cosmo105
02-23-2013, 11:27 AM
so i'm about 1/3 of the way through my masters, and loving it. i've been given the opportunity to pursue a thesis (our program is either a thesis option, which maybe 1/10th of students due, or comprehensive exams at the end of the program). i am super duper torn on whether or not to do it.
The arguments for it:
It's a really, REALLY cool project that I am very interested in and it would be awesome to be involved in it. It would get me out of doing the comprehensive exams. I wouldn't need to take some extra courses that would otherwise be just to fluff up my courseload. I don't want to stay at my current job forever. I've just about gotten all the experience out of my job that I think I can and am starting to feel a little bored there anyway. I've always been a pretty ambitious person and having this opportunity handed to me is extremely tempting. I wonder if I'll regret not doing it. Also, the people running the study would be incredibly good connections for the future. Though this isn't the field I've worked in up until now, it could open doors to another potentially lucrative career field.
The arguments against it:
It's not anywhere near my normal field of work/interest/study (within the food science world). In fact, it's a totally different direction. I'm not really worried about the exams at all - there's a pretty high passage rate. Those other courses could have some really interesting subjects. I would need to quit my job to do it, and I really, really love my job and staying in it would be totally fine until I graduated. I don't plan on going into research, or continuing on to get my PhD. In this field, you don't really need to have done a thesis to get a job and in fact, the experience I get in the professional world will probably serve me better toward getting the job I want. It would be a huge time commitment, and mean a bit of a sacrifice as far as free time and husband time. The people running the study are, again, in a totally different field. I really love the field that I'm in now and it's hard to imagine this new direction being more exciting than it.
The main points are - those that have done a thesis, do you think it was worth it if you didn't go on to do research or get a PhD? I think the biggest argument points on either side are a) how cool and amazing the topic of study is, and b) I don't really need to do it and would have to quit my job. Any input would be greatly appreciated dudes!
The arguments for it:
It's a really, REALLY cool project that I am very interested in and it would be awesome to be involved in it. It would get me out of doing the comprehensive exams. I wouldn't need to take some extra courses that would otherwise be just to fluff up my courseload. I don't want to stay at my current job forever. I've just about gotten all the experience out of my job that I think I can and am starting to feel a little bored there anyway. I've always been a pretty ambitious person and having this opportunity handed to me is extremely tempting. I wonder if I'll regret not doing it. Also, the people running the study would be incredibly good connections for the future. Though this isn't the field I've worked in up until now, it could open doors to another potentially lucrative career field.
The arguments against it:
It's not anywhere near my normal field of work/interest/study (within the food science world). In fact, it's a totally different direction. I'm not really worried about the exams at all - there's a pretty high passage rate. Those other courses could have some really interesting subjects. I would need to quit my job to do it, and I really, really love my job and staying in it would be totally fine until I graduated. I don't plan on going into research, or continuing on to get my PhD. In this field, you don't really need to have done a thesis to get a job and in fact, the experience I get in the professional world will probably serve me better toward getting the job I want. It would be a huge time commitment, and mean a bit of a sacrifice as far as free time and husband time. The people running the study are, again, in a totally different field. I really love the field that I'm in now and it's hard to imagine this new direction being more exciting than it.
The main points are - those that have done a thesis, do you think it was worth it if you didn't go on to do research or get a PhD? I think the biggest argument points on either side are a) how cool and amazing the topic of study is, and b) I don't really need to do it and would have to quit my job. Any input would be greatly appreciated dudes!