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I recently realized that I really, really dislike my job and at some point need to get out of there. I studied for the GMAT in a weekend, took it the following Thursday, got a 650, and set my sights on going to Oklahoma for my MBA. However, I'm having some second thoughts, as people usually do when they rush into decisions. I hope that some people looking at this thread can provide an outside opinion or some constructive criticism of my situation. I guess I'll start from the top. I am an economist for the federal government and will have been there for three years in another month or two. It's been a pretty decent job for right out of college (I'll be a GS-12 in July, and our salaries are indexed to inflation), but it is not what I want to do for the rest of my life. I basically took the job to gain enough experience to eventually get into business school, and I feel like I'm rapidly approaching the point of leaving. Clearly I could have picked a better time to decide that I NEED to get out of my job, considering that most application deadlines were April 1. I've looked through the remaining schools that are still accepting apps and Oklahoma seems to be the best one. Although I haven't finished my application, conversations with their admissions department lead me to believe that I should be a clear admit with a good shot at getting scholarships or additional funding. (Here are their most recent class stats.) A few of the criteria that I find attractive at OU are the low tuition (I'd be paying out of pocket and through loans), the small class size, their interest in and proximity to the energy sector, and their internship program. I can't find the link to the internship stuff, but basically nine of their students can go to New York for the summer, take a class at NYU, work at a company there, and have it all paid for. Similarly, four students can do the same thing in London through a program associated with the LSE. I consider my odds of being accepted to either program much higher than they would be if I was in a large program. Now, for the doubt part. In addition to sending my scores to OU, I also sent them to Purdue, which is my alma mater. I don't really want to go to Purdue, but I sent them anyway. Purdue sent me their application materials (due May 1... heh), and the difference in quality of materials between OU and PU was astounding. It was the difference between a major league ball club and their minor league affiliate. Now I'm worried that OU is a joke program and I'd be throwing away a lot of time and money by going there. I'm not Ivy League material, but should I hold out for a better school? I plan on working my rear end off wherever I go, as I will be much more appreciative of the post-secondary education process this time around. Moreover, there is the current economic situation we find ourselves in. Would it be foolish of me to abandon a secure job on a rather impulsive decision to go half way across the country for a somewhat mediocre MBA from OU? Should I grind it out for another year in my current job, realizing that I will have an additional year of savings and work experience under my belt when it comes time to apply next year? If nothing else, posting in this thread has helped me gather my thoughts about the whole process! Any thoughts or criticisms would be much appreciated.
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May 14, 2009 23:52
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ultrafilter posted:Go to the highest ranked school that you can get into. That gives you more options than going to the one school that's still accepting applications. Thoguh posted:Unless you hate your life, yes. You should. Heh, you guys are in agreement. I was kinda hoping someone was going to tell me to forget about the rankings and just go for it, but logic is too cruel a master! I guess I don't hate my life enough right now to throw away a bunch of time and money in a lovely program just because I had the impulse to do it. Now I wish I took a little longer to study for the GMAT. I bet a couple extra points would come in handy. ion posted:Disney? For serious? I laughed at their list of hires too! To be honest it didn't bother me too much because I'm not at all interested in banking, but I can see the problem of not placing your grads within the most competitive and lucrative field. Your suggestion for switching jobs is a good one, and I have looked into it already. My bureau was in a hiring freeze for a while (which included transfers), so my options were limited. We've started hiring again, but options in my geographic area are still on the short side. I'd relocate for school, but not for a one year job. I guess that makes me lazy. As for your question about getting the job, I basically just applied for it. I'm not trying to be a smartass or anything, but I was looking around usajobs.gov for jobs with the word "economist" in the title, found a few, and ended up applying to a handful of them. I got a call to interview for three different positions in the same bureau and was eventually offered a job. This was all during my senior year of college, in case you were wondering about that. I can give you a more specific account of the process if you want. Send me an e-mail at econdroidbot at gmail dot com if you have specific questions. Well, thanks to anyone that read this. It really helped me to put everything in one place and to see what a rash decision I was in the process of making. As a side note, what do people think about Rice? It's now my new target for next year.
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May 16, 2009 00:57
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propecia posted:As a Purdue alum, have you considered Indiana-Kelley? I haven't really given them too much consideration, but it's not because of PURDUE VS. IU RIVALRY HURRRRRRR. It's a great school (I've always wondered how the state of Indiana has so many awesome universities in it). However, I would like to escape the brutal winters of the midwest and to also get into the energy sector. The southwest, particularly the state of Texas, seems to be a pretty solid place to accomplish both goals. Although, now that I think of it, I don't know as much as I'd like about energy. I know that you can make a lot of money in energy/petroleum and that Houston is the epicenter of that whole scene. Does anyone have any insight into the industry? What I'd really like to do is get involved with my friend's research group. They've developed a solid state hydrogen fuel cell that could have a wide variety of uses and applications. The company they created to sell their technology isn't really doing a whole lot. Ideally I could get an MBA, gain some experience in the relevant field, and come in as a manager of some sort. They had some really great press a few years ago, but I get the impression they've lost momentum. If you're interested, here's a few links about their work: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18700750 http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-2670963545434823142&q=cnn+hydrogen (this one's kinda funny once you get past the lovely video quality and Glenn Beck madness. Prof. Woodall comes off as a little kooky) http://archives.chicagotribune.com/2007/jun/05/science/chi-tue_fueljun05 http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2007/jun/28/it.guardianweeklytechnologysection1 http://www.motortrend.com/features/editorial/112_0806_technologue/index.html
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May 17, 2009 18:42
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