Separating E5 - Need Advice

Education Benefits :mortarboard:

Hello all! Happy Friday. I have been in the Army for over five years now, and I get out at the end of this year. I have a few plans that I would like to share and get the insight of others.

A little background info: I enlisted when I was 17, I'll be getting out when I'm 23. I should have my Montgomery GI Bill from my first enlistment, my Post 9/11 GI Bill from my second enlistment, and my VR&E from my disability. I will be AT LEAST 50% disabled (mental and back injuries). I completed my Bachelor's Degree in Business Analytics (3.87 GPA) while on active duty. I want to move to the East Coast from Fort Knox.

So my vision for my life out of the Army is to get my graduate/professional level degree. I'd like to get both an MBA and JD. I need help deciding which one I should go for first after I get out. A lot of the universities I looked into (Fordham, NYU, Baruch) seem to have some sort of highly flexible hybrid/Part-time MBA. This would allow me to have a full time job while also working towards my grad degree.

If I get my MBA first, I figure I'll be able to live further from NYC (e.g. Philly), and just commute once a week via a $30 and an hour and a half long AmTrack. I should be able to take the rest of the classes online and just pocket that 5,080 NYC MHA 🤑.

If I get my JD first, I'd like to be in a much closer proximity to my university so I can make the most out of the library, and for other reasons. I'd almost certainly make less money from the MHA, but the overall degree is most expensive and if I get VR&E to pay for it all, I preserve my P9/11 to use for my MBA later in life. I like the idea of going for my JD first because it makes the most sense, besides the less money factor. It gives me something to work on for my last few months on active duty (studying for the LSAT). If I pursue it first, I'd be only 1 year older than the youngest group of JD students who just completed their undergrad.

What do you think I should do first? Should I go the money route, and wait for the JD? Or, should I go for my JD first and put getting an MBA on the back burner...

Any advice greatly appreciated, thank you!

Posted May 2, 2025, 7:38 PM UTC

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