Keep jobhunting or go back to school?

[NTB]

What would you do? I've been out of school a little over a year, and just lost my first full-time job (which had nothing to do with my degree) a month or so ago. Was laid off due to lack of work. Been digging around for another position, but pickings are slim, to say the least, and I haven't gotten an interview yet. So I am seriously considering turning in my Student Aid paperwork and going back to finish another degree; this time in either Biology or Environmental Science. My original BS was in Computer Science. I wouldn't be starting from scratch; in fact if I could find an internship and go to school full time, it would probably take me a year to finish.

Nate

 

[dartworth]

are you collecting unemployment?

 

[Heisenberg]

Will getting the extra degree help you in getting a job in the field you want?

 

[xanis]

Do what my cousin did: take a part-time job somewhere and go back to school. He eventually got his degree and made a little money on the side, and now he's doing very well and getting tons of offers to do graphic design work.

EDIT: Would be nice for a third option (mine).

 

[NTB]

Originally posted by: dartworth
are you collecting unemployment?

At the moment, nope.

Nate

 

[dartworth]

Originally posted by: NTB

Originally posted by: dartworth
are you collecting unemployment?

At the moment, nope.

Nate

Why not?

 

[SampSon]

Another degree isn't going to help you get another job in your area if the market is doing poorly.
Though it can't hurt, except racking up student loans.

 

[NTB]

Originally posted by: Heisenberg
Will getting the extra degree help you in getting a job in the field you want?

It would help me find a job in a different field, which between all the research being done around here (Monsanto and other company) and the Missouri Department of Conservation, it seems like there are *always* positions open. Also, I think that my degree in and knowledge of CS may come in handy in this field, too - databases, modeling, etc.

Nate

 

[NTB]

Originally posted by: Xanis
Do what my cousin did: take a part-time job somewhere and go back to school. He eventually got his degree and made a little money on the side, and now he's doing very well and getting tons of offers to do graphic design work.

EDIT: Would be nice for a third option (mine).

That's what I'd have to do, anway. Either a part-time job, or a paying internship.

Nate

 

[Babbles]

I happen to have a BS in biology, but I moonlight as an analytical chemist. Been doing this for about seven years now, and my opinion is to stay the hell away from the science field unless you have a PhD - even a MS doesn't mean terribly much. I did environment chemistry, which I assume would be similar to your possible studies in environmental science, and that industry totally blows. Labs are trying to get out of the environmental field and the Super-Fund sites are drying up. The only money to be made is doing dioxin analysis, and that stuff is not very common - much of it being that the high-res GC/MS required to do that analysis costs ~$500k and most labs are not willing to pony up that money.

However, if you really enjoy learning that stuff then by all means do so, but I am just warning you that the job market for the science field isn't too great.

 

[NTB]

Originally posted by: dartworth

Originally posted by: NTB

Originally posted by: dartworth
are you collecting unemployment?

At the moment, nope.

Nate

Why not?

State department said I didn't qualify - though I think somebody on thier end screwed up - even my old boss told me that I should have qualified.

Nate

 

[NTB]

Originally posted by: SampSon
Another degree isn't going to help you get another job in your area if the market is doing poorly.
Though it can't hurt, except racking up student loans.

Fortunately, that's one thing I don't have to worry about. Not nearly as much as most people do, anyway. I went tuition-free when I got my BS in CS. I would have to get student aid for this one though.

Nate

 

[NTB]

Originally posted by: Babbles
I happen to have a BS in biology, but I moonlight as an analytical chemist. Been doing this for about seven years now, and my opinion is to stay the hell away from the science field unless you have a PhD - even a MS doesn't mean terribly much. I did environment chemistry, which I assume would be similar to your possible studies in environmental science, and that industry totally blows. Labs are trying to get out of the environmental field and the Super-Fund sites are drying up. The only money to be made is doing dioxin analysis, and that stuff is not very common - much of it being that the high-res GC/MS required to do that analysis costs ~$500k and most labs are not willing to pony up that money.

However, if you really enjoy learning that stuff then by all means do so, but I am just warning you that the job market for the science field isn't too great.

LOL How ironic - I live right down the highway from a Superfund site (Times Beach)

EDIT: I also have a friend with a degree in Biology, that graduated a year ahead of me. Took her a while to find a decent job, but now she's doing research for a company here in St. Louis. Has her own little lab, and everything.

Nate

 

[NTB]

Originally posted by: Babbles
However, if you really enjoy learning that stuff then by all means do so, but I am just warning you that the job market for the science field isn't too great.

I'm pretty well aware of this already. I didn't get into CS because I thought I'd make a fortune, and the same goes for Environmental Science / Biology. These are things that I am genuinely interested in. I switched majors because I thought something in computers would be a little more secure - then I watched the IT field go to pot as I worked on my CS degree

Nate

 

[wyvrn]

Take a job in a related field and keep trying? Have you looked outside CS? Software and systems analysts are supposed to be the hottest computer fields right now.

If you switch careers, look into Nursing or Physician Assistant studies. Both of those are going to have great job potential for the next 30 years.

 

[NTB]

Originally posted by: wyvrn
Take a job in a related field and keep trying? Have you looked outside CS? Software and systems analysts are supposed to be the hottest computer fields right now.

I've looked at nearly everything IT-related, whether it's programming or a help-desk related position. What few positions there are, for some reason, I apply, but I rarely get interviews.

Nate

 

[Babbles]

Originally posted by: NTB

Originally posted by: Babbles
However, if you really enjoy learning that stuff then by all means do so, but I am just warning you that the job market for the science field isn't too great.

I'm pretty well aware of this already. I didn't get into CS because I thought I'd make a fortune, and the same goes for Environmental Science / Biology. These are things that I am genuinely interested in. I switched majors because I thought something in computers would be a little more secure - then I watched the IT field go to pot as I worked on my CS degree

Nate

Something you may want to consider is a field called bioinformatics. Bioinformatics basically involves computer programming and genetics. It may be best for you to Google up some information because I can not explain it well, but essentially you study all of the bits and pieces of DNA strands, which are an insane in number, and you have to use databases to organize things. It's like you have tons of information available (i.e. the DNA sequences) but all of that information is worthless if you can't organize it (i.e. the database/computer thing).

I don't think there are any BS programs for bioinformatics, but I know there are tons of Masters level programs out there. It's not an environmental thing, but it would combine your previous degree with the biology angle.

Just something to think about.

 

[NTB]

Thanks for all the suggestions so far, everybody. Keep 'em coming. In the mean time, I'm off to do a little fishin...er...sample collecting, in a local pond

Nate

 

[ngvepforever2]

Why don't you move somewhere where the market for CS people is better (For instance here in VA there are plenty of jobs for CS majors)?

Regards

ng

 

[NTB]

Originally posted by: ngvepforever2
Why don't you move somewhere where the market for CS people is better (For instance here in VA there are plenty of jobs for CS majors)?

Regards

ng

Not all that interested in moving, really. Everything and everyone I know is here or close by. So sue me - I'm a homebody

Nate

 

[ledmirage]

Something you may want to consider is a field called bioinformatics. Bioinformatics basically involves computer programming and genetics. It may be best for you to Google up some information because I can not explain it well, but essentially you study all of the bits and pieces of DNA strands, which are an insane in number, and you have to use databases to organize things. It's like you have tons of information available (i.e. the DNA sequences) but all of that information is worthless if you can't organize it (i.e. the database/computer thing).

I don't think there are any BS programs for bioinformatics, but I know there are tons of Masters level programs out there. It's not an environmental thing, but it would combine your previous degree with the biology angle.

Just something to think about.

Bioinformatics is the same as any other science field, but it requires even more investment in time and education. And if you are going into this field for the money, you might want to reconsider. There was an initiative to promote the field after the human genome project, hence the establishment of several bioinformatics programs, either masters or phd level. bioinformatics is much more than DNA, as it also incorporates genomics, proteomics (the useful stuff) and cheminformatics, and eventually to systems biology. Most of the jobs available were reserved by either bio phd, math phd, or CS phd, and it's really hard to find experts who are competent in all aspects. As there are not much commercial product based on this discipline, most of the emphasis will be on research, ie lab works. I myself have a integrated masters in bioinformatics, and i find it too theoretical for real application at this point. Most people with less than phd probably find themselves working with BLAST, matlab, and perl script all day, but without networking you won't even get those jobs. But again anything in science field is like that unless you want to be a technician all your life.