I have a bit of a dilemma.

In 2008 I plan to take my masters to advance my career.

At the moment I'm not sure whether to take a full year out from full employment and do the course in 1 straight year or stay working and do a part time course.

The problem with doing it full time is that it may take quite a while finding another job afterwards

The problem with part time is that if I decide to move jobs, other employers will not be as willing to give me time off to study reduce working hours etc. Not only this theres the added challenge of fitting assignments, reading and classes in between working hours

What do you think?

I'm in the process of doing an MA. I did it straight after my BA. It is a demanding course, however, there are others on my course whom work full/part-timeas well as doing the Master's. They do find it tough juggling all the readings, essays etc but they manage.

It all depends on what you feel you can handle.

I'm inthe latter stages of completing an MApart time. It requires more self discipline to do it part time and can get tiring from an inactivity perspective dependent on the course. I would have preferred full time so I could focus and just knock it outbut on advice from some older heads who know the game they made me think about rhe competitiveness of the area Iam gunning for as a result of the qualification.

For me doing it part time may have paid off as I've used work as a placeto enhance some of the skills gained.Any progressive company should make some arrangements for you to be able to work and study. Fortunately the operations manager had been to uni and so they changed my day off for me to attend and I worked weekends as a compromise.Really is a case of - you knowing what you can take

Not only workload but you have to consider your financial situation. Can you afford to spend a year off work (bills, rent etc)?

Has anyone here done distance learning. Im considering that right now.

Done it and coached people through it. You need self-discipline to set aside the time to do the work - reading, assignments, and so on. In my experience, people find that harder than the subject matter they're studying. The trick there is to be real clear about your motivation for doing it in the first place - if it's enough of a priority, you'll make the time.

The writing itself can be tricky for some, but that depends on the course you're doing and how you are with writing generally.

The other thing you might miss is regular contact with other students doing the same course. Depending on what you're doing, there will usually be at least a couple of opportunities to meet up, and that's well worth doing. Having people (at least one) you can bounce ideas off regularly is a real help.

If you can handle those things, distance learning is a breeze. You control your time, and you get the paper.

One fact which is often forgotten is most colleges do lecture up to 10pm. I don’t know your personal circumstances, however if you have the stamina, organizational abilities and family support, then an evening part time course would probably suit you.

The cycle of: work – study - everything else – bed, for two years is tough. However the advantages are: you take your employer out of the equation, you keep your income and you only need to take time off for exams and occasionally finishing research.

Hotep.

Much what I expected then, its all academic now anyway.. cant get the course on a distance learning. Thanks anyway.

Thanx for this........much to consider