Bi-Weekly CAREERS Mega-Thread [Feb 09 2015]

Some guidance here would be very welcomed:

  • I'm currently in a 5-year dual-enrollment Bachelor's/Master's program focusing in structural engineering. I'm doing great. I will finish my Bachelor's degree this coming May and, if all goes to plan, will finish my Master's degree in May 2016.
  • My wife (aka, sugah momma) and my GI Bill have been funding this second career. She's in the Navy and is set to get out in March of 2016.

We have some options now:

  • Option 1: She gets out in March 2016 and I work to finish my Master's degree. This could mean living off our savings account for a while as neither one of us would probably be able to find employment until May-August 2016 at the earliest. She would like this because she's not very fond of the Navy and would like to get out as soon as possible. We've changed duty stations twice in the four years I've been going to school and I'd really prefer to not have to switch schools mid-Master's degree (if that's even possible).
  • Option 2: I find work immediately after the Bachelor's degree and she gets out in March 2016. This means I'll have to get my Master's degree some other time or online (many schools offer it online these days). A Master's degree is very high on my "things I want" list. I really love structural engineering thus far and would like to learn as much about it as possible. So, I'd be kinda bummed to not finish this program. Also, I think it'll be considerably more difficult to find an entry-level structural engineering position as many job postings "strongly desire" Master's degrees. The up side is she would be out of the Navy and we wouldn't have to dig into our savings as much.
  • Option 3: She reenlists until April 2017. This would give me plenty of time to finish my Master's degree, but she wouldn't be happy staying in the Navy. There's also that chance that they change her duty station as soon as she reenlists meaning that even if we choose this option, there's no guarantee I can finish the Master's degree here.

What is your professional advice here? Would you stick around for the Master's degree? Is a Master's degree really that important for entry-level structural engineering positions? Would it be worth it to dig into our nest egg for up to 7 months of rent to finish the Master's degree (seems like a nice cost-benefit analysis problem from my Financial Engineering class)?

/r/engineering Thread