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NPCER: need career, especially MPA advice (long, sorry)
So, I've recently moved to Texas and quit my job in NY to do so. I had just switched specialties at my law firm, so I'm in an odd situation where what I have more experience in I don't want to do and I am unlikely to be hired for what I had just started finding tolerable since I only have a year's experience in that specialty.
All of this is fine with me, because I never saw myself staying at a firm long term. I've been thinking more about what I would enjoy and want to do forever and I think it's working in state or local governments on policies. Transport, business development, etc. - actually governing and not getting too involved with elections.
I'm thinking of getting an MPA to help with this. Having a JD from a well-respected school is great, but I don't remember anything about statistics and think I'm missing other research methodology design and other skills that could be useful when trying to decide how to spend money and get the best bang for the government's buck.
Anyone with an MPA mind telling me their experience in getting the MPA, what they do on a daily basis, what skills they find most useful, etc.? I don't want to make another mistake like I did with law school. I mean, I loved law school, but I knew nothing about the practice of law and how coma-inducing I would find it.
All of this is complicated by the possibility that we will be moving overseas for my husband's job in the next year or two, and we also are looking to try for kids in about that same timeline. So part of me isn't sure it's worth trying to start something new right now. I can just continue with contract work and make decent money with set hours as an attorney. I'd just hate it and know it wasn't getting me anywhere I wanted to be long term. We could afford for me to stop working altogether, too, but I'd feel too guilty about not contributing enough when I am capable of doing so and have no real reason not to.
Finally, there is the depressing thought that perhaps I'm just too pessimistic and picky and won't like any job I have and should act with that assumption. I know you guys can't help with that, but I'd love some inspiring story about how someone felt that way until they found the right career and now they no longer feel that way.
Sorry for the novel. Any insight is appreciated!
ETA: May DD this later. It's a bit personal.
Re: NPCER: need career, especially MPA advice (long, sorry)
So I live in Austin and had been considering applying to the LBJ school. I had posted a similar question ("Should I get a JD or an MPA?") on another board.
There were a lot of great answers that helped me decide not to go at this time. With some help, I approached an organization that is doing the kind of policy work that I'm interested in and helped create an internship for myself.
If you want, I can send you some of the information from other MPAs I talked to and their opinions getting another degree to do the kind of work you want to. Basically, your skill set and current level of education wouldn't necessitate more education. You just have to start making contacts and networking around the things you want to do. Anyway, let me know if you want more info. I'd be happy to share.
MPA = public administration? Honestly, I'd probably skip it (for now.) It's just not going to add that much value compared with the cost. Have you looked at postings? Check out usajobs.gov if you haven't already. It's all about crafting your resume specifically for each job. It has to prove that you have education or experience in what they're looking for. If you find that you don't have the education or experience for what you're interested in, then maybe a course or two would be warranted. With the gov, you're probably better off starting a little lower than you'd like within the department, and get on-the-job training. They're pretty good about continuing education, too. Plus, they love promoting women. If you get your foot in the door, you can move up (or around) pretty quickly.
All that said, I've been trying to get in for awhile, but I keep getting aced out by veterans' preference.
Anything you can achieve through hard work, you could also just buy.
I have an MPA and I'm very glad I have it as it's allowed me to be eligible for positions I wouldn't otherwise have been without an advanced degree. That said, I do not think you'll necessarily need it given that you already have a JD.
I work in the nonprofit sector - specifically in international development - focusing on the administrative side of things (e.g. budget, human resources, marketing, etc.). I'm actually contemplating getting additional education in the international development sector myself, although that may not be entirely necessary. So I think it's normal to want to further your education even after you've reached a certain level.
I think your JD will serve you very well in a career in the public service, but don't let that hold you back from getting an MPA. I really dig my degree and thoroughly enjoyed getting it.
i have a mpa. i loved, loved, loved my program. my concentration is urban mgmt and planning. the degree has translated very well for me across my career. i find that i prefer work within the govt sector but i have never had a problem applying it in other areas.
i dont know that you necessarily need it since you have a jd, but if you are thinking of going into govt it may be worth it. stats and research methods arent the only classes you would need, i had a public budgeting and some organizational theory classes as well.
i am still very active as an alumna and i graduated from my program eleven years ago. lol i seriously do feel that my mpa program was a perfect fit for me and my love of govt. it has served me very well.
I have an MPA and currently work in higher ed administration. I enjoy my job - and while I needed a master's degree for my position I don't really use any of the "skills" I learned in the program.
Since the MPA is intended to be a practical, management-level degree, I didn't find it offered much in the way of research design or methodology. And I found that the most significant weakness of the my (supposedly highly-regarded) program.
The bulk of my program centered around management and "coalition building skills" - looking for "shared interests between stakeholders to find a win-win solution."
While I think an MPA would be the most relevant advanced degree for your career interests, I don't think an MPA really gets you anywhere that your JD doesn't in terms of education -you'd be just as likely to get hired with a JD as an MPA provided you have relevant work experience. With a JD and legal experience, it would be a cinch (I imagine) to get into some govt. position or political position and work into a position like you describe above.
That said, I'm huge believer that more education is never a bad thing as if you have the time, resources and interest. One thing I found super helpful was taking a couple of course as a non-matriculated student before I officially entered the program. The courses counted toward my degree and gave me an idea of what the program would be like.
Thank you all for your advice; it definitely gave me a lot to think about. I'm sorry I posted and ran - I had no idea my Thursday night would get so busy and then I was out of town this weekend for a wedding in New Jersey.
After I finish the Texas bar I'm going to try to get involved in the Office of Business Opportunity for the city of Houston. They are trying to promote women and minorities in businesses and since I'm both (score!) and the director is from NYC, so at least there are some potential openings there. In the meantime I will continue networking and seeing if there is another way to get my foot in the door.
The MPA I was considering at U of H has a policy track that is more technical, plus it's relatively cheap and mostly at night, so the cost isn't really a factor since I could continue working.
MrsAJL - I'd like that contact info if you don't mind.
MrsAxilla - I'm definitely going to try to sit in on a few classes to make sure I'm actually learning the type of thing I want to learn. I'm really not trying to collect degrees unless I think it will really help me do well in the type of job I want.