Going for a Masters in something you've never studies - have I lost my mind?

[soliloquy]

What have I done?

I have committed myself to two more years of academic rigor beginning this spring. A MS in Project Management. I won't lie - I'm scared.

I have a few questions.

Can I feasibly work full time and go to school full time while taking care of a family? These are full length semesters and not accelerated courses. Has anyone done this successfully. I'm not worried about "personal time" in the sense that I don't mind digging in for 18-24 months to get this done. I just need to make sure I will still have time to take care of my family. Obviously, some of my wasted time like Facebook and internet surfing out of boredom will need to go. I'm okay with that.

If I don't have a lot of Project Management (industry standard) experience, even though I manage projects every day, will I have a difficult time keeping up? In a masters program do they teach things like you've already had plenty of experience with them or like this is your first shot at it?

I'm starting to talk myself out of this but I know I need to hang in there and just get it done.

After all of my hard work getting my undergrad w/ Honors, I know I have the will power to complete anything I put my mind to but lately I have felt extremely inadequate. :ack:

[GoodYellowDogs]

If I could have, I would have done my Masters in something new, so I admire you!

I'm certified in Project Management - it is a tough subject - but totally do able. Make sure you don't get behind and ask lots of questions.

HAVE FUN!

[NAP]

I wanted to know this too but could not expect to really know a lot before I actually got started. Don't scare yourself too soon! I'd imagine that most grad school students have incredibly full and busy lives and choose one or two courses based on that. I sought mentors for my degree and career questions. I commited to the first 2 courses (different semesters), so I would get to try some of the material in the subject and decide if it fits me well. The first course has started from zero, but that may be due to the topic (programming languages).

Best wishes on your new journey (including you, too, Denise)!!

[SteveFoerster]

I tried to bang out my MA in four consecutive semesters, sixteen months, by taking three courses at a time while working full time (and like you, I have a family). And I almost made it. But in that last semester, I just hit a brick wall, to the point where I couldn't write one more sentence. I salvaged one of the courses I was taking, but eventually had to retake the others. Had it been any worse I'd probably have washed out of my program and lost most of the credit I'd accumulated.

I'm telling you this because something you said concerns me: "Obviously, some of my wasted time like Facebook and internet surfing out of boredom will need to go. I'm okay with that."

This isn't wasted time, it's down time. It may seem like what you're doing there is frivolous, but if you're anything like me (and I dare say like most people) then you need it. Abandon it at your peril.

[cookderosa]

you're having doubts....but something attracted you to it. Something inside you wants it enough to apply and enroll! Pretty much everything you want is on the other side of fear. I've no doubt you have the ability.

[SteveFoerster]

you're having doubts....but something attracted you to it. Something inside you wants it enough to apply and enroll! Pretty much everything you want is on the other side of fear. I've no doubt you have the ability.

Hmm. Fear isn't just an inconvenience one should disregard, it's previous experience manifesting itself as an early warning system. By all means, enroll in the program, all I'm asking is whether it's necessary (or wise) to go through it at such a fast pace.

[smf6824]

Go for it. I plan on going for a Master's in something I have never studied. Don't doubt your capability to learn.

[cookderosa]

Hmm. Fear isn't just an inconvenience one should disregard, it's previous experience manifesting itself as an early warning system. By all means, enroll in the program, all I'm asking is whether it's necessary (or wise) to go through it at such a fast pace.

But Steve, there is no way to tell if your early warning system is valid. Maybe you're just sensitive to criticism, change, doubt, stressors, and fear of failure...all things that make the majority of people pull back and never attempt something they are totally able to do.

[SteveFoerster]

But Steve, there is no way to tell if your early warning system is valid. Maybe you're just sensitive to criticism, change, doubt, stressors, and fear of failure...all things that make the majority of people pull back and never attempt something they are totally able to do.

That's true, but at the same time an MA program is the sort of thing where one could err on the side of caution and take one course, then make an informed decision from there whether to double or triple up.

For example, I started my doctoral program a year ago, and all year I've only taken one course at a time in part because I'm absurdly busy and in part because of previous experience. For the first term of next year, however, I'm taking two, but now because I don't have to guess what that will mean for me and I know the program well enough to know they'll be two of the lightest workload courses in the program.

[soliloquy]

I have a history of anxiety (not in the clinical sense) when transitioning to a new school. I had the same concerns when I transitioned to COSC. It's the stress of learning the new policies, the new learning platforms - basically, the unknown. I have to go to school full time because that is a condition of the financial assistance I am receiving. If I am overwhelmed by the spring schedule, I will just have to push through it. I can take only one class in the summer if I need to because one class is still a full course load (I believe).