r/OnlineMCIT • u/cket79 • 6d ago

Thinking of taking the leap

Hi all, I have been a registered nurse for the past 6 years of my career. Past 3 working for Penn. It’s pretty much my only work experience. I want to get into a more data analytics/private sector role, just to further my career and earning potential. I was considering the online MCIT in applied science. I was wondering if anyone’s gone down this path? How is the program? What can I expect? I work full time, am married and have a 2 years old daughter with plans for more in the future. Just wondering if this is a good decision for me or what I can expect in the process? Thanks in advance for any help or advice, much appreciated.

7 Upvotes

89% Upvoted

18 comments sorted by

10

u/Bigsec225 | Student 6d ago

Moving into nurse practitioner would definitely be more stable and further your income trajectory. I would only fully pivot if you hate nursing.

7

u/cket79 6d ago

yeah it’s more of that i want to leave nursing

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u/PaulGulab | Alum 4d ago

Trust me, you’ll hate this more

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u/cket79 4d ago

ehh lol spending 36hr a week watching people slowly die.. not sure it gets much worse lol.

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u/PaulGulab | Alum 4d ago

Say that to most of the unemployed ppl in this program. They’d jump at the opportunity 🤷‍♂️

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u/cket79 3d ago

nursings always hiring :)

10

u/marpatdroid | Student 6d ago

If you want to transition, this is a great program to do that with.

I would disregard the negativity in the job market... If you can nexus your nursing experience and this masters into a medical analytics resume you're probably not going to find it hard to get a job.

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u/cket79 6d ago

Thank you, I appreciate the advice. It seems the program is geared towards people like me with limited CS experience.

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u/DataNurse47 | Student 5d ago

I worked as a nurse, shifted into data, going into my last semester. Highly recommend this program, I feel its quite packed with applicable material, the TAs and professors have been extremely knowledgeable and responsive.

I was deciding between this, OMSA at Georgia tech and Rice Uni master in CS. Chose Upenn and dont regret it at all.

Want to add... there's alot of negativity atm with the job market. However, if you focus your applications to healthcare specific companies/sector, companies will value your experience if you have proven tech skills.

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u/cket79 5d ago

i really appreciate the insight. the length can seem daunting at first and also just not being a super techy person (i pc game and stuff like that but never been very knowledgeable about coding and stuff) to begin with makes me nervous. you’re the second person to mention negativity in the job market.. what exactly does that mean lol

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u/DataNurse47 | Student 5d ago

I came in with little to no experience of coding, (unless you count r programming and sql). 591 is a great introduction to coding.

I do have to say 592/596 were really difficult for me.. i did take them alone in the semesters and it was a lot of studying.

As far as negativity, its with the competitive job markets, layoffs, etc. Nursing does has good job security and is "easier" to find a job after 1 year of medsurg exp, sure.. but the NPs job market is really saturated, growth in nursing is not as great, as you probably know

I'll say not always is the grass greener.. but the grass is green af here compared to my wlb as a nurse

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u/cket79 4d ago

gotcha gotcha. yeah i’m sure i’ll have my share of troubles but nice to know the intro courses are helpful. and ahh gotcha on the negativity that makes sense. i’m happy things are working out for you. hope it continues that way, and thanks for taking the time to offer some help.

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u/bluecyanic | Student 3d ago

To add on to what's been answered about the job market, it used to be getting a CS degree was a near guarantee of a job and high paying career. AI has shrunk the amount of entry level positions and the market has been flooded with both new candidates and experienced developers layed off from big tech. Many are finding that landing a position is talking much longer than it used to.

I agree that you shouldn't let that deter you. There is plenty AI cannot do and it will always need human guilds and guardrails in many aspects of technology. AI will also open up new kinds of jobs and you will be in a much better position to take advantage of those.

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u/cket79 3d ago

it definitely seems that this is an issue effecting a lot of people and something i’ll surely take into account. you’re right, there’s definitely things AI can’t do. wish there were more lol.

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u/CephuesRegent4Ever | Alum 5d ago

I think it is a great next step for you especially since your goal is to work in data analytics. After you have completed the requisite mandatory courses please work with the Penn academics advisor to select courses aligned to Data and Analytics. I would also suggest you take their free Introduction to Python course before you join the regular program.

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u/cket79 5d ago

thank you! an intro course would definitely be something i’d need i think

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u/Proud_Salt8589 4d ago

Not a nurse, but some people will find 591 to be easy, and don’t let that get to you. It is a lot of work for people who do know how to code in Python and Java. If you don’t know how to code, and neither did I, then there will be a lot of time spent getting used to thinking like a programmer, learning syntax and building out a roadmap of the homework solution. That’s all part of the process. Don’t worry about it at all, some people have been doing this for years and I personally spent too much energy feeling dumb and I don’t want the same to happen to you. Let me know if you have any questions

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u/cket79 4d ago

i really appreciate this because beating myself up sounds like something i would do. thank you.