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Right, so, this might get a little ranty as I'm pretty frustrated right now. The gist of the situation is that I'm suffering from a little bit of options paralysis.

Yesterday I issued an ultimatum to my boss indicating that if he doesn't give me industry standard pay, I'll be going to grad school in the Fall. For the record, I make ~60,000 and industry standard is ~90,000, so I asked for a 50% pay increase. As expected, he told me that he would find someone else. He won't, as I handle 3 different positions (facilities management, personnel management, and financial management) but that's neither hear nor there. The end result is that I'm grad school bound, and I need to pick one.

So, I have to make a choice.

Option 1: I go get an MA in political science or international affairs at a state school, with the intent of moving on to a PhD after graduation, or taking a job at a place I can't mention specifically.

Option 2: I go get a PhD in political science or international affairs at a state school which isn't really ideal for my career plans. Taking a job at the unmentionable place in the aftermath.

Option 3: I go get an MA in political science or international affairs at an expensive private school with great connections to the place I can't mention specifically, and then work there. We're talking about 250% the cost of the state school here.

Option 4: I go to law school. I have acceptances at Brown, Princeton, Georgetown, and Denver (Sturm). In all likelihood I will do the same job, at the same place I cannot mention, while paying far more for school than I would otherwise. However, a JD does open other fields if I need a fall back sometime in the future.

Also, of all the schools I applied to, the only one that rejected me was the one I would have attended regardless of circumstance. Dual degree program with Northwestern and Sciences-Po Paris? Yes please. Which is where I will, hopefully, end up if I select Option 1.

Cross posted at The Wasteland.

dogma wrote:Cross posted at The Wasteland.

I was about to say "I've seen this thread somewhere before..."

I'd say go with your gut instinct. Do a degree in the one that interests you the most, seeing as you already have a job lined up.

Scratch option 4, the legal market's swamped right now IMHO.

Option 2 seems the best if you can swing it financially. You want to get as little debt as possible, believe me.

In any event; the best of luck in whatever path you take.

Platuan4th wrote:
I was about to say "I've seen this thread somewhere before..."

Curses, my secret identity has been revealed!

60,000 in this economy is nothing to sneeze at. personally i make almost nothing, and will be lucky to find full time work.

i have no advice because all of the issues at hand seem like logical choices.

Tell your boss I'll do it. To hell with industry standard pay.

I don't have any of the qualifications you do, but hey! I'm cheap!

agnosto wrote:Scratch option 4, the legal market's swamped right now IMHO.

Yeah, option 4 is the most expensive, and least relevant to my expertise. I'd most likely focus on international IP law.

I vote for option 2.
You seem most interested in human interactions (from your posts) and PoliSci PhD with applicable experience would allow you to take up a Professorship, teaching or research, (relatively) easily after retirement from said unmentionable job. </end unmentionably long sentence>
Unless that job is with the Mob, you don't want to retire from the Mob.

How ambitious are you feeling? You already understand your situation far better than any of us could, and you're seemingly quite intelligent. Thus it's a question of drive and intention. How far do you want to go, and what options do you wish to utilize to take you there? Do you want a high level position in a think tank? Ambassadorship?

School is the longest term investment. Think about where you want to be in 20 years and decide from there.

I'd most likely focus on international IP law.

Scratch that. Just jump in front of a train.

Skarwael wrote:Tell your boss I'll do it. To hell with industry standard pay.

I don't have any of the qualifications you do, but hey! I'm cheap!

And after Skarwael ruins the company they'll come back to dogma begging to give him a raise.

How certain is the job with the unmentionable place? That looks like the key judgement to me, if it's all but certain and you know it's something you really want to do then by all means take the cheapest degree that'll keep you interested. However, if the job isn't completely certain then the extra connections at the pricey place might make it the best option.

The bigger issue, though, is how confident you are that you'll want to work there when you're done. Personally I think it's good advice to keep as many options open as long as possible, as you never know how your interests might change. The work in the unmentionable place might not be where you're at in a couple of years, or life and family commitments might make a Washington or overseas position less appealling. If that's a factor then I'd strongly recommend law, as it opens a really wide range of future positions. I'm not sure there's any life quite so sweet as that of a corporate lawyer, a few hundred thousand a year to give vague advice and sit in on the odd meeting. And there's always a market for corporate lawyers.

But it all depends on how much you're committed to the unmentionable place, and how confident you are they'll offer you a place.

Ive got a mate who is a lawyer for a pretty successful firm, and he hates his life, if thats any use. Id say do whatever you want but avoid law!

I'd go with Option 4. Several eggs in several baskets seems like a good position given the situation you've already outlined.

Question, are you going into education to learn or to get the qualification? If the later is true, take option 5... - self employment. ditch the corporate cog in the system bs.

whatwhat wrote:Question, are you going into education to learn or to get the qualification? If the later is true, take option 5... - self employment. ditch the corporate cog in the system bs.

At this point, a qualification. I can do all the research necessary to learn anything I might be taught, but I can't give myself a degree, and its very difficult to publish, or advance in my field, if you don't have one.