"Smart" Degree Options for Middle-Aged Non-Manager Type :)

[sanantone]

Duplicate. Delete.

[davewill]

I go along with the others, finish your psych degree. With your experience, nobody's going to care what your undergrad degree is in, just that you have one. Similarly, your experience should get you into MBA programs.

[Nodaclu]

Dug into I/O Psychology a bit more....seems that it's a fast growing field - still not as large as I'd like, but it's certainly trending the right way.

Seems like the consensus (and I agree) is to finish the Psych degree. So I'll get back to work on that, and as I get closer to completion later this year (41 units by the end of December seems possible - especially since most of the coursework will be done by completing 6 units a month through Study.com), I'll check back in and look at my Master's Degree options (MBA, MS HRM, or MS I/O Psych).

[Nodaclu]

Duplicate. Delete.

Doh! Was this a duplicate to your original response? If it was a duplicate to my response to you, I think the original got wiped out as well...

[Ideas]

How close would you be to the BSBA at TESU? Maybe not much farther than the COSC Psych degree.

The BSBA may have no capstone if you act fast. (If they add more exam slots.)

You may also be able to avoid the U Idaho course.

A lot of the business courses can be done at study.com and SL. Some Saylor may be needed, and those are only $25 for 3 cr.

You could do the General Mgmt, or do a different concentration you're interested in.

[clep3705]

Being a university professor, particularly a psychology professor, requires a PhD. A community college requires a master's degree. There are so many people who have master's degrees in the social sciences it's going to be difficult getting hired. You mentioned online education. What do you think this will pay?

https://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/h...y-position $41,087.00 - $44,000.00 Annually

https://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/l...psychology $34,000.00 - $39,000.00 Annually

I applied for two different online faculty positions in a different field. Pay ranged from $10 to $13 per hour.

A psychology degree is easy to obtain quickly. It's good for either being able to check a checkbox that you have a degree or getting you into graduate school.

A BSBA teaches you some useful things. Some people struggle with accounting and business law.

[cookderosa]

Being a university professor, particularly a psychology professor, requires a PhD. A community college requires a master's degree. There are so many people who have master's degrees in the social sciences it's going to be difficult getting hired. You mentioned online education. What do you think this will pay?

https://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/h...y-position $41,087.00 - $44,000.00 Annually

https://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/l...psychology $34,000.00 - $39,000.00 Annually

I applied for two different online faculty positions in a different field. Pay ranged from $10 to $13 per hour.

A psychology degree is easy to obtain quickly. It's good for either being able to check a checkbox that you have a degree or getting you into graduate school.

A BSBA teaches you some useful things. Some people struggle with accounting and business law.

If I were writing the script, I'd do it differently: Finish psych degree asap. Enroll in an online MBA with 18 credits in HR, even if that meant extending my program an additional semester. Start by setting up email job agents through Higheredjobs.com with key words/filters so you get ALL the HR teaching jobs - but especially those of the community college.

I'd apply to EVERY community colleges that offers business degrees with HR concentrations for in-person teaching, even before I'd finished my MBA - but as long as I was in progress. (they are always a year ahead on the academic calendar, if you see jobs now, they are desperate. Jobs posted in Aug/Sept are possibly for next year) and try to land a full time job as an instructor (CCs typically don't have Professors).
This is a solid paying job that opens up a career ladder into administration (6 figures in large districts), and you won't have to compete with the zillion others trying to scratch out a career as an online adjunct (4 figures). A solid industry experience with a masters IS EXACTLY what community colleges want. Let me throw in that CC's are also a little more tight knit and I would estimate that if the CC offered online classes, they'd use their own people to teach them. I've had job agents through higheredjobs.com for years, and you just don't find CC's looking for online faculty, which is consistent with my experience back when my college started training all of us do to online delivery - never occured to them to hire someone AS an online instructor. We all rec'd training - back back WAY back, even when we used fiber optics to deliver instruction over our campus-linked TV system.

Anyway, that would/could/should be a stepping stone job with full intention of grabbing the Dept Chair position within 5 years and Division Dean within the next 3.

None of this requires working for a university, which is a harder nut to crack. Universities pay better of course. Without being too personal, my husband went from working 2 jobs -1 full time chef position 65+ hours, and a part time 20+ for YEARS but now has a 156 day per year contract for double his previous pay. He usually works over the summer, but that's a choice - not a necesity, which has been fantastic. Our kids (and me) can attended his university for free $0 for undergraduate or graduate, and they've paid for most of his MBA which he is finishing up. (he was hired with a bachelor's degree)

[dfrecore]

Being a university professor, particularly a psychology professor, requires a PhD. A community college requires a master's degree. There are so many people who have master's degrees in the social sciences it's going to be difficult getting hired. You mentioned online education. What do you think this will pay?

I don't think anyone here said that you should get your Psych degree to become a Psych professor. I agree with Jennifer that if you are looking for a teaching position, then a CC is the way to go, and the HR degree is also the way to go.

If you are looking to do something in the Business Analyst field, then a degree in Psych will probably not be helpful. You could either finish the Psych degree and then get an MBA, or you could switch to a BSBA. I don't think most Business Analyst jobs require an MBA, so it won't be quite as helpful to you, but it certainly can't hurt.

[clep3705]

The original poster said "I once dreamed of being a college professor" so I responded to the OP, not anyone else.

Jennifer brings up an interesting point about BSBA vs. MBA. It depends on how much time and money you have. If you can afford the time and money, the MBA is a good option. If you need something fast and are unlikely to continue past a bachelor's degree, the BSBA might be best. With brick and mortar, a B.A. in psyc followed by an M.B.A. might be just as fast as obtaining a B.S.B.A. It depends at what time the student decides to get a business degree. At a brick and mortar, it's very difficult to get a B.S.B.A. because of all of the prerequisites for so many courses.

[Nodaclu]

Thanks as always to everyone who has commented. I love the conversations here. They always stimulate my brain and getting me thinking in ways I might not otherwise.

One thing I know for sure - I don't have enough interest in business coursework to do it twice (undergrad and post-grad). So that leaves me with the options of:

1. Finishing the BS in Psych, and pursuing an MBA with an HRM Concentration. From here a potential CC Instructor position might be within reach.
   
   
2. Shifting gears and completing a BSBA, knowing that it would likely be my terminal degree. From here, Business Analyst roles would be within reach.
   

I know from research that there are a plethora of Business Analyst positions available everywhere, and at least in CA, I could count on a salary of about $75-80K/year. That would also allow me to have more control over where I ultimately live.

But I would *much* prefer the path of teaching from an enjoyment and personal fulfillment perspective. I'm not a workaholic, and the idea of summers off for low-budget travel greatly appeals to me.

Tough decision. I wonder how my ever-advancing age would potentially play into each equation?