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themack89
03-07-2013, 08:58 AM
Seems to be pretty popular these days.

In my opinion it couldn't signal much else other than a willingness to endure more pain or simply an interest in a subject which happened to turn into a second piece of paper.

What are people's thoughts on this?

I mean like... It's reasonable to do a Master's in the same time it takes to complete a double. :dunno:

Mibz
03-07-2013, 09:05 AM
Just ask buh_buh

msommers
03-07-2013, 09:16 AM
Depends on the degree. Sometimes a lot of courses crossover and it doesn't really add that much extra time on.

7thgenvic
03-07-2013, 09:23 AM
I know for lots of the Haskayne Majors, it'll make sense to do a double.

Finance / Econ

It was only a additional 5 classes to get both :)

AndrewMZ3
03-07-2013, 12:30 PM
I did a double in finance and computer science. I really do not think I would have had the same career opportunities I've had if I only did a single degree in either.

buh_buh
03-07-2013, 02:47 PM
Originally posted by Mibz
Just ask buh_buh
More debt, less years of earning. What more could one ask for?

suen17
03-07-2013, 03:04 PM
I completed a BSc and a BA in 4 years. It only took a total of approx 4 courses extra; made sense to get an extra degree for very little effort. Although to do a double in two completely different faculties took a bit of planning and also required some charm when talking with the dean to give me credit for courses in some rather unconventional ways.

Any extra money paid to tuition ended up helping out as a tuition tax credit so the actual investment wasn't significant.

In the end it is helpful to now be able to understand & critique both the sciences and the humanities. I think it was worth it. Academic connections are 2x more extensive and if I wanted to I could apply to a much broader choice in grad studies if I chose to go that way.

TL;DR: Took 4 years to do 2 degrees. Didn't take extra time and virtually no extra money. Pros: many. Cons: none.

Canmorite
03-07-2013, 04:21 PM
Originally posted by AndrewMZ3
I did a double in finance and computer science. I really do not think I would have had the same career opportunities I've had if I only did a single degree in either.

This is a pretty killer combo nowadays as well. :thumbsup:

Nitron88
03-07-2013, 04:42 PM
I don't suggest it, time/$ killer and when you enter the work environment you get dubs working in the same position as you. They might not even have a degree or certificate in that field either!

themack89
03-07-2013, 06:13 PM
Suen, what was your double?

So far seems to be 1 person in favor of doubles for personal/academic reasons and the other in favor for career advancement.

suen17
03-08-2013, 02:59 AM
Originally posted by themack89
Suen, what was your double?

So far seems to be 1 person in favor of doubles for personal/academic reasons and the other in favor for career advancement.

Biological Sciences & Philosophy.

I may be a rare exception to the rule in that I serendipitously ended up in a career where both of my degrees are useful; and i have the opportunity in the future to return to grad school should I wish to. However, i can appreciate that many jobs end up having absolutely nothing to do with the degree you obtain. However, if you're pursuing an academic career what you do your degree(s) in is CRITICAL, no question about it. If there's a choice between a double bach and a masters, do a masters.

Career-wise, I'd say it's benefited from having the double--having a humanities perspective certainly made it easier during interviews to chat about interpersonal strengths , while also having demonstrable science expertise in the day-to-day activities. Both are qualities screened for in an interview setting, though a recruiter may be better suited to speak to this.

M.alex
03-08-2013, 06:10 PM
Skool teaches you very little that you'll use in the real world; so rather than focus on 1 field where you'll learn a little, make sure you spread yourself thin by learning almost nothing in 2 fields :D

Rat Fink
03-08-2013, 06:56 PM
.

Timmeh
03-08-2013, 07:41 PM
Originally posted by Rat Fink
My GF has 2 degrees, psychology and education. I feel they are tied pretty well to each other and both have worked well for her.....plus the fact that she is certified as bilingual (english/french). I don't think she would've landed the job she did so quickly out of school without it all. I don't even think she did a full semester of substitute teaching before getting her job. Her psychology allows her to make some pretty killer lesson plans and most of the kids in her class are in there because the parents requested her specifically which is pretty impressive given that she is so new to teaching. Plus, a teachers salary is partially structured on the number of years of education you have which puts her in the highest level for her experience which will pay off in the long run.

Just curious as to whether your gf took the elementary or secondary route with the psyc degree.

Also, what courses is she teaching now?

finboy
03-08-2013, 09:40 PM
Mine haven't hurt at all, one focusing in management and the other focused in supply chain management

Super_Geo
03-11-2013, 08:24 AM
OP, I know you're trying to get into trading. This would maximize your chance of getting in (or finance+software eng):


Originally posted by AndrewMZ3
I did a double in finance and computer science. I really do not think I would have had the same career opportunities I've had if I only did a single degree in either.

themack89
03-13-2013, 07:29 AM
I'm graduating in Econ (please note, only Tracey courses were 201 and 203, *pat self on back*). Market seems a bit tight right now (mostly experienced level postings, even Houston made BP pulled their GDP program ie nobody was hired). If I don't get anything promising then I was going for a masters in econ or a BSc Comp Sci. Not sure which though.

Outside of that I am open to suggestions, I've done the regulatory economics stuff offered by Dr Church and also did the energy concentration (waste of time if you ask me). Was also part of the RITC team where we placed 10th this year out of 48 (international trading competition in Toronto, results still being posted)--learned a bunch of VBA and excel modelling.

Bottom line though is if I can't get a job then I can't get one, and if thats the case I can't just sit on my ass and need to do something else. So looks like oil field work to hoard cash, MA in Econ, or another Bachelors. Cannot decide.

Destinova403
03-13-2013, 11:45 AM
In a couple years I will have 2 degrees with 3 majors. I took a double major Bachelor of Arts with Military History and Law and Society in preparation for law school. I decided for a couple reasons not to go to Law and now I am studying a BSc in Geology.

To be honest, the double major was probably a giant waste of my time. I took a lot of AP courses in High school and some spring/summer courses which allowed me to finish the double major in 4 years rather than the 5 its supposed to take. This takes a bit of the sting off of it haha.

In the long run it made no difference in my acceptance into Law school (I was accepted based on GPA and LSAT alone) and realistically it will make zero difference in my future career as a Geologist.

To answer your question: If you can do a masters in the same time it would take to do a double for you, I would probably do the masters instead.

AndrewMZ3
03-13-2013, 12:09 PM
Originally posted by themack89
I'm graduating in Econ (please note, only Tracey courses were 201 and 203, *pat self on back*). Market seems a bit tight right now (mostly experienced level postings, even Houston made BP pulled their GDP program ie nobody was hired). If I don't get anything promising then I was going for a masters in econ or a BSc Comp Sci. Not sure which though.

Outside of that I am open to suggestions, I've done the regulatory economics stuff offered by Dr Church and also did the energy concentration (waste of time if you ask me). Was also part of the RITC team where we placed 10th this year out of 48 (international trading competition in Toronto, results still being posted)--learned a bunch of VBA and excel modelling.

Bottom line though is if I can't get a job then I can't get one, and if thats the case I can't just sit on my ass and need to do something else. So looks like oil field work to hoard cash, MA in Econ, or another Bachelors. Cannot decide.


You should figure out how many credits from your Econ degree are applicable to cpsc. My double degree only took 5 years which is why I feel it was worth it (although I did have a few 6 course semesters), but if you're going to be stuck taking another 2-3 years to get the BSc in CPSC I'm sure there would be better alternatives available.

If your goal is to get into a front office role, working the rigs would not help you get there at all. Back and mid office roles open up all the time, that would be a better approach in my opinion.

Bottom line, if you're looking at more than 2 years to get a second bachelors, I'd go for a masters instead.

Super_Geo
03-14-2013, 11:02 AM
Originally posted by AndrewMZ3
If your goal is to get into a front office role, working the rigs would not help you get there at all. Back and mid office roles open up all the time, that would be a better approach in my opinion.

I don't know if going the BO/MO actually increases your chance of landing a FO seat... possible exception being Risk.

AndrewMZ3
03-14-2013, 01:39 PM
Originally posted by Super_Geo


I don't know if going the BO/MO actually increases your chance of landing a FO seat... possible exception being Risk.

Yeah, risk is probably the most common, but I've seen settlements guys move into FO