on the way home from work today i heard a commercial on the radio for umbc’s online master’s in information systems program. i’m looking into it, and it just might be doable. the website says that it’s possible in 2 years (though i’d probably take it in 3), but there’s a few potential wrenches in the works (though some of them aren’t really issues but just things to keep in mind)…

if i wanted to do it in 3 years:

– semester one ’09: 3 credits + 4 credits (7 cumulative)

– semester two ’09: 3 credits + 3 credits (13 cumulative)

– semester one ’10: 3 credits + 3 credits (19 cumulative)

– semester two ’10: 3 credits + 3 credits (25 cumulative)

– semester one ’11: 3 credits + 3 credits (31 cumulative)

– semester two ’11: 3 credits (34 cumulative)

if i wanted to do it in 2 years:

– spring ’09: 3 credits + 4 credits (7 cumulative)

– summer ’09: 3 credits + 3 credits (13 cumulative)

– fall ’09: 3 credits + 3 credits (19 cumulative)

– spring ’10: 3 credits + 4 credits (25 cumulative)

– summer ’10: 3 credits + 3 credits (31 cumulative)

– fall ’10: 3 credits (34 cumulative)

the advantage to doing it in 3 years would be a lot less money for me — my work pays for $8000 in tuition reimbursement per year, so…

2009: $9256 in tuition (i’d pay $1,256, and be taxed on $4,006)

2010: $8,544 in tuition (i’d pay $544, and be taxed on $3,294)

2011: $6408 in tuition (i wouldn’t have to pay anything, but i’d be taxed on $1,158)

if i tried to do it in 2 years…

2009: $13,528 in tuition (i’d pay $5,528, and be taxed on $8,278)

2010: $10,680 in tuition (i’d pay $2,680, and be taxed on $5,430)

plus, there’s the whole being recommended for dismissal if you get 3 Cs, 1 D or 1 F in any course, so less classes at a time = more time to devote to the classes i’m taking. and those are just the prices based on the tuition for fall 2008, who knows if/when it’d increase, and by how much. (although, it does include textbooks in that cost, nice!)

the thing that’d suck? having to stay at work for another 3 years just to finish this degree. at least i wouldn’t be stuck there once it’s done, but damn… i’m not really enjoying my work right now (and haven’t for a while, hence the job search that started as soon as that B.S. degree was done), and i can’t really imagine 3 more years of the same. i also haven’t seen any internal postings that appeal to me, either, so it’s difficult for me to imagine really staying for 3 more years no matter what position i have.

but i’ve got this feeling that to really get up with my degree, i have to go to graduate school. it doesn’t help that when i went to umbc back in the day, i remember my faculty advisor straight-up talking to me about the importance of good grades because “you’re going to want to go to graduate school” whether or not i really knew it at that time (thanks, prof. redding).

thing is, i don’t want to be all “i want to go to graduate school” for the wrong reasons… but then again, if wanting to get a better job to make more money is wrong, then i don’t wanna be right. 😛

i requested the brochure with more information, but after thinking it over, i think i may apply. even if i leave my job before the 3 years are up it doesn’t necessarily mean that i’ll have to stop the degree (especially not if the new employer also does tuition reimbursement, or pays me enough to make that a moot point).

there’s a job fair at umuc tomorrow for students and graduates from 3 to 7 pm. i may try to get out of work early so i can be there for more than just the last hour, but the jig might be up when i show up to work in a suit and skedaddle early. (funny, “skedaddle” is recognized by the computer’s built-in spellchecker.) wish i had some good paper to use for printing my résumé at least, oh well. plain white printer paper it’ll have to be.