|
|
GMAT Club Daily Prep
Thank you for using the timer - this advanced tool can estimate your performance and suggest more practice questions. We have subscribed you to Daily Prep Questions via email.
Customized
for You
Track
Your Progress
Practice
Pays
Not interested in getting valuable practice questions and articles delivered to your email? No problem, unsubscribe here.
06 Jul 2012, 06:25
Kudos
Bookmarks
I've lurked here off and on sporadically for a few years. I was hoping I could get some advice on the decision I recently made to switch careers. I have decided I would like a position in advertising but am not sure how to make the switch. A little background on myself:
-BA in Economics c/o '02 (Spelman College)
-GPA: 3.4
-Worked in marketing research as a project manager for 3.5 years
-Working/have worked in clinical research as a project coordinator for the past 6 years
I left the marketing research position when the company folded and decided to try something different. My dilemma right now mostly revolves around finances; I am single w/o children but I still have student loan debt from undergrad! And I don't want to take on anymore. I just moved from the Atlanta area to Chicago, IL and took a position with Northwestern...so I was hoping to get into school here.
Northwestern will pay up to 10k a year in tuition for employees to attend grad school here, so if I wanted to earn my MBA from here I could potentially. However, the 10k doesn't go very far because each class is roughly $5500 :/ That's like 2 classes a year, and at that rate I'd be in grad school for a long time. I could probably afford to pay for only about 1 class a year at this point, so at the most I could do 3 courses per calendar year.
The university also offers a certficate in Advertising, which I considered for a quick second, but felt like the time would be better spent on an MBA. It is slightly appealing though, because I could finish it quickly and at basically no cost.
Now that I feel like I've rambled on a bit lol....what would you do if you were me? A person that wanted to continue their education but can't afford to stop working full time to do so due to cost? Any creative solutions to making this kind of switch in the meantime? FWIW I'm interested in working in account planning or copywriting:
On a side note, I have been throwing around the idea of applying for marketing positions now, but the issue is I figure I'd have to start over if I did that, and I can't take much of a pay cut right now. Maybe there are some changes I can make to my resume that will help (ie emphasize former marketing research position, any advertising things done at work, how I advertised for my blog, etc.)?
-BA in Economics c/o '02 (Spelman College)
-GPA: 3.4
-Worked in marketing research as a project manager for 3.5 years
-Working/have worked in clinical research as a project coordinator for the past 6 years
I left the marketing research position when the company folded and decided to try something different. My dilemma right now mostly revolves around finances; I am single w/o children but I still have student loan debt from undergrad! And I don't want to take on anymore. I just moved from the Atlanta area to Chicago, IL and took a position with Northwestern...so I was hoping to get into school here.
Northwestern will pay up to 10k a year in tuition for employees to attend grad school here, so if I wanted to earn my MBA from here I could potentially. However, the 10k doesn't go very far because each class is roughly $5500 :/ That's like 2 classes a year, and at that rate I'd be in grad school for a long time. I could probably afford to pay for only about 1 class a year at this point, so at the most I could do 3 courses per calendar year.
The university also offers a certficate in Advertising, which I considered for a quick second, but felt like the time would be better spent on an MBA. It is slightly appealing though, because I could finish it quickly and at basically no cost.
Now that I feel like I've rambled on a bit lol....what would you do if you were me? A person that wanted to continue their education but can't afford to stop working full time to do so due to cost? Any creative solutions to making this kind of switch in the meantime? FWIW I'm interested in working in account planning or copywriting:
On a side note, I have been throwing around the idea of applying for marketing positions now, but the issue is I figure I'd have to start over if I did that, and I can't take much of a pay cut right now. Maybe there are some changes I can make to my resume that will help (ie emphasize former marketing research position, any advertising things done at work, how I advertised for my blog, etc.)?
christianl
16 Oct 2012, 20:36
Kudos
Bookmarks
Tough decision to make. Doesn't sound like full time studies is an option for you, so the question is how many classes can you handle while working full time. If three is the right answer, go for that. If you can handle more my advice is to check out options for student loans. The sooner you complete your MBA, and move towards your new career, the sooner you can start moving up the pay scale - assuming you work hard and dedicate yourself not only to doing well n your studies, but also networking and making sure that you have a job lined up by the time you graduate.
