NewChief]

I actually found myself in similar straits post graduate school where I had a masters, needed to support my wife while she was in graduate school and could not do so on an educator's salary.

I applied as a copywriter despite no experience. The thing that landed me the job is that I was applying in an industry about which I was knowledgeable and passionate (outdoor industry). I know it's a long shot but you might focus your copywriting job search on the sports industry since you have a sports journalism major.