Leaving job for school

I have been tossing around the idea of leaving my current role and taking 6 months off to knock a big chuck
out of my WGU degree. I've got about 28 credits left, minus technical writing and the capstone and I'm just looking
for a way to accelerate it.

I'm currently in a NOC role which I enjoy but I'm not sure how much more I can really get out of the position and I
feel really undervalued for the work that I do (taking and completing more tickets from a technical perspective and
a sheer numbers perspective) compared to my peers. I have a good amount of savings right now and until the end of the
year I'll be receiving CH30 GI Bill benefits, so after balancing my monthly expenditures with what I'll be getting from
that I feel pretty comfortable from a monetary standpoint. I guess my biggest concern is how it will look to employers
in the future. I have the feeling that any employer that would look down on taking time off to complete your degree
probably isn't one that I would really want to work for but that's not always an option.

Anyone have any experience doing this? Any tips? Any "no, no, no, don't do that"?

Find more posts tagged with

Comments

MontagueVandervort

I would caution putting a 6-month gap on your resume. No one looking at your resume is going to know you took the 6 months off to complete a degree unless you position the degree from the end time of your last (the one you have now) job and the time you complete it. So that would essentially mean altering your start date

Edit: I'm not advocating altering your start date. Just saying that's the only way it would look "right".

kiki162

Not sure how the classes are structured at WGU in terms of weeks per semester. You have the money coming in, and plenty of certs, why not look for a new job for the time being, even if it's only temporary.

Your concerns are on point. Even if you found a PT job in IT, you still have a continuous job record. If a recruiter were to ask why you went PT, you can say to focus more on my studies, which looks better for you in the long run, instead of quitting a job.

NetworkNewb

Phileeeeeeep651 wrote: »

I feel really undervalued for the work that I do

Welcome to what almost every other person feels! I'd get used to it

Definitely wouldn't quit your job to get a degree faster. Sounds like you have a decent job that most people hope to get once they finish their Bachelor's degree.

PCTechLinc

kiki162 wrote: »

Not sure how the classes are structured at WGU in terms of weeks per semester.

The way WGU works, you must complete at least 3 CEUs within each term (6 months) in order to stay enrolled. Each class is worth anywhere between 2 and 6 CEUs that I've seen. On average, they are 3 or 4. Whatever classes do NOT get finished by the end of the term for which you are enrolled, they roll-over to the next term, and count as a FAIL on the current term.

anhtran35

If there is downtime at work why not use that time to a.) get paid and b.) study?

p@r0tuXus

From the way you described your position, I would hang in there and buckle down tighter on your studying. It sounds like you're close to finishing that degree and money isn't a huge worry. If you're doing the bulk of the 'work' at work, then you could probably make some adjustments there. You can try chatting with your boss and letting them know you'd like to do some of your study while at work and perhaps schedule a couple 2-3 hours a day on clock working on your courses and let the slackers pick up some of the duty. If you intend to stay with the company after you get your degree, you could use that to boost yourself into a better position, possibly even a supervisory role if you want. Best of luck to you. Remember, no racer slows down just before the finish line.

NetworkingStudent

I would say don't quit your job.

Keep on trucking through school and work.

What is your due/target date for finishing your degree?

dialectical

Phileeeeeeep651 wrote: »

"no, no, no, don't do that"!!!!!

I am in WGU's MSci in Cybersecurity. It's not a serious school. Do no sacrifice it for having work experience on the clock. If your job is too easy then you can just find your own experience and work on certs at calm moments.

WGU has lots of great things going for it, but mostly in terms of what you are able to put into it voluntarily. However, it's easy to game and just knock out once you can get past the certs required, and you have the hardest cert already in their program (CCNA-Sec).

The main reason WGU is not serious because you can just repeat assessments until you pass. Also the grader roulette can leave you with some bitterly lazy and uninspired people. For example, I just did a 45 page risk assessment when only an 8 page risk assessment was asked for. I went overkill on it and made it genuinely professional. However the grader essentially admitted to not reading it and gave me all zeros because he could not find headers which made the rubric points easily point to the matching content. They grade by rubric keyword word search. Grammar/spelling is not even considered except that 25% of assessments are independently checked by grammar checkers, while the others are not.

I'm glad I joined WGU because they pay for certs and I learned a lot from the courses, but only because I've gone the extra mile. The quality of grading however just goes to show that this it is not real world. I now strongly believe that infrastructure should not be taught in school.

If you don't like you NOC job then just overperform until it's awkward for them not to promote you - or until someone else makes a good offer.

iBrokeIT

I did something similar last year. I had a 1099 contract position that ended at the end of March. Finished WGU by the end of July and had a position lined up for the beginning of September.

If you have the skills and proven ability to deliver then that won't be an issue has been my experience. My current employer had no issues with my situation and didn't even mention it.

Phileeeeeeep651

Thanks for the replies everyone. I kinda had a feeling that most would recommend staying employed. I guess part of my rationale for taking the 6 months off and trying to finish sooner is that it once I was finished I could start on other training/certifications that I have my eye on but I can understand the importance of keeping a consistent timeline on my resume and actual work experience.

My position doesn't offer me a lot of downtime, if any, as it's a call center type role and truth be told if it did offer a lot of downtime I probably would been at a different job by now. My brain doesn't seem to really be wired for the jobs with a lot of downtime as I tend to get a little anxious about becoming stagnant in a position.

Realistically at the pace I've been going I probably have 3 terms left, so about a year and a half left. Maybe it's a better idea to just spend a little more time focusing on the search for a new position rather than leaving my current job without another lined up.

Again, appreciate the replies!

volfkhat

It's your life;
do what makes You happy.

It sounds like your job is just "a job".
If you would rather Quit, and finish school in 6 months.... then go for it!

Don't let "the system" dictate how to live your life.

As for your resume... just say that you were a FULL-TIME student the past 6 months.

It's your Life :]

DatabaseHead

volfkhat wrote: »

It's your life;
do what makes You happy.

It sounds like your job is just "a job".
If you would rather Quit, and finish school in 6 months.... then go for it!

Don't let "the system" dictate how to live your life.

As for your resume... just say that you were a FULL-TIME student the past 6 months.

It's your Life :]

Well said.

powerfool

Bottom Line Up Front: No way, don't do it.

In-depth: While folks can have greater reasons for going to school, the primary reason is typically about career advancement. Now, there are other reasons to work or to choose what kind of work to do, but let's be real... the primary motivation for work is to support yourself (a paycheck, some benefits, etc.). So, it comes down to money. Well, there are some programs out that they basically make it [next to] impossible to have a career while going to school (though you could have a more mundane job)... but they are rare and they aren't IT-related programs (think Doctor, Nurse, Dentist, etc.). So, if your reason for going to school is money, via associative logic, then why would you stop working to go to school? I can certainly understand finding a different job... maybe less stress... less time... or better, a job that gives you better experience in your target career. But stopping working? Nope, bad idea.

While school is [largely] necessary and statistically beneficial, a ton of people have school. And, there are tons of people that have gone to school and can't find a job in their field of study (mostly due to entitlement). Their mistake: not having [enough] experience in their field. So, school is great and it can tick of a requirements check box, but ultimately, employers want to trade value for value... money for solutions. That is your goal and you can prove that better over the long term with experience. Now, I am not knocking education at all... I am in the "all of the above" boat... you go to school, you get certifications, and you build experience. Don't sacrifice one for the other, though... especially experience one.

volfkhat

Powerfool makes a fair argument.

I disagree with it,
but i respect it.
lol

You know, actually.... i think OP needs to be honest about what's really on his mind.

i got the impression that he wasn't too impressed with his gig.
He could take it, or leave it :]

So.. he's thinking about leaving it because he really wants to finish his classes.
i can respect that.

But then he said:
"Maybe it's a better idea to just spend a little more time focusing on the search for a new position rather than leaving my current job without another lined up."

AHH..... so maybe i read this wrong?

Maybe the real issue is with OP's current employer?
Maybe he is just ready to LEAVE his job?
Maybe the thought of sticking around for another 18 months is.... a bummer?
(for whatever reason; bored, stressed out, not learning, etc)

Maybe it's Not (primarily) about finishing the degree.
Rather, it's about getting outta your current situation :]

If that's the case.... then, yes,
maybe look around for another job first.
(worst case, you can still Quit and go finish your degree)

packetphilter

Take the following self-survey to determine if you should quit your job:

Begin Survey

Q1: Do you have an obscenely large trust fund, investment portfolio, or assets otherwise capable of being converted into currency at short notice?

End Survey

If you answer to any of the above questions is no, then I recommend not quitting your job.

Phileeeeeeep651

@volfkhat TBH it's a mixture of both.

I will admit, originally it was an excuse just to get out of the position I am currently in. You're right about the take it or leave it part. Between the new direction the position is heading, to recent management and hiring choices my workplace has become quite the cluster. A lot of the technical aspects of the job are being moved up and out of the role, while a lot of lower level administration type tasks are being moved into the role.

Eventually my reasoning behind the 6 months off evolved into the opinion that I wasn't going to get much more out of the position so would taking the time off really hurt me in the long run, especially if I was able to finish up my degree in the process?

I appreciate the replies from everyone. Probably going to just keep looking for another job but the idea is still on the back of my mind.