Any scientific / academic types here?

[thatchickinpa]

I know this may not seem like the right sub-forum, but my heart demands that I put my brain to productive use. I am looking for people with whom I can discuss things like academic careers, topics to study, and how to prepare for grad school. I know there are other forums out there for academics, but I don't know any of those people. Even if you aren't a retired professor, please chime in. All I need is another human being to bounce ideas off of. All the things that keep rattling around in my brain all by themselves can get a little overwhelming at times.

I have a BS in Engineering and spent a few years in grad school for an MS. I've worked at research universities and organizations for most of my academic and professional life. So if you have specific questions, I may be able to help.

I work a mind numbing job, on the night shift, where I have to be constantly on my guard to not breath wrong lest someone file an utterly inane complaint, so I can feel my brain shutting down more and more every day.

Understood. But this ennui happens to engineers, scientists and other knowledge workers as well.

To answer the obvious questions:

I am primarily interested in a field called Information Science, which is the study of how to format and organize information such that it can be easily used by people AND computers. Within that, I am focused on using these to improve education and academic research.

I haven't heard of that field specifically, but it sounds like it may straddle computer science and psychology.

My (almost complete) Bachelor's degree is a combined degree in Computer Science and Education.

My plans are to complete that, then work on a Master's in CS online while living in BLM land, then go on to a Ph.D. in Information Science. Of course, all that depends on being able to save up enough to get a livable vehicle, then to pay for the last 5 credits of my Bachelor's. After that, I will be eligible for financial aid again.

Anyway, if anyone can relate in any way, I would appreciate being able to visit with you, if only just to commiserate.

Is there any information you are specifically looking for?

It sounds like you've decided on the direction of study you want to take (and I assume you verified that your field of study allows students to earn their degrees remotely at the MS and PhD levels), so is money the primary concern?

There are many ways to fund your graduate work. The best way is to be awarded an assistantship - either teaching (TA) or research (RA) or both. For either, your tuition is paid in part or in full. You also get a stipend, and the size of that depends on many variables. In return for a TA, you teach a class or lab, tutor students and/or correct papers & exams. And for an RA, you perform research for a prof .... hopefully it ultimately results in something you can publish with your prof, which would be applicable toward your MS or PhD thesis.

Or, you can try to get job at a college or university that offers the degree you want and has a tuition assistance program. Most institutions do offer a program like this, usually between 75% - 100% tuition reimbursement. The main gotcha with this is that the federal government considers any discounts you get on tuition as income, and so you will have a tax bill for it on April 15th. But regardless of job function - profs, janitors, secretaries, etc - everyone gets the same deal. It often extends to spouses and children as well.

If you do not want to be physically located at the institution and do everything online, then you will have to come up with the cash. As someone else mentioned, some employers are willing foot the bill for all or in part of your education expenses, including books. But in my experience, this is less than ideal - you are limited in the number of credits you can be reimbursed for per year, the coursework has to be approved by the company and most likely be directly related to your current job, you must earn a B or better in the classes, and any time you miss from work due to your classes has to be made up. Also, often the company will require you stay with them for a certain period of time after your last reimbursement - usually a year to three years, else you will have to pay them back.

That leaves loans. I am not particularly a champion of education loans as I think they are the absolute worst type of loan a person can have. And for a long time I felt that borrowing so much for college was the worst thing I ever did in my life (now it is the second worst).

Education loans guaranteed by the government are non-dischargeable in bankruptcy and are almost impossible to get rid of unless they are paid off or the borrower dies. In some circumstances they will be forgiven in part after a certain number of years of repayment or for certain professions (like teaching at inner city schools for a few years).

Default on education loans leads to wage garnishments and loss of tax refunds (I have several friends that can confirm this). Mine were huge, and I paid them in full, but during repayment I had a life-threatening illness and only took time off work for surgeries and chemo. I pretty much had to get back to work as soon as my medical forbearance expired (3 months) so I wouldn't get behind in my payments. It was truly awful. Just think about if you became disabled or sick - these loans will probably not be discharged. Any social security payments will be garnished. The loans can only be discharged if the borrower can prove that they have no income above and beyond that necessary for living and will never be able to earn the money .... which is very difficult to prove.

Not all education loans are the same, and the private education loans are the worst. Many of these have the same laws protecting them as the federal government has - and the government is a peach to deal with in comparison. IMO they are like legalized loan sharks.

If you borrow, please do so with caution. Make sure to verify what the payment will be upon repayment, and what options you have if you can't pay (forbearance, deferments), what happens when you've used all the forbearance/deferment options (there are usually upper time limits), and if the loans are forgiven after payment on them for a certain period of time. The other warning I have on these is that the federal government can and has passed laws that change conditions *retroactively* ... so things can change in the future.

There are grants and scholarships, but usually these are for undergrad studies and for those who have not yet earned a degree. I did receive a departmental grant in grad school for academic excellence, but it wasn't much.

Living in a vehicle will allow you to save on rent, but if you actually attend a physical class, you may have to pay for parking. But you will have access to all their rec facilities, including workout rooms and showers. You may even be able to use facilities at other universities with your student ID.

The only problem with staying in BLM lands might be internet access - some classes require you to have reliable internet, especially for exams. Some profs expect all students to attend class at the same time, even if those students are online.

Best wishes and good luck!

 

[akrvbob]

I boondock on Public land (BLM and NF) year around and MUST have internet access (somebody has to keep this herd of cats in line!!). I don't have any problem at all with my Verizon data plan. I have a friend who got his Masters online and did it all from public land.
Bob

 

[Canine]

Hey Grant,I see you have been in college since 1978.You may be able to move straight from college to retirement.I'm jealous.