Anonymous wrote:For the HKS, WWS types posting here, did you guys have really strong networks and top prior work experience before you went?

like for instance you were GS employees or contractors at top agencies or the white house or worked in good consulting firms or a top Hill committee/Senate office prior to going?

No. I was one year out of college. Had worked for one year in a good fed agency, but no connections were used from there to get me my post-grad-school job. Same with most of my classmates, though most were more like 2-4 years out of college when they started.

HKS + MIT MBA here. 3 years but definitely worth it.

I think that this is a pretty good take on this question:

http://mic.com/articles/4870/a-graduate-degree-in-public-policy-is-not-worth-your-time-or-money

It allowed me to compete for a pmf position, which got me in at my agency. However, mine was totally paid for (I worked for the university while pursuing the degree so they paid for it) and certainly would not have done so if I was paying for it.

For the HKS, WWS types posting here, did you guys have really strong networks and top prior work experience before you went?

like for instance you were GS employees or contractors at top agencies or the white house or worked in good consulting firms or a top Hill committee/Senate office prior to going?

You're wise to think about this OP -- it isn't necessarily a degree that gets you anything (though it can be from the right schools and with the right planning of what you want to do); too many go for the MPP thinking -- policy is big in DC, I need a masters -- thus MPP.

For the same price and same number of yrs -- get an MBA. You can work in govt/policy as an MBA but you also leave open the option of transitioning to the private sector -- should you ever need or want to do that in the next 30-40 yrs of yr career.

This is one where it really depends on where you go. I went to HKS and have several friends who went to WW. Definitely worth it for us. Can't speak to whether it's worth it for other schools.

I would say, it's not only where you go (although I agree that all my WWS and HKS friends are all gainfully, and in many cases, happily employed). It's also what you choose to focus on when you get there. If you have a clear idea of what you want to get out of the degree and the gaps you're trying to fill in your skillset (rather than just getting a masters degree for its own sake), you will find it a much more useful degree.

Anonymous wrote:They should offer graduate degrees paired with vocational training. Like, you get an MPH but they also teach you how to be a locksmith or do simple HVAC repair.

This is a great idea. A Master Electrician/Master of Arts would be unstoppable. Or you could regale people with your take on Weber's theory of social class while snaking their toilet.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is one where it really depends on where you go. I went to HKS and have several friends who went to WW. Definitely worth it for us. Can't speak to whether it's worth it for other schools.

yeah i think that's been covered.

I wonder how Yale-jackson kids place.

Not really covered. PP said it was stil 50/50 on getting a good job. Disagree with that part. Have one friend who did Yale and did well. But one data point.

Anonymous wrote:This is one where it really depends on where you go. I went to HKS and have several friends who went to WW. Definitely worth it for us. Can't speak to whether it's worth it for other schools.

yeah i think that's been covered.

I wonder how Yale-jackson kids place.

This is one where it really depends on where you go. I went to HKS and have several friends who went to WW. Definitely worth it for us. Can't speak to whether it's worth it for other schools.

They should offer graduate degrees paired with vocational training. Like, you get an MPH but they also teach you how to be a locksmith or do simple HVAC repair.

Anonymous wrote:It's kind of like law school, except even more imperative that you go to HKS, Woody-woo, SAIS, Fletcher, or Georgetown (maybe gw-elliot at a push).

And even then, I would say the hit rate for a good job is 50/50.

This is very accurate.
-fletcher grad

It's kind of like law school, except even more imperative that you go to HKS, Woody-woo, SAIS, Fletcher, or Georgetown (maybe gw-elliot at a push).

And even then, I would say the hit rate for a good job is 50/50.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:@PP, yes but at least they can practice law even if they don't want to and hate it. MPP holders don't have any clear fallback

starbucks is always a fall back

not necessarily - retail/food service are always giving a stink-eye to 'over educated' because they don't know if they'll stick around.