So...I've been around the primrose path a couple of times on this one. And of course, it's closely related to the question, what do I want to do with the rest of my life. And if I go back for a doctorate, then study will end up being a significant part of the rest of my life. For this reason I have hesitated about going back to school at all. But I think it could be worth it. I was inspired by the life of
Pauli Murray. She was a black lawyer and was very active in the struggle for both civil and women's rights. But in the the 1970s, when she was in her sixties, she enrolled in seminary and became an ordained minister in the Episcopal church. She attended General Theological Seminary in 1973, and graduated with a Masters in Divinity in 1976. She was ordained in 1977 and died in 1985. So three years of study in her sixties for an eight year career in the clergy. Now of course, she didn't know she was going to die at age 74, but she knew the greater part of her life was behind her, and she made the decision anyway.
Well, I guess I should start at the very beginning. After completing my Masters in Computer Science, I started a Masters in Divinity, feeling that I should devote more of the talents that God had given me to his service. I started in 2010, and stopped in 2014. I restarted in 2018, but pursuing a degree in Biblical Interpretation, which is significantly shorter.
But for a long time I also thought about a Masters in Public Administration. I never had much of an interest in business, and I figured I would continue in public service, so a Masters in Public Administration would help me more.
The choices after Army retirement for work always looked like this:
1. Church/Christian ministry
2. Education
3. Civil Service
At some point I started looking at online doctorates. And instead of a MPA, I was looking at a DPA. Because I wasn't so crazy about the idea of going to school full time after retiring for 3-5 years, especially seeing that I could potentially have three daughters and a wife in school at the same time. Online DPA programs were almost non-existent, but I found lots of Doctor of Educational Leadership courses online that looked promising. And they had some overlap with the DPA programs, particularly in fundraising, which I know little about. But that program would lock me into University and Community College Administration/Leadership, and I wasn't sure I wanted that.
I've also always wanted to be a counselor. I figured I would be a church counselor, but I was never sure of how that worked. Did you need credentials? It didn't seem like it, but if credentials existed, then I wanted to have them. Talking with Letty and Rita last year brought all that into focus. I had also looked at some of the programs at Lubbock Christian University, but I didn't understand it all, and since by that time I was already enrolled in their theology program, I didn't look that hard.
So there are programs out there. Masters and Doctoral programs in Counseling. Masters and Doctoral programs in psychology, though the Masters psychology programs don't really qualify you to do anything. Also Masters and Doctoral programs in Social Work.
A couple of times the idea of pursuing a law degree has crossed my mind. The idea of being a prosecutor has always appealed to me. At one time I'd also thought about law enforcement, but now I'm too old, so that's one way I could still be involved in the process. But I also see that as an entryway into politics, but it seems like it may be too late for that. I have to remind myself though, that when it comes to serving the people and the community, it is not too late for that, and I don't need a degree to do it.
University of Houston has a MSW/JD program that got my attention. My ardor for the program cooled when I realized that after doing all that study, it would be difficult to really do anything with both degrees. I would want to pursue licensure as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW), but that would mean neglecting the law. But to me it makes sense that someone with a law degree would be using that degree first and foremost. I would probably want to work as a prosecutor for Harris County. But I don't see how I could do that and work on a LCSW at the same time.
Finally, if I just wanted a doctorate, the path of least resistance would seem to be Computer Science, since I already have a masters. The thing is, I haven't had much interest there. At least in the things that I studied for my masters. I wouldn't want to work on a doctoral thesis unless it was something that I was really interested in, and I can't see anything in security, or programming, or algorithms being that interesting to me. Big Data is the rage now, but that's not a dissertation topic I would pursue either. Artificial Intelligence is interesting, but I don't know if I would want to pursue a doctorate. Now Human Computer Interface, that sounds interesting. And even better, Brain Computer Interface. I don't have any knowledge there either, but I could see myself taking the time to get the background.
