The Freezer Bunny Club - A Reading Circle
The Freezer Bunny Club: A Reading Circle https://i.imgur.com/qBYoZ55.png Welcome to The Freezer Bunny Club! This reading circle is an open space for the members to share our stories and discuss...
Forum Discussion
Thanks everyone for your kind words.
@mercuryfoam Aww...Thank you! Well, my niece wasn't even born when I started grad school. Haha. She's only a few years old now. And my nephew is even younger. I thought about a masters certificate before graduate school and a full masters degree, but it worked out to start sooner. Is a GradDiploma the same thing as a masters certificate? Certification happens in an intense 12 weeks, I believe. 16 at most. It's useful if you can't afford and/or take the time to do a full master's degree, or if you want to specialize in a certain area on top of a master's degree.
That sounds intense, @Duvelina. My masters took 2 years (I took 8 weeks off in the 2nd year). It's fun to talk about these kinds of things and get to know each other some too.
@ajamkeevin My birthday is in December too! December 9th. My niece is the 29th! :) Hooray for December babies!
I didn't really know what I wanted post-college. I got married and we moved a few times so it was hard to settle into a job, let alone a career. I had always liked the idea of helping people but I actually failed intro to human services in college because I didn't realize there was a practicum component. EEK! Only class I ever failed. Anyhoo, decided to stick to my strengths - communications - so my bachelor's is in public relations and marketing.
When we moved to where we live now, I had a hard time finding work and settled into a job that was just that... a job, for pay, not much else, and it didn't pay much either. I had some health issues too. (I hope you're able to work that out and be at full health). :)
I had a few gaps and was out of work for a bit so I did a lot of volunteering. I started volunteering when I was 13 and never really stopped, save that first year I was in my new home state. That's when I realized I wanted to do nonprofit work. My masters is in nonprofit management and leadership.
I now manage my volunteer program and manage marketing/communications needs for the NPO. I also work directly with the development director to assist with donor communications and needs. It's a dream job! Save a slightly higher paycheck, but it's nonprofit work and I knew that going in... so... :sweat_smile: I get to utilize all my degrees (and how many people can say that?), my skill set, and my passions. I really believe in the mission. I have direct contact with our executive level leadership and a good bit of autonomy with projects and flexibility with my schedule. The work is really rewarding knowing we're making a big difference in our community. I have a great team and like most of my colleagues. We even socialize sometimes too, which is nice. And I love developing young volunteers (like I was) and helping them with professional skills.
Returning to graduate school was the best decision I could've possibly made. I found I was more motivated when I went back as an older student, and that everyone else is too. College is kind-of necessary to get a job around here... like most places want to see a college degree but don't care what it is in. But as a grad student, you make a choice to continue. No one's making you and I think that's why everyone took grad school more seriously.
It's well worth the plunge if you can make it work. And it's never too late. My mom got started two associate's degrees while I was in high school and finished after I finished college and she was in her 50's by then.
I wish you well on your endeavors! What kinds of things are you interested in, if you don't mind my asking? What kind of degree would you go back for? I'm curious like @mercuryfoam said about what countries you're interested to work in and why.
"mercuryfoam;c-17563382" wrote:
@AdamsEve1231 Congratulations on being the first in your family for an advanced degree! They must be super proud of you. I can imagine you being admired and referenced by your cute nieces and nephews as you become an example of achievement. (At least that was what happened in mine, not me though) Don’t let the pressure get to you. You’re awesome! And oooft your sharing sounds like my story. A bachelors straight out of high school, working for 6 years, then going back for my masters. I did have to do a GradDiploma midway to bridge into my Masters since I was starting a new career path too, though I never left my work and just study/worked at the same time.
@mercuryfoam Aww...Thank you! Well, my niece wasn't even born when I started grad school. Haha. She's only a few years old now. And my nephew is even younger. I thought about a masters certificate before graduate school and a full masters degree, but it worked out to start sooner. Is a GradDiploma the same thing as a masters certificate? Certification happens in an intense 12 weeks, I believe. 16 at most. It's useful if you can't afford and/or take the time to do a full master's degree, or if you want to specialize in a certain area on top of a master's degree.
"Duvelina;c-17563400" wrote:
@mercuryfoam I don't mind sharing at all! Most masters take one year. So it's barely any time at all. There are five courses in one semester plus a thesis that takes the entire year. It will be one busy year, but at least only one (if everything goes all right). My focus will be going to criminal law with a couple of other courses in there. I can name the courses I'm planning on taking since I already figured out which ones I wanted: Criminal Sanctions, Psychiatry for Lawyers, Juvenile Justice, Educational Law (this is just a backup option in case one course is full), Person and Family Law, European Criminal Law, In-Depth Private Law, In-Depth Criminal Law and In-Depth Constitutional and Administrative Law.
That sounds intense, @Duvelina. My masters took 2 years (I took 8 weeks off in the 2nd year). It's fun to talk about these kinds of things and get to know each other some too.
"ajamkeevin;c-17563281" wrote:
@Skeilah ah, that's so interesting that you have to do a Super Bachelor's to get into a Master's degree! It's very different from the system I was in (though I guess it's similar to some degree choices in the US). Also, the late months of the year are awesome to have birthdays in! Mine is December 18th, and my mom and brother both have birthdays in November (13 and 20) :blush:
@AdamsEve1231 it's amazing that you're the first woman in your family to have a degree. That's very commendable, congratulations! The fact that you spent a while working before going back to do your Master's is also inspiring to me, because I'm in that "in-between" period where I know I want to continue my studies but am entirely unsure of what to do. To know that you went back and successfully completed an advanced degree gives me some solace that perhaps I will be able to do so, as well.
I completed a degree in the United States four years ago and have been working on and off as a translator ever since. It's been very difficult for me to truly decide what's next for me, academically, because I know I want to be a student for a while longer, but I've been split between three countries and I've had multiple health issues preventing me from taking the leap into a Graduate program. Hopefully I'll be able to find something good and the stars will align for me!
@ajamkeevin My birthday is in December too! December 9th. My niece is the 29th! :) Hooray for December babies!
I didn't really know what I wanted post-college. I got married and we moved a few times so it was hard to settle into a job, let alone a career. I had always liked the idea of helping people but I actually failed intro to human services in college because I didn't realize there was a practicum component. EEK! Only class I ever failed. Anyhoo, decided to stick to my strengths - communications - so my bachelor's is in public relations and marketing.
When we moved to where we live now, I had a hard time finding work and settled into a job that was just that... a job, for pay, not much else, and it didn't pay much either. I had some health issues too. (I hope you're able to work that out and be at full health). :)
I had a few gaps and was out of work for a bit so I did a lot of volunteering. I started volunteering when I was 13 and never really stopped, save that first year I was in my new home state. That's when I realized I wanted to do nonprofit work. My masters is in nonprofit management and leadership.
I now manage my volunteer program and manage marketing/communications needs for the NPO. I also work directly with the development director to assist with donor communications and needs. It's a dream job! Save a slightly higher paycheck, but it's nonprofit work and I knew that going in... so... :sweat_smile: I get to utilize all my degrees (and how many people can say that?), my skill set, and my passions. I really believe in the mission. I have direct contact with our executive level leadership and a good bit of autonomy with projects and flexibility with my schedule. The work is really rewarding knowing we're making a big difference in our community. I have a great team and like most of my colleagues. We even socialize sometimes too, which is nice. And I love developing young volunteers (like I was) and helping them with professional skills.
Returning to graduate school was the best decision I could've possibly made. I found I was more motivated when I went back as an older student, and that everyone else is too. College is kind-of necessary to get a job around here... like most places want to see a college degree but don't care what it is in. But as a grad student, you make a choice to continue. No one's making you and I think that's why everyone took grad school more seriously.
It's well worth the plunge if you can make it work. And it's never too late. My mom got started two associate's degrees while I was in high school and finished after I finished college and she was in her 50's by then.
I wish you well on your endeavors! What kinds of things are you interested in, if you don't mind my asking? What kind of degree would you go back for? I'm curious like @mercuryfoam said about what countries you're interested to work in and why.
