Your Degrees
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Hello, fellow Projecteers. I've been lurking on here some time now and I think this is the best place to ask my question. I graduated last June and started working a couple of months later. I'm working 4-5 months now as a Dynamics NAV (a.k.a. Navision) developer. Got hired to work out a .NET project, but two weeks into the job my boss says to drop it because it's too expensive for me to work out. He gives me several NAV assignments and wants me to specialize in NAV. Personally, I hate NAV. It's old, it's clunky, it won't work without a dozen hacks, the development language (C/AL) is limited and frustrating (I'm used to C# from school and personal projects). Now I'm looking for another job, but every interesting job I encounter asks for a masters degree or experience as a programmer. My question to you: What is your degree? What do you do / did you do as a programmer? How did you get to this point in your career? Do you think it's worth to obtain a masters degree?
KenBonny wrote:
What is your degree?
Bachelor's of Science and Master's of Science in Computer Science
KenBonny wrote:
What do you do / did you do as a programmer?
I work as a consultant with my own start up company.
KenBonny wrote:
How did you get to this point in your career?
Experience working in software development shops while pursuing my degrees.
KenBonny wrote:
Do you think it's worth to obtain a masters degree?
It depends on what you define as worth ( time, money, or competitive edge? ) and also what you plan on doing with the Master's Degree.
"The clue train passed his station without stopping." - John Simmons / outlaw programmer "Real programmers just throw a bunch of 1s and 0s at the computer to see what sticks" - Pete O'Hanlon "Not only do you continue to babble nonsense, you can't even correctly remember the nonsense you babbled just minutes ago." - Rob Graham
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Hello, fellow Projecteers. I've been lurking on here some time now and I think this is the best place to ask my question. I graduated last June and started working a couple of months later. I'm working 4-5 months now as a Dynamics NAV (a.k.a. Navision) developer. Got hired to work out a .NET project, but two weeks into the job my boss says to drop it because it's too expensive for me to work out. He gives me several NAV assignments and wants me to specialize in NAV. Personally, I hate NAV. It's old, it's clunky, it won't work without a dozen hacks, the development language (C/AL) is limited and frustrating (I'm used to C# from school and personal projects). Now I'm looking for another job, but every interesting job I encounter asks for a masters degree or experience as a programmer. My question to you: What is your degree? What do you do / did you do as a programmer? How did you get to this point in your career? Do you think it's worth to obtain a masters degree?
My degree is B.S. in Engineering Technology (A.Sc. in Mechanical Engineering Technology) and computers were still in big rooms when I got that degree. I am a DBA at a small company but have done programming for large manufacturer never needing the degree in computer science.
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Hello, fellow Projecteers. I've been lurking on here some time now and I think this is the best place to ask my question. I graduated last June and started working a couple of months later. I'm working 4-5 months now as a Dynamics NAV (a.k.a. Navision) developer. Got hired to work out a .NET project, but two weeks into the job my boss says to drop it because it's too expensive for me to work out. He gives me several NAV assignments and wants me to specialize in NAV. Personally, I hate NAV. It's old, it's clunky, it won't work without a dozen hacks, the development language (C/AL) is limited and frustrating (I'm used to C# from school and personal projects). Now I'm looking for another job, but every interesting job I encounter asks for a masters degree or experience as a programmer. My question to you: What is your degree? What do you do / did you do as a programmer? How did you get to this point in your career? Do you think it's worth to obtain a masters degree?
KenBonny wrote:
What is your degree?
B.S. Computer Engineering.
KenBonny wrote:
What do you do / did you do as a programmer? How did you get to this point in your career?
ASP.NET (C#) Web app developer. I started out as an MFC developer, so I learned C#/ASP.NET on my own time until I had enough knowledge/experience to land an ASP.NET job.
KenBonny wrote:
Do you think it's worth to obtain a masters degree?
I would love to get a Masters degree, but time and financial constraints do not currently allow this. :) If you're young and single, now is probably the best time to do it. Do you think it's worth it? Are your CS fundamentals already strong, or do they need shoring up? If you're doing it just to get the paper so that it's easier to get a job, I would recommend NOT getting a Masters. If you're looking to gain relevant experience, participate in open source software development. You can learn a great deal from other, experienced developers, and, if you become a valuable contributor, they can be potential job references for you.
Jon Sagara Some see the glass as half-empty, some see the glass as half-full. I see the glass as too big. -- George Carlin .NET Blog | Personal Blog | Articles
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DavidCrow wrote:
What this would say to me as an employer is that when things get rough or don't go your way, you leave.
There is a different way to look at it. He signed on to do .net work. If his employer wishes to change development process/environment, the OP should be free to leave and I would never hold it against him. Of course if the OP will leave or suck it up is up to him, it's an issue of how soon he can find another .net job vs being unemployed vs staying at a job that he is not happy at. How many of you would start looking for a new job if your were suddenly made to support old VB and classic ASP projects?
JazzJackRabbit wrote:
How many of you would start looking for a new job if your were suddenly made to support old VB and classic ASP projects?
Would you believe a .NET/SQL database position and I now program VBA for Access 2002.
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John C wrote:
I'm sure there is a cubicle somewhere with your name on it just waiting for you where you can sit all day working on 1/9999th of a project in c# all day
You don't need a masters degree to code C# all day. You just need to get a junior level programming job and move on after a few years. My degree is in Sociology and I've never had a college level computer class.
I didn't get any requirements for the signature
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Hello, fellow Projecteers. I've been lurking on here some time now and I think this is the best place to ask my question. I graduated last June and started working a couple of months later. I'm working 4-5 months now as a Dynamics NAV (a.k.a. Navision) developer. Got hired to work out a .NET project, but two weeks into the job my boss says to drop it because it's too expensive for me to work out. He gives me several NAV assignments and wants me to specialize in NAV. Personally, I hate NAV. It's old, it's clunky, it won't work without a dozen hacks, the development language (C/AL) is limited and frustrating (I'm used to C# from school and personal projects). Now I'm looking for another job, but every interesting job I encounter asks for a masters degree or experience as a programmer. My question to you: What is your degree? What do you do / did you do as a programmer? How did you get to this point in your career? Do you think it's worth to obtain a masters degree?
Experience is everything. Degrees only hint at your ability. We recently hired a non-graduate with ~4 years experience who was far more suitable for the role than all of the similarly experienced people with degrees that we interviewed. A degree might help you get an interview, but if you can show experience on your CV, and demonstrate skill in an interview you don't need a degree. (Experience can be open source projects, or websites as well as jobs) As you're fairly new to your career, things are harder, but persevere and you will find something. Try applying for jobs that list masters degree requirements anyway. Explain what attributes you have that that outweigh your lack of degree. Mine is a just a Bsc in Computer Science, no masters (UK). I've been a developer for 4 years at 2 companies. Getting the first job was tricky, lots of places wanted people with more experience, but once I secured an interview, I got the first job I interviewed for. Getting the second (after 2 years) was easy, I had multiple interviews and offers.
Simon
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Hello, fellow Projecteers. I've been lurking on here some time now and I think this is the best place to ask my question. I graduated last June and started working a couple of months later. I'm working 4-5 months now as a Dynamics NAV (a.k.a. Navision) developer. Got hired to work out a .NET project, but two weeks into the job my boss says to drop it because it's too expensive for me to work out. He gives me several NAV assignments and wants me to specialize in NAV. Personally, I hate NAV. It's old, it's clunky, it won't work without a dozen hacks, the development language (C/AL) is limited and frustrating (I'm used to C# from school and personal projects). Now I'm looking for another job, but every interesting job I encounter asks for a masters degree or experience as a programmer. My question to you: What is your degree? What do you do / did you do as a programmer? How did you get to this point in your career? Do you think it's worth to obtain a masters degree?
KenBonny wrote:
What is your degree?
Physics, like Mr.Dave. I'm a self-tought developer (hence not a serious professional).
KenBonny wrote:
What do you do / did you do as a programmer? How did you get to this point in your career?
A lof of programming stuff (mostly
C&C++).KenBonny wrote:
Do you think it's worth to obtain a masters degree?
I think it's worth to obtain if you like it. :)
If the Lord God Almighty had consulted me before embarking upon the Creation, I would have recommended something simpler. -- Alfonso the Wise, 13th Century King of Castile.
This is going on my arrogant assumptions. You may have a superb reason why I'm completely wrong. -- Iain Clarke
[My articles] -
DavidCrow wrote:
What this would say to me as an employer is that when things get rough or don't go your way, you leave.
He said he was hired as a .NET developer... If he was told from the start that it was a .NET position, and they suddenly throw him a curve ball and stick him with something completely different, I think that's justification for looking elsewhere. At best, the employer just didn't know what they wanted. At worst, it was a bait-and-switch.
Proud to have finally moved to the A-Ark. Which one are you in?
Author of the Guardians Saga (Sci-Fi/Fantasy novels)Ian Shlasko wrote:
I think that's justification for looking elsewhere
No, it's justification for going to the powers that be and saying "I was hired for .net work and I'm not doing it, I want to do the work I was promised or I'll have to look elsewhere". Only after that is it justification for looking elsewhere.
Yesterday they said today was tomorrow but today they know better. - Poul Anderson
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Hello, fellow Projecteers. I've been lurking on here some time now and I think this is the best place to ask my question. I graduated last June and started working a couple of months later. I'm working 4-5 months now as a Dynamics NAV (a.k.a. Navision) developer. Got hired to work out a .NET project, but two weeks into the job my boss says to drop it because it's too expensive for me to work out. He gives me several NAV assignments and wants me to specialize in NAV. Personally, I hate NAV. It's old, it's clunky, it won't work without a dozen hacks, the development language (C/AL) is limited and frustrating (I'm used to C# from school and personal projects). Now I'm looking for another job, but every interesting job I encounter asks for a masters degree or experience as a programmer. My question to you: What is your degree? What do you do / did you do as a programmer? How did you get to this point in your career? Do you think it's worth to obtain a masters degree?
KenBonny wrote:
What is your degree?
BS Mechanical Engineering, MS Technical Science.
KenBonny wrote:
What do you do / did you do as a programmer?
Started with engineering/CAD applications, moved to natural language processing and CAT software, currently working on a collaboration system.
KenBonny wrote:
How did you get to this point in your career?
Long story, anyway I started programming professionaly as a research assistant at university and ran my own small business after that.
KenBonny wrote:
Do you think it's worth to obtain a masters degree?
Hard to tell. I guess it looks good in a resume and helps pass some HR filters. Anyway, after 15 years in the field noone really even asks me about education anymore.
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Hello, fellow Projecteers. I've been lurking on here some time now and I think this is the best place to ask my question. I graduated last June and started working a couple of months later. I'm working 4-5 months now as a Dynamics NAV (a.k.a. Navision) developer. Got hired to work out a .NET project, but two weeks into the job my boss says to drop it because it's too expensive for me to work out. He gives me several NAV assignments and wants me to specialize in NAV. Personally, I hate NAV. It's old, it's clunky, it won't work without a dozen hacks, the development language (C/AL) is limited and frustrating (I'm used to C# from school and personal projects). Now I'm looking for another job, but every interesting job I encounter asks for a masters degree or experience as a programmer. My question to you: What is your degree? What do you do / did you do as a programmer? How did you get to this point in your career? Do you think it's worth to obtain a masters degree?
I have a BS is CS. ASP.net developer. I waited for the right amount of experience 2.5 to 3years and kept developing my .net and interviewing skills. It may not be what you signed up for, but don't take that as too much of a surprise. Not to be too down, it won't be the first time you'll be lied to or mislead. I'm pretty cynical when it comes to corporate America. I'd hold off on the master's degree until you had some experience to go with it. Unless you plan on teaching right away it won't help you get a job necessarily. Some people like to rag on CS degrees to no real point other than to complain, another thing to get used to. Focus on your skills and try to put together your own sites or tools to help you. Dynamics NAV is pretty specialized and that doesn't hurt in the long term. Try not to get discouraged. Be patient and keep asking yourself what you want out of your career. What kinds of technology do you want to work with or industries look interesting. Besides its always fun, on your own time, to try new things and discover new aspects to a technology you didn't know before.
That's called seagull management (or sometimes pigeon management)... Fly in, flap your arms and squawk a lot, crap all over everything and fly out again... by _Damian S_
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Ian Shlasko wrote:
I think that's justification for looking elsewhere
No, it's justification for going to the powers that be and saying "I was hired for .net work and I'm not doing it, I want to do the work I was promised or I'll have to look elsewhere". Only after that is it justification for looking elsewhere.
Yesterday they said today was tomorrow but today they know better. - Poul Anderson
John C wrote:
No, it's justification for going to the powers that be and saying "I was hired for .net work and I'm not doing it, I want to do the work I was promised or I'll have to look elsewhere". Only after that is it justification for looking elsewhere.
There is a good chance he is going to be fired if he does that.
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KenBonny wrote:
Do you think it's worth to obtain a masters degree?
Depends on what you want to do. Define "worth"?
KenBonny wrote:
What is your degree?
Classical Music, BM & MM.
KenBonny wrote:
Personally, I hate NAV. It's old, it's clunky, it won't work without a dozen hacks, the development language (C/AL) is limited and frustrating (I'm used to C# from school and personal projects). Now I'm looking for another job, but every interesting job I encounter asks for a masters degree or experience as a programmer.
Of course it sucks. You just graduated. Everyone starts on the bottom. Welcome to Reality 101. Not to sound overly harsh or nasty, but that's the norm. My first programming job sucked, it was at an insurance company maintaining a 20+ year old compiled IBM BASIC system. It takes time to get good. Time, effort and patience.
¡El diablo está en mis pantalones! ¡Mire, mire! SELECT * FROM User WHERE Clue > 0 0 rows returned Save an Orange - Use the VCF! Personal 3D projects Just Say No to Web 2 Point Blow
Jim Crafton wrote:
it was at an insurance company maintaining a 20+ year old compiled IBM BASIC system.
Sounds like fun :)
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Hello, fellow Projecteers. I've been lurking on here some time now and I think this is the best place to ask my question. I graduated last June and started working a couple of months later. I'm working 4-5 months now as a Dynamics NAV (a.k.a. Navision) developer. Got hired to work out a .NET project, but two weeks into the job my boss says to drop it because it's too expensive for me to work out. He gives me several NAV assignments and wants me to specialize in NAV. Personally, I hate NAV. It's old, it's clunky, it won't work without a dozen hacks, the development language (C/AL) is limited and frustrating (I'm used to C# from school and personal projects). Now I'm looking for another job, but every interesting job I encounter asks for a masters degree or experience as a programmer. My question to you: What is your degree? What do you do / did you do as a programmer? How did you get to this point in your career? Do you think it's worth to obtain a masters degree?
KenBonny wrote:
What is your degree?
No degree - self-taught.
KenBonny wrote:
What do you do / did you do as a programmer? How did you get to this point in your career?
To start with I basically learned everything I could about programming, Windows, and the internals of how computers work, and wrote a lot of code to do everything from text parsing to a simple HTTP server to hand-drawing ellipses and paths and gradients. Another important reason I got where I am today is the people who helped me get there. My parents taught me how to learn efficiently on my own, and Marc Clifton gave me a start in the software business and helped me learn about the myriad of things that differentiate a professional consultant from a hobbyist coder who just knows the technical aspects of his craft. I am very much indebted to them. And finally, I am where I am because I know how to learn fast, including learning new technologies on the job while still meeting deadlines, and because programming is enough of a passion for me that I am willing to work my butt off at odd hours if necessary, and because I've learned the importance of managing clients' expectations, cutting through the fluff to find out what will really make a difference for them and meet their needs, and insisting on terms that are workable for me. What I do most right now is ASP.NET/C#/SQL Server, with PHP/MySQL on the side. I'd actually like to get into desktop dev again like I used to do, but it seems like web is where the money is at for now. I keep myself up to speed on the desktop dev technologies as much as I can.
KenBonny wrote:
Do you think it's worth to obtain a masters degree?
In the software business, probably not - unless you want to enter a part of the industry where it counts more than usual, or you truly feel that that is the best way for you to obtain more knowledge. For the rest of the industry, a good bachelor's degree will get you going while giving you a chance to get out into the industry and get real-life experience which IMO counts more than anything else.
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JazzJackRabbit wrote:
How many of you would start looking for a new job if your were suddenly made to support old VB and classic ASP projects?
Would you believe a .NET/SQL database position and I now program VBA for Access 2002.
You poor, poor soul... On a more serious note, there is always "maintenance" work to be done, whether it's VB/ASP or Access. It's only a problem if it becomes full time job, because then your skills become outdated and should anything happen you'll have big problems looking for a new job. If you are in the latter position, I would consider looking for a change if I were you (unless you're happy with the COBOL job type security).
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Hello, fellow Projecteers. I've been lurking on here some time now and I think this is the best place to ask my question. I graduated last June and started working a couple of months later. I'm working 4-5 months now as a Dynamics NAV (a.k.a. Navision) developer. Got hired to work out a .NET project, but two weeks into the job my boss says to drop it because it's too expensive for me to work out. He gives me several NAV assignments and wants me to specialize in NAV. Personally, I hate NAV. It's old, it's clunky, it won't work without a dozen hacks, the development language (C/AL) is limited and frustrating (I'm used to C# from school and personal projects). Now I'm looking for another job, but every interesting job I encounter asks for a masters degree or experience as a programmer. My question to you: What is your degree? What do you do / did you do as a programmer? How did you get to this point in your career? Do you think it's worth to obtain a masters degree?
KenBonny wrote:
Do you think it's worth to obtain a masters degree?
Definitely, it could affect your salary in the first 5 years of your career. If you ask if the master degree gonna make you a better professional, the answer is no.
The narrow specialist in the broad sense of the word is a complete idiot in the narrow sense of the word. Advertise here – minimum three posts per day are guaranteed.
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John C wrote:
No, it's justification for going to the powers that be and saying "I was hired for .net work and I'm not doing it, I want to do the work I was promised or I'll have to look elsewhere". Only after that is it justification for looking elsewhere.
There is a good chance he is going to be fired if he does that.
JazzJackRabbit wrote:
There is a good chance he is going to be fired if he does that.
Well perhaps he can word it better, i.e. not threaten to leave but bring it up and ask when he will be doing the work he agreed to. That being said my response to you is "who cares?" - anyone not willing to stand up for their rights deserves everything they get in life and worse because accepting injustice harms all of us.
Yesterday they said today was tomorrow but today they know better. - Poul Anderson
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You poor, poor soul... On a more serious note, there is always "maintenance" work to be done, whether it's VB/ASP or Access. It's only a problem if it becomes full time job, because then your skills become outdated and should anything happen you'll have big problems looking for a new job. If you are in the latter position, I would consider looking for a change if I were you (unless you're happy with the COBOL job type security).
Luckily the Access programming is a small portion of my job as DBA is the biggest, however I agree with you 100% that you need to keep up as my .NET skills have shrunk to almost nil. However, with SQL 2008 SSIS using VS as the backbone there is hope.
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Hello, fellow Projecteers. I've been lurking on here some time now and I think this is the best place to ask my question. I graduated last June and started working a couple of months later. I'm working 4-5 months now as a Dynamics NAV (a.k.a. Navision) developer. Got hired to work out a .NET project, but two weeks into the job my boss says to drop it because it's too expensive for me to work out. He gives me several NAV assignments and wants me to specialize in NAV. Personally, I hate NAV. It's old, it's clunky, it won't work without a dozen hacks, the development language (C/AL) is limited and frustrating (I'm used to C# from school and personal projects). Now I'm looking for another job, but every interesting job I encounter asks for a masters degree or experience as a programmer. My question to you: What is your degree? What do you do / did you do as a programmer? How did you get to this point in your career? Do you think it's worth to obtain a masters degree?
KenBonny wrote:
What do you do / did you do as a programmer? How did you get to this point in your career?
Study, hard work, experience and putting up with a lot of crap
KenBonny wrote:
Do you think it's worth to obtain a masters degree?
In your case I would think not. What will help more is experience. As you start to move up the ladder then yes a Masters (depending type) may help to obtain a higher level position.
KenBonny wrote:
every interesting job I encounter asks for a masters degree
Most positions I've seen only ask for BS. Perhaps you are search too high. You have to start somewhere, just not at the top.
I know the language. I've read a book. - _Madmatt
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Hello, fellow Projecteers. I've been lurking on here some time now and I think this is the best place to ask my question. I graduated last June and started working a couple of months later. I'm working 4-5 months now as a Dynamics NAV (a.k.a. Navision) developer. Got hired to work out a .NET project, but two weeks into the job my boss says to drop it because it's too expensive for me to work out. He gives me several NAV assignments and wants me to specialize in NAV. Personally, I hate NAV. It's old, it's clunky, it won't work without a dozen hacks, the development language (C/AL) is limited and frustrating (I'm used to C# from school and personal projects). Now I'm looking for another job, but every interesting job I encounter asks for a masters degree or experience as a programmer. My question to you: What is your degree? What do you do / did you do as a programmer? How did you get to this point in your career? Do you think it's worth to obtain a masters degree?
I have no degree, my articles give you an idea of what I do, but more specifically, I do contract work and currently have two clients, one in the space industry and the other in the, ahem, adult entertainment industry. Pretty much every contract job that I've had has involved working on re-architecting legacy systems. I got to where I am now by getting really frustrated with the mundane aspects of programming. I'm much more interested in doing the interesting work--architecture, UI design, figuring out difficult problems, working with the client to get them what they really want, etc. It's an ongoing process, but I have to admit I feel like I'm falling behind with things like WPF because none of my clients has any need for it, and I certainly can't justify it in their eyes (yeah, yeah, that was my little rant.) I'm quite interested in F# though, and I hope one day, sigh, to finish the poker game I'm writing in F#. As to obtaining a masters degree, I have the following thoughts: no, unless the degree helps for the field of work you're in. That said, I've solved problems in videometric and network topology analysis that have stumped PhD folks for years. I guess it just takes a fresh pair of eyes, or at least ones that aren't myopic in their "try to shove the problem into the solution domain that I'm an expert in" approach. Marc
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Hello, fellow Projecteers. I've been lurking on here some time now and I think this is the best place to ask my question. I graduated last June and started working a couple of months later. I'm working 4-5 months now as a Dynamics NAV (a.k.a. Navision) developer. Got hired to work out a .NET project, but two weeks into the job my boss says to drop it because it's too expensive for me to work out. He gives me several NAV assignments and wants me to specialize in NAV. Personally, I hate NAV. It's old, it's clunky, it won't work without a dozen hacks, the development language (C/AL) is limited and frustrating (I'm used to C# from school and personal projects). Now I'm looking for another job, but every interesting job I encounter asks for a masters degree or experience as a programmer. My question to you: What is your degree? What do you do / did you do as a programmer? How did you get to this point in your career? Do you think it's worth to obtain a masters degree?
KenBonny wrote:
What is your degree?
BSCS
KenBonny wrote:
What do you do as a programmer?
Database, backend, services, automation, integration, framework...
KenBonny wrote:
How did you get to this point in your career?
By not doing that new-fangled Web crap. Started out doing C and Oracle (Pro*C) on OpenVMS; I was real good at it -- but there are no jobs in that anymore. :sigh:
KenBonny wrote:
Do you think it's worth to obtain a masters degree?
Only if you want to teach. My wife has a masters... she still doesn't know what she wants to be when she grows up.