Master's options

[DrCOVID, DNP]

Hey all! A little about myself: I'm an active duty military officer of 6 years, BSN/RN since 09. I'm leaning toward administration/informatics but am not against nursing management.

My current military rank would put me at GS 11/12, therefore I want a degree to put me in something equivalent or higher. I've considered things like social work but most salaries are around 80k which is not worth the $ for the degree as I already am there.

I read everything I could find on this site about master's programs, but many of the posts are old. Many have said that the MHA does not really make you that competitive (flooded market – there are tons of programs). If you want to get into nursing management you should get your MSN in management. A lot of people said informatics is near useless and you don't need a degree to get into it. The USAF is piloting an informatics officer slot and the Army informatics officers are under the 66 MOS (nurse)… That's really perturbing.

I want to remain commissionable; and either the MHA or Informatics options are eligible.

I've been searching USA jobs for the past 2 weeks and I just can't find something that grabs me. I find 2 results nationwide when I search informatics” and most of the jobs at GS 12 + don't specifically state Master's degrees – just that they are preferred in a healthcare related field.”

I guess my question is, if I have to work as a civilian for a while, what are the best master's options in the realms I've mentioned that are administrative? I know it depends on what I want, but I have been in the military for all 6 yrs of my career and don't know the state of the civilian world right now.

[DrCOVID, DNP]

After reading this forum, searching jobs and considering my background and what I want to do I can answer my own question; I'm going Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner. Very good options in military service and civilian sector! Other fields are steps sideways/back!