I am in need of some career direction. I recently graduated with my Bachelors Degree in Business Administration with a specialization in Human Resource Management. I started an online graduate program, but I did not like the lack of contact with my peers and professors.
I am now left with only two choices:
1. Attend the college where I earned my BS degree; however, they only offer a general MBA.
2. Attend a for-profit university (National American University), and they offer several specialized degrees. The NAU is regionally accredited and has existed for 75 years.
At this point, the cost is not a problem as I am going through a VA program that pays for everything. My long-term goal is to work for the government and possibly teach part time at a junior or a vocational college.
I sincerely appreciate any time you can spare,
Joshua Kosola
Answers
I also agree with avoiding the for-profit schools. Not all are bad, but the ones that are for profit and have tons of advertising (radio, online, TV) are showing you (by this exorbitant use of money) that your tuition isn't going to help the quality of the program or to get you better instructors.
Focus on the program you want with a reputable school that is either non-profit or "low-profit"; meaning they are a for-profit school but are low profile and re-invest their profits into the school, the teachers and the students and not advertising campaigns and gimmicks. NAU is probably the biggest gimmicky school that comes to mind after ITT tech and we all know what happened there.
Good luck and thank you for your service!
Look. Don't fool around.
Go for the best, finest, and most well known college or university in your chosen area of study.
The reputation and recognition of the chosen college makes a significant difference to potential employers.
Joshua, I would question what you want to do with a Master in HRM. You state you want to work for the government, but not in what capacity. If you are looking to manage an HR department then, yes, that degree plan would be helpful. I do not have the military background you do so I may be off here but, I do not believe the government would give you the opportunity to really use the HRM degree because of the structure and bureaucracy you would have. If accurate, you should be fine with the MBA degree. Remember you always have the HR certification from SHRM and/or HRCI. I have 30+ years in the private sector HR. I have a Master of HRM and both HR certifications. No matter which path you choose, I wish you the best of luck. Thank you for your service to our country. Pat
Hi John,
I agree with Cary above. I did my MBA through a for profit college. I was not happy with the education provided and lack of participation from my classmates and some of the educators. I would suggest finding a college that you feel will augment what you have learned already and will help you go where you want to go.
I wish you all the best.
Warm regards,
Jerry
South Dakota is ranked 41st in the US for quality education.
You might consider more prominent schools elsewhere.
Federal Government is cracking down on for-profit schools. You may find state institutions more appealing such as Arizona State U .
For any other goal, I would say that MBA is not as useful as some specialized skill training; however, your stated goal of being a professor makes me reconsider that.
Today, you have to come to the realization that generalists are being replaced by automation at a swift pace in all industries. Only those that are upwardly mobile in the career food chain will be rewarded with the highest compensation. See https://www.roberthalf.com/workplace-research/salary-guides which demonstrates this.
If your calling is ju-co or vo-tech that is one thing, but there is not much in the way of compensation at these institutions.
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