Online MS Applied Physics

[rppearso]

Does anyone know of a good/decent MS in Applied Physics online for around/less than 20k? I found the Johns Hopkins one for 50-60 grand, which is a price point that takes away from retirement planning. I am a dual-disciplined PE in Chemical and electrical engineering and a BS in Chemical Engineering from the Colorado School of Mines and the equivalent of a minor in electrical engineering and mathematics from a local university.

I am trying to break into defense from a varied career starting in oil and gas and then some miscellaneous telecommunications work, and now I work for a radio station as a technician. The job descriptions almost always prefer an MS in science (not required but will make you less competitive if you dont have it and another candidate does) and have roadblocks with needing active security clearances (which is a whole other issue).

I can't do much about the security clearance, but maybe I can do something about the MS degree ...?

Or do I just stay in the technician job and finish dollar-cost-averaging my way to a million bucks and then substitute-teach elementary school part-time and kinda coast into retirement?

 

[CrysPhys]

I don't have an answer to your specific question. But are you certain that a MS in Applied Physics will increase your employment prospects? As opposed to an MS in an engineering field (such as EE or ChemE)? And will an online degree do the trick?

If your primary goal is enhancing your employment prospects, you should confirm before you expend the time and money in getting the degree. Especially since you are already a PE.

 

[rppearso]

I don't have an answer to your specific question. But are you certain that a MS in Applied Physics will increase your employment prospects? As opposed to an MS in an engineering field (such as EE or ChemE)? And will an online degree do the trick?

If your primary goal is enhancing your employment prospects, you should confirm before you expend the time and money in getting the degree. Especially since you are already a PE.

I am not sure; that's what makes this a conundrum (almost every job listing I have found has listed the masters of Science as a preferred skill, not required, but it's still there). The thought process is I already have tons of engineering coursework and 2 PEs with 20 years of engineering experience; do I need more engineering classes or would it be cool to be able to take things like plasma physics or quantum field theory and go for a national labs job or similar? Since it's not clear how leveraging the master's would really be, I was thinking it should be in something interesting.

My target job market is the desert southwest, preferably Tucson, in defense or research jobs (Raytheon, observatories, etc). The goal is to get into very cool jobs that don't carry a pager or travel overnight or work yourself into a stroke. Also, no reason to move someplace that has cold winters just to move from cold winter to cold winter for a couple extra bucks.

I could get another low vacation time, on-call, pressure-cooker job, but I am in a spot now where my job is pretty chill, but pay isn't great and vacation time is low. I am also working on trying to build a business in high-tech equipment such as RF sputtering, and equipment to make specialty chemicals, etc. But it's really, really slow going; the non-raising low pay makes it hard to progress because I'm not willing ot give up the dollar cost averaging, as that's my exit ramp/silver parachute.

The other thought is do I pivot to something completely unrelated, like work on becoming a designated engineering representative for the FAA (Claude found that one for me lol), not sure if the money is much better though, working for a repair station.

If you want to connect in real life I can shoot you a direct message, you can tell me how I did with my EQ and keeping this as positive as possible. My 3rd paragraph's humor is going to tough to break down lol.

 

[CrysPhys]

If I understand you properly, you have a PE in EE and a PE in ChemE, correct? Plus 20 yrs work experience, correct? If so, I don't see how an online MS in Applied Physics will help you. There are certain positions in which a specific professional credential (including a specific academic degree) is required. But otherwise, equivalent experience can substitute for an MS (especially if the post reads preferred, not required).

There obviously is a lot more going on with you. If you want to get an MS in Applied Physics to learn something new purely for self-satisfaction and self-fulfillment, then go ahead. But if you're in a rut, and unhappy with the jobs you can readily get with your qualifications, I'd recommend that you assess your skills and experience and determine how to leverage them to advantage in an associated field that might be more to your liking. But before you do, make sure you have a realistic appreciation of what the day-to-day life in the new field actually is. I'm retired now, but I switched fields multiple times over the course of my career.

 

[rppearso]

If I understand you properly, you have a PE in EE and a PE in ChemE, correct? Plus 20 yrs work experience, correct? If so, I don't see how an online MS in Applied Physics will help you. There are certain positions in which a specific professional credential (including a specific academic degree) is required. But otherwise, equivalent experience can substitute for an MS (especially if the post reads preferred, not required).

There obviously is a lot more going on with you. If you want to get an MS in Applied Physics to learn something new purely for self-satisfaction and self-fulfillment, then go ahead. But if you're in a rut, and unhappy with the jobs you can readily get with your qualifications, I'd recommend that you assess your skills and experience and determine how to leverage them to advantage in an associated field that might be more to your liking. But before you do, make sure you have a realistic appreciation of what the day-to-day life in the new field actually is. I'm retired now, but I switched fields multiple times over the course of my career.

Yes that is correct (also working on an A&P for what thats worth and a scientific apparatus business). The job is good other than my pay is capped so that means after a few more years I will be making close to min wage (not really but pretty low for a PE with 20 years) and the area I am in is a jobs desert so we are looking to move to the desert southwest (no pun intended). While there are MANY more technical jobs I started applying and pinging my network from friends I graduated with and so on and now the challenges are different, security clearances and preferred masters. The master's is not required but people I met through networking say its quite a competitive environment, whatever that means, does that mean the masters is a trump card, I dont know. I'm for sure not spending 50 grand on a master's no matter how cool it sounds but I was hoping the proliferation of online degrees spread out to applied physics and I just wasn't finding a good program for a fair cost ...

I could probably dollar-cost-average ourselves to a million bucks in about 3 years at my current job if inflation stops going so extreme (mostly because my wife's job acts as a shock absorber, but that's also not fair to her; she got lucky ... or unlucky).

Obvoiusly there not handing out these jobs to anyone off the street, but I would hope that I have made myself a top applicant despite not having a master's degree.

Then there's the matter of the proliferation of off-hours contact and travel with employers seemingly pushing that stuff way more (or I just got really unlucky in the past, which is what caused a bunch of job hops). This whole nights and weekends and overnight travel, living out of a duffle bag, being paid salary and so on. Goal is for the next job we move for to be none of that, I know the rest of the civilized world has passed right-to-disconnect laws because employers were so out of hand but not the usa, so thats likely going to significantly prolong the job search. So because we dont have any laws in place once I get an offer I have to have a super awkward conversation about no calls at 3am, no overnight travel, very little OT or weekend work (I get sometimes stuff happens but it shouldnt be every week, or even every month for that matter); the whole reason to move is to enjoy the nice weather, jump in the pool and coast into retirement not work myself into a stroke before I can enjoy it.