hahaha, thanks for the rambling response, Paddy. I dig! And Wade Davis, yea! Started reading his book about Haiti recently, totally excellent.
I keep trying to advocate she have an idea of her path, and think about work or other programs beyond a Masters in Agroecology, and other less formal ways of getting the skills she wants, but I think she wants to get some research skills and maybe be able to teach at a university level one day, and thinks that's the only way to do it. She has a Permaculture Design Certificate all ready, and is a garden educator at a school here, but she sees that our friends with permaculture skills are often kind of limited in the scope and impact that they can have working with kids and small projects, and not having opportunity to go much deeper... I think she wants a more rigorous education for herself, and she loves university life.
Anyway, "helpful" or not (I think so!) I appreciate the thoughts and tips and perspective, Kate. Thanks for sharing :)
I think a Masters is great - it's really stimulating and gives you lots of ideas and excitement and contacts and useful skills. It might also change your vision about your own path which is incredibly useful. It may also open up avenues of work and invovlement in projects that might not have been so obviously open otherwise. On the other hand a PhD will suck the life out of you and probably give you some sort of mental health issue, he he. So I think she's making an okay decision with the masters as long as she doesn't get into loads of debt because of it (and maybe even in that case, but she'd have to evaluate that herself afterwards).
Yeah, that's why she's looking internationally. Good to know difference between MS and PhD, personally, I say why not go for a Fulbright! Anyway. PS I put up my first backwoods cooking post
I'm perhaps being a little bit cynically unfair as regards doing a PhD. :) Read your post - like you're writing and your attitude towards decision-making!
Kate-M! Thank you for all the helpful information! It sound s like you are doing some incredible work in Brazil! I used to live in Salvador Bahia! Saudades! Thank you for your helpful information about grad school! I look forward to hearing more about your projects!
Me too, I have to get this damn thing written!