Jay Lightfoot ⋅ Herndon , VA ⋅ 20 years experience

Mike,
I agree with what Joel is saying - from what I have seen diversification comes into play when you try to jump from a masters to a PhD - not so much undergrad to grad. Two points for you to ponder: First - what is your ultimate goal... aka what is your dream job. That answer might make your "next" educational decision.
With that said, I think some "educational diversification" might be in order. If your undergrad is in economics I think I would look for something else for you grad. Maybe an MBA with an emphasis in finance or another field. You are still in the "business" world and could work for an Economic Development Activity or something else in that world.

Good luck and let us know if we can help in any other way.

Joel Ainsworth ⋅ Corvallis , OR U.S. Army, Sergeant ⋅ 6 years served

Mike,

I'm currently in graduate school for Economics. I've never heard about the "diversification" issue at the Master's level, though it certainly can be true if you're going from a M.S. to a PhD from the same program. That being said, every program is different.

What facet of Economics are you interested in? Macro, Micro, or Ag/Applied Econ? I will mention that at the M.S./M.A. level, there's still quite a bit of funding opportunities for Masters students in the Agriculture/Applied Econ departments, if you keep your eye on land grand universities. On the other hand, if you're aiming for more "professional" programs like Duke, Michigan, or Georgetown, you'll pay your own way. If you're interested in exploring what grad school in Economics is like, I'm happy to discuss my experience with you.

Regarding the military, I think the National Guard, or Reserves can still be a good option. I discovered that I enjoyed being a civilian, so I decided not to go back on active duty after my undergrad, though that was my intent. Instead, I chose to manage my military career in parallel with school and civilian employment. Developing a "career lattice" I think they call it now? Anyway, it's not a bad gig.

Let me know if there's anything else I can do to be helpful.

Mike Hall ⋅ Columbus , OH U.S. Marine Corps, Sergeant ⋅ 7 years served

Hi After doing some research and asking around I am realizing that getting my Masters in Economics is going to be very difficult. First there is the issue that apparently it is extremely hard to do a Masters at the same place you did your undergrad because they want you to branch out and be diversified. So I will be researching that. Further realizing the difficulty of pursuing my educational goal is four math classes that are going to be very challenging, luckily I’m up for a good challenge. My educational goals for now, I am just going to finish up my Bachelors in Economics in the spring of 2015 and keep looking for internships for the next two summers to help me with my skills and keep challenging myself.
For my goals in the Marines they have changed. After talking to some of my old higher ups from the corps as well as doing some research. I’ve realized my goals of going back on active duty as EOD is not likely to happen. Recruiters do not want to waste their time, and just give me the run around. I talked to several around my area and even enlightened them on the MCO 1130.8A that states I’m eligible and that it is the recruiters job not a PSR. They refuse to get back to be on boat spaces and just dodge my calls. The advice that was given to me by one of the higher ups was to stay in school and pursue a civilian sector because of the issues with pay and the draw down. Overall I’m qualified and can pass all the testing to get into the program. I have decided to give up my adolescent ideas of saving people and getting that rush from being deployed. I had thought that if I was going to stay this course my next step would to go set in the recruiters office until they gave me the information needed (very time consuming). There are things I will miss by not being active duty but I will try to get some of them by being a reservist.

Verne T. Kelling ⋅ Sammamish , WA Westingconsul Inc. ⋅ 35 years experience

I'm intrigued, Mike, by your description of obtaining a Masters by "fighting". May I assume that you regard it as a tough and serious challenge? Could it be a serious but pleasant challenge? Are you realizing that it will not be easy?

I, too, am a Marine a Marine Sergeant. ( I received an Honorable Discharge, with a Permanent Rate as Sergeant.) I did not sign over, because I had a goal. It was to obtain a degree.

Will you let me know what your aim is, educationally? Also let me know what your goal is in the Corps? I'd like to consider how you feel about the two goals you likely have.
Will you be as specific as possible?

In business, I had the favorable experiences of hiring a young Coast Guard vet, a Navy Lt. Commander vet, and, believe it or not, an Army retired Brigadier General. Also a retired submariner. Each of these service men had two admirable qualities. They were adept at problem solving (a major part of my consulting business) and carrying out my suggestions to assure quality in our business.