I finished my first Master’s (library science) in May of this year, and I’m continuing to search for a job. Meanwhile, I’m still hear in the town with the university, and I’m debating whether beginning a second Master’s program is worth it right now.
Since I’m trying to get into an academic library, the second master’s would help with that - for subject specialists, a lot of schools want that second master’s degree.
The program I’m considering is the Public Administration program - it’s part of the Political Science department here. I figure this does two things: it gives me the second master’s, and if I end up in a public library (I have no objection to working there either), some systems prefer that MPA as you move up - although I’m not positive I really want to be an administrator, but it could happen, and I could love it.
There are other reasons for it too - student loan rates are low right now, so it’s a good time to take some more if I have to. But if I hold out for when I get an academic position, I might be able to take classes at whatever school I end up at without having to pay tuition - not as much to pay back.
Entry into the MPA program would be simple for me right now - since I just finished a graduate program at this university (with a good graduate GPA), it’s just a matter of going and talking to the program and having them admit me - they won’t even request new recommendations. I do have an appointment to go talk to the department tomorrow, I’m just looking for opinions from others as well.
If I did start another program, I’d keep sending out resumes though - because what I really want to be doing is working - income would be a nice thing for a change. That means that if it got to be November, and I had a job offer that I liked to start in December, I’d be withdrawing from the program, a waste (to my mind) of whatever loans I took out for that semester.
Also, I worry that if I do the MPA, I’ll come out with all this education, but not a huge amount of library experience (I do work part time in the university library, but that’s as a student worker) - and make myself less employable, because of that.
Then, there’s this: if I did a subject master’s, I’m really more interested in something like History of Science - but that’s not offered here. I don’t think I’d dislike the MPA program, but it’s not a passion for me, not like the library program was. Although the MPA seems more like the library program to me - it’s someplace that people go as they move through their careers, not necessarily full of people who just finished their undergrad (although there may well be some in the program).
Meanwhile, I’m off to send some more resumes out. I just would love some Dopinions about this one, just to see.