In this corner, hailing from Houston, Texas -- tinyhands.

I'm certified in nothing and not a lawyer, so take anything I say with a grain of salt and verify twice before you rely on it. I've got lots of real world experience (marriage/divorce, jobs/unemployment, mortgages, investments) to draw from and I love problem-solving, so expect to see me chiming in on the reader questions. I'm also a career-changer, as I decided in my mid-30s that I hated being an IT administrator. I got my MBA with a concentration in personal finance and am steering my career in that direction.

tinyhands -- greetings.

Where'd you get your MBA at? Considering that route as well.

The University of Houston is both my bachelors and masters alma mater.

Before you decide on a school, consider whether you want your degree to be generalized or focused. Most programs allow you to either concentrate your elective courses in one discipline (management, marketing, finance, and accounting are the big 4) or take a wide variety. Then you can begin to compare the programs based on content.

Houston is obviously a big energy town, so there are specific programs geared towards energy management at UH. Lesser known is the new program in investment management which is the combination of electives I chose.