Comment on How to get back into academia for a masters degree after being out for 20+ years?
cabbage@piefed.social 2 weeks ago
Where are ypu based? US? If so, which state? Which field? Are you willing to travel far?
There are huge differences om costa (from free to insanely ecpensive) and quality (not correlated with cost). But if you want to do a PhD, it could be a good idea to search out a research environment right away and to use the Master's as an opportunity to familiarize yourself with their work.
thesohoriots@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
100% on the not forcing yourself on anything in a PhD. I was ABD and my heart wasn’t in it anymore. The whole thing was a disaster, committee was unreachable, department was no help, and by the time I was done, I hated myself for ever doing it. It was an exercise in completion. Absolutely be open to saying “this isn’t fun anymore.” There is zero problem with just getting a masters — in fact, I think you get the most value out of one because it’s a concentrated experience on what you want to do. There’s a stigma on “mastering out” but that’s crap. Know your limits and stop while you still love what you’re doing. I wish you the best in returning to school!