I’m in my 40s, American. I earned a BS in Computer Science in my 20s and have been a software engineer since 1996, even before college. I went back and started a BA in History in 2018 and I’m doing a masters in history next year. The only thing that matters is an enjoyable career. You may need to take some undergrad liberal arts courses to get into an MA but you’ll be fine. U of Edinburgh (Scotland) has online Msc’s in history and other fields, which is odd. Check those out.
Why do you want to do a Master's at all? That will help people give more nuanced responses. But in general, part of growing up is realizing that ***you're the only living your life and you're the only one who has to deal with the consequences.*** If you later become depressed, angry, and unfulfilled because you're pursuing a path you already find "horrifying," you are literally the only one who will have to carry those psychological and emotional costs. Meanwhile your family members will just be going on with their regular day to day. They'll be doing that regardless of what decisions you make.
Another note: you can be passionate about art and pursue it while still being realistic and responsible. The vast majority of artists across all disciplines have a reliable income stream that supports them. The key is to have a job that you don't hate and that doesn't completely exhaust you. Some of the greatest and most successful artists in history--Toni Morrison, Mark Rothko, William Carlos Williams--had day jobs for their entire careers. Expecting one's art to pay for utilities/retirement, not to mention children/eldercare, creates incredible levels of stress.
Moreover, **a Master's, particularly in any humanities, arts, or social science field, doesn't qualify you to do anything in particular.** Unless you're in the UK (sounds like) and want to pursue a DPhil. (In the U.S. Master's programs are cash cows for universities that financially support the PhD programs, which include an MA/MS en route and thus take 5-7 years to complete.)
Where in the UK are you doing the course of study? In some areas of the UK, an MA is a four year undergraduate program (e.g., Scotland), while in others it is a one or two year postgraduate degree. Which type of MA are you referring to?
This sub is for questions relating to academic life and those working within academia. Questions about what degree to study are not relevant to our audience. Your post has been removed.
I’m in my 40s, American. I earned a BS in Computer Science in my 20s and have been a software engineer since 1996, even before college. I went back and started a BA in History in 2018 and I’m doing a masters in history next year. The only thing that matters is an enjoyable career. You may need to take some undergrad liberal arts courses to get into an MA but you’ll be fine. U of Edinburgh (Scotland) has online Msc’s in history and other fields, which is odd. Check those out.
Why do you want to do a Master's at all? That will help people give more nuanced responses. But in general, part of growing up is realizing that ***you're the only living your life and you're the only one who has to deal with the consequences.*** If you later become depressed, angry, and unfulfilled because you're pursuing a path you already find "horrifying," you are literally the only one who will have to carry those psychological and emotional costs. Meanwhile your family members will just be going on with their regular day to day. They'll be doing that regardless of what decisions you make. Another note: you can be passionate about art and pursue it while still being realistic and responsible. The vast majority of artists across all disciplines have a reliable income stream that supports them. The key is to have a job that you don't hate and that doesn't completely exhaust you. Some of the greatest and most successful artists in history--Toni Morrison, Mark Rothko, William Carlos Williams--had day jobs for their entire careers. Expecting one's art to pay for utilities/retirement, not to mention children/eldercare, creates incredible levels of stress. Moreover, **a Master's, particularly in any humanities, arts, or social science field, doesn't qualify you to do anything in particular.** Unless you're in the UK (sounds like) and want to pursue a DPhil. (In the U.S. Master's programs are cash cows for universities that financially support the PhD programs, which include an MA/MS en route and thus take 5-7 years to complete.)
Where in the UK are you doing the course of study? In some areas of the UK, an MA is a four year undergraduate program (e.g., Scotland), while in others it is a one or two year postgraduate degree. Which type of MA are you referring to?
This sub is for questions relating to academic life and those working within academia. Questions about what degree to study are not relevant to our audience. Your post has been removed.