Well, I’m just about done with my MS in Compute Science. I started out in 2006 and though I took a few semesters off, I’m finally finishing it up. I have one class left to take over the summer. I’ll document my progress here.
So, what’s next?
I thought about Ph.D programs for quite a while. I was convinced I would be able to move forward with some kind of part-time doctoral program; unfortunately that doesn’t appear to be in the cards for me. I checked into all the programs in my area, but none seemed compatible for me. Either the cost exceeded its value, or I was required to attend (at least for part of the degree) on a full-time basis. The cost of the PhD over the cost of the MS degree would run between $63,000 and $75,000. I just can’t justify the cost of this endeavor. I will not get that much (if any) salary increase based on having a Ph.D. There are some lower cost institutes, but they would require me to be a full-time student for at least a year. I’m not in a position to just drop everything and go off to school. So alas, at this time I have no further plans on moving forward with a doctoral degree.
I am now going through the application process at City University of New York – Hunter College. I’m taking up Mathematics there. They have Masters programs in both Pure Mathematics and Applied Mathematics (http://math.hunter.cuny.edu/graduate.shtml). It’s been about 10 years since I’ve taken a Math class, so I’m starting out with the Pre-reqs first. It’ll take me about a year and a half to figure out if I want to continue. It’s possible I’ll start in the fall.
The beautiful thing about CUNY is that it’s a top ranked school and it’s reasonably priced. As a New York State resident, it doesn’t cost much to attend. I’ll let you know what happens. I’ve come to accept the fact that I’m a lifetime student. I never want to stop learning. At one class a semester, I can handle it without overwhelming myself. I think of it as a hobby.
