Best degree for a sure thing job with excellent pay?

Question

Hi,

I am a middle-aged women and I worked most of my life in the family jewelry business. The business was sold due to outsourcing, and now I'm faced with having to start over from scratch. I have a B.A. in Music with an emphasis in piano. I also took post-graduate courses in computer programming and a 7 month course in Computer Repair and Networking(about 10 years ago).

I don't want to attend school for 4 more years, but don't know whether I should get an associates degree from the local community college or a master's degree. Musicians don't make money - I'm interested in accounting, engineering, technology, math. Please give me your opinion.

Answer 1

Associates degrees are not very highly prized in the business world. Most people regard them as half of a bachelor's degree -- and you already have a bachelor's degree.

For many businesses, just having a B.A. in anything is good enough. Most employers see it as an indication that you can finish what you start, a measure of your intelligence, and an indication of a certain level of general knowledge. Many-- perhaps the majority -- of adults do not work in the field of their major. So having a B.A. in Music is still a good qualification for a career.

If you are determined to go back to school, a master's would make much more sense.

This is a radical suggestion, but maybe you shouldn't go back to school at all until you really, really know what you want to do. With your experience in business and IT, you should be able to get a job in those fields or an entry level job in accounting now, without further training. Working in the field for a year or two will help you to determine if you really want to pursue it, and what additional training or credentials you need. Why get a CPA only to discover that you hate an accountant's work?

Also, the areas you have listed are fields, not jobs. Accounting can include anything from being an income tax preparer, to being CFO of a Fortune 500 company. A better tactic for a mature adult is to identify a job that you really want, and then plot the steps to get there.

PS I'd love to know what "the business was sold due to outsourcing" really means. And I bet future employers would, too.