Guidance in Degree Planning Needed for A new resident in USA

[rkotak2]

These guys will know more than me as far as which schools are best for what, and I can’t say that I know YOUR industry supper well, but maybe this will help you figure something out.

Now for my “if it were me” advice, if I had your background.
-starting tomorrow: my resume would be in front of EVERYONE. I would start local, and keep branching out as far as I’d be willing to relocate. You already have a solid Bachelors to work with. Most jobs just want to see a degree in “the wheelhouse” of what they are looking for. I wouldn’t stress on it being an ag vs project management.
-by the end of the week/month: I’d pick a Masters that compliments your bachelors (I.E. project management, Organizational leadership, administration, etc). I don’t think I’d go for a second bachelors at the moment. Build up, then out if necessary.
-at some point, if I wasn’t happy with the final results of that, then I would look at “rounding things off” with certificates or associates or something.
-With your resume out there, and adding more education as life moves forward, see what happens and keep going until you’re happy with where you are.

I don’t know how it is in Illinois, but the junior college program in California would be a cheap way to do that last part. Round off with whatever (AS in IT, or Certificate in crop management, or whatever you feel you need) for somewhere between $0 and $50 per unit.

Which leads me to another question. What’s the Ag like in Illinois? Have you looked at other areas, as far as available work in the industry? California Central Valley is super loaded with Ag. Not sure how the job market is, but my street alone is fields of peaches, nectarines, grapes, almonds, walnuts, and blueberries. A lot of variety out here to get into.

Thank you so much for this piece of advice. This makes a lot of sense. I will get my resume out there more than I have been doing and see what I can catch. Based on everyone's view, I guess the 2nd bachelor's seems like a waste of resources and time so I will stick to the LSUS MBA. As for the agriculture opportunities here in Chicago, IL, doing a quick search returns very few results and the wages paid by farmers are usually much lower than in other sectors hence my desire to branch out. But thanks for the advice