Selecting a College Degree (Let's stick with a 4-year degree for now)

SGM Matthew Quick — Sun, 24 Nov 2013 14:05:08 -0500

How did you select your degree and have you worked in that specialized field?<br><br>What would you recommend to service members trying to decide what degree path to follow?

Response by MAJ Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 24 at 2013 2:24 PM

MAJ Private RallyPoint Member — Sun, 24 Nov 2013 14:24:39 -0500

I was a Classics major until I changed it my senior year. I didn't go far; I switched to Latin. I chose it because history is my passion, and I knew that I would have to learn a historical language. I fell in love with Latin and Greek literature (I took 16 credits of Greek as well), and knew that I would enjoy college more if I chose something that interested me. I was blessed to get a job teaching Latin so I can't complain.

My advice to service members is the same advice I give my students: do what you love. I've met a lot of miserable "successful" people, but I have never seen someone doing what he/she love who was unhappy.

Response by CPT Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 25 at 2013 9:25 AM

CPT Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 25 Nov 2013 09:25:58 -0500

I chose History for my 4-Year degree, because I love history, and did not need a specific degree to do what I wanted (Be an Army Officer). I knew that I would have to branch out for my Masters, but I did not want to spend 4 years working for something I did not enjoy.

Response by CW2 Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 4 at 2014 10:35 PM

CW2 Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 04 Jan 2014 22:35:29 -0500

I pursued a liberal arts degree for my Bachelor's from Excelsior. Here's my reasoning:<div><br></div><div>A Bachelor's Degree is frankly worthless. It's the "new high school diploma". You can't really do anything with a BS.</div><div><br></div><div>My minor or focus is basically in Psychology because I feel that it is relevant to the interrogation field etc. So I actually have a Bachelors of Science instead of a Bachelors of Arts that you usually would with a BS.</div><div><br></div><div>Anyhow back off to my reasoning. </div><div><br></div><div>You can't do crap without a Master's these days.</div><div><br></div><div>So I just took classes that I enjoyed. I can also still apply for a Master's program for Psychology from Excelsior even though my BS is in LA.</div><div><br></div><div>I got the Bachelor's to out-perform my peers for selection to SFC and I feel that the selection was partially due to that as I had my degree at my 7 year mark (as well as two AA degrees). I also got it just in case I got out of the Army (I hadn't decided to go indef until my re-enlistment AFTER my re-enlistment to make SFC as that re-enlistment I had 9 years, 5 months in the Army so I only re-up for 3 years) the FBI requires a BS from an accredited college - they don't care where from unless it's a specific application.</div><div><br></div><div>Realistically look at 90% of the officers you meet. Even from USMA have crap degrees. Poly Sci, History, etc. You can't do crap with those degrees except maybe teach, and that brings me back to my original point - to teach or get a decent job you need a Master's.</div>

Response by MSG Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 4 at 2014 11:03 PM

MSG Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 04 Jan 2014 23:03:24 -0500

When I decided to go to school full-time, I wanted my undergraduate degree to be the degree that I would enjoy (considering that I did not have to pay for school- the State of Illinois has the Illinois Veterans Grant). My undergrad degree is in English Literature, with a minor in African American History. I graduated with Honors, because I enjoyed the reading and writing aspect.<div>Afterwards, I needed a degree for a career. I decided that since I liked working with people, I would get a Masters degree in Human Resources. It was a 18 month degree, and since I now had another full ride for school (Honors degree = a full fellowship at the University of Illinois for me!), I finished in the 18 months (taking a full load). I now work in HR for a major petroleum company in the Midwest, right out of college.</div><div><br></div><div>What would I recommend to a fellow service member?</div><div>Take your time while you still have a job, to explore what you want to do for a living. I had a friend (fellow military) who went to school for 4 years for Nursing. The month she graduated was when she decided that she 'didn't like Nursing'. Now she works for UPS, not because she wants to, but she needs a job. Four years and thousands of dollars wasted, when she could have did some research on what she did or did not want to do with her life.</div><div>You can always take one of those interest tests, which asks different questions which can help guide you to areas that you may have an interest in.</div><div>Ask people about their jobs; consider 'job shadowing' with different organizations to see what the day to day aspect of a job that you may be interested are.  Many companies will be willing to allow you to spend some time with their workforce, in order to see whether a job there would be something beneficial for you and the company.</div><div>Lastly, remember the saying: "Choose the job you'll love, and you'll never have to work a day in your life".  Make a goal, lay out a plan on how to get to that goal, and make adjustments as necessary. I decided 2 years ago that I would build my dream house in 5 years, and that goal gets me out of the house every morning. Dream big; and stay Proud.</div><div>PS- Please excuse any typos; my cat 'helped' me type this out!</div>

Response by CPT Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 4 at 2014 11:20 PM

CPT Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 04 Jan 2014 23:20:48 -0500

I always had a huge passion for the outdoors, science, how things worked, and how things are made. I found my passion in Geology which encompasses all those areas, and is a huge area of interest I've had since my first Science Fair in 3rd grade where I documented rock types throughout the city I lived in. I got my BS in Geology and minors in Physics & Computational Mathematics.

Geology gave me a huge skillset that is useful in many fields. Geologists can branch into Structural Engineering, Easily pick-up a highly lucrative job in any sort of mining (Lithium is a huge field now due to the explosion of Lithium-ion batteries in all our electronic devices, also Copper due to increase in price) as well as the traditional favorites (Oil & Natural Gas). You can work for the USGS (United States Geologic Survey) doing mapping, etc... You can work for the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) doing work on pollution/contamination of the environment or water. The list really goes on and on, and as of now everyone I graduated with was picked up for a job very easily. Many companies will even pay for you to get your Master's while working for them.

I won't put down Liberal Arts majors, but if you want a fun, challenging job look towards the Science's, there will always be jobs available in Scientific and Engineering fields. It's also a ton of fun. As a Geologist I did a ton of travel, and got to make money doing things like taking glacial ice samples from the top of Mt. Rainier to estimate pollutants in the air from 1980-2010 for the Seattle-Tacoma area, for their local EPA office. Endless possibilities and adventure.

For those wondering why I may have left such an exciting and lucrative field for the Army... Well, it wasn't easy, but I've always loved this country and the freedom's we all enjoy, and even though it's not lucrative I've really enjoyed serving my Country, and my time in Military Service has been very awarding in its own right. I know Geology will still be there waiting when I part ways with the Army.

Response by LCpl Mark Lefler made Jan 5 at 2014 2:27 AM

LCpl Mark Lefler — Sun, 05 Jan 2014 02:27:05 -0500

That's hard these days, no field is really secure. I'd oddly say teaching, there's an actual shortage of them, but in many fields unless your a brain surgeon, the marketplace is pretty bloated with graduates who cannot get a job.

Response by CW2 Joseph Evans made Jan 5 at 2014 2:47 AM

CW2 Joseph Evans — Sun, 05 Jan 2014 02:47:34 -0500

First degree choice was a BBA in Information Tech Management. Unfortunately the 150+ lifetime accumulated credits still left 90 credits shy.
Interim BS in Life Studies, 40 credits to go, then the BBA, soon to be followed by an MBA.
All supported by random entrepreneurial support to friends operating on a shoestring budget...

Response by MSG Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 19 at 2014 10:03 PM

MSG Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 19 Mar 2014 22:03:01 -0400

In my personal opinion, I believe a degree in business management is the way to go. For an E5 or E6, I see these individuals getting degrees in criminal justice fro promotion points only. There isn't really anything that degree is good for anymore unless you plan to get your masters in a certain concentration in social services or law enforcement. With a business management degree you will be able to apply for a supervisory role in most companies. Im sure there are other great degrees you can go for to help yourself after your time in service, again this is just my opinion and the path I am choosing to take.

Response by MSgt Private RallyPoint Member made May 28 at 2014 8:01 PM

MSgt Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 28 May 2014 20:01:47 -0400

I'm enrolled in an Organizational Management BS program right now. I chose this one because right now I can apply it in the military as a SNCO with at least 6 years left and can I think I can easily parlay into a civilian job with the experience I've gained managing troops and programs in the military.

Response by GySgt William Hardy made Jul 3 at 2014 12:24 PM

GySgt William Hardy — Thu, 03 Jul 2014 12:24:50 -0400

I highly recommend that people take one of the many personality tests available. If you honestly answer the questions, it will tell you what people have the same passions, dislikes, etc., as you and can guide you to a better career choice. After it was suggested to me by several of my professors that I go into education, I took the Strong-Campbell Interest Inventory. It told me that I was most aligned to the personality of a teacher or military member. Spot on. I have enjoyed a long 30 year career in the classroom and retired with somewhere around 25 years of military service between active duty and reserve time. Having two retirement checks and collecting Social Security, I am one happy camper for the decisions I have made in regards to college and the military.

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 27 at 2014 1:35 PM

SSG Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 27 Nov 2014 13:35:05 -0500

I have 1 degree in business and working on my second on software engineering
The first one I thought I needed because I was young. The one I am working on currently is because I like the field

Response by CWO2 Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 6 at 2015 9:17 PM

CWO2 Private RallyPoint Member — Sun, 06 Dec 2015 21:17:40 -0500

I am still pursuing a Bachelor's of Science in Technical Management (Engineering Science major). It took several years before I finally decided to go with this degree, especially since it is from and aeronautical university (Embry-Riddle). I wanted something that would challenged me, that I could use on the outside, and that I could use while I continued my career the military. This degree was the perfect blend of management and engineering.

My recommendation to other service members would be to shoot for a 2 year general (AS or AA) degree first. Hopefully that will give the member enough time to really figure out what they want to pursue. At a minimal, it would also knock out some, if not all, of the general courses required for a Bachelor's while still providing some inspiration.

Cheers!

Response by PO2 John Crutchfield made Feb 24 at 2016 2:54 PM

PO2 John Crutchfield — Wed, 24 Feb 2016 14:54:33 -0500

I was an IT technician in the Navy. After getting out in 1994, I enrolled in an Information Systems program at Arizona State. After two years going part-time, I enrolled at the Univ of Phx in the Business of Info Systems program. Went to classes at night and worked 12 hour compressed shifts at Motorola. I graduated in the spring of 1999 with BS degree. I've been working in IT ever since. With exception of one job that I interviewed for and didn't get because of my degree program, I've been gainfully employed. That said, I am not certain that Univ of Phx is the same school that I attended 17 years ago.