How much did your Master’s Degree advance your career ?

I was brought up that higher education is always a betterment and pursue at all costs. I also grew up in Massachusetts in the "5 College" area. UMass, Smith College, Hampshire College, Amherst, and Mount Holyoke. In high school I was a horrible student; baseball! Didn't work out that way. I pitched over 200 innings at age 15. Arm was done at 16/17 and I had sooo much to relearn that I didn't pay attention too.

Short of it, I finished undergrad with a 3.6 and went to grad school right away and i completed my MPA in a year (plus a summer class) with a 4.0. My graduate degree did help me take care of my family. I was able to have a Monday - Friday schedule for 12 of my 20 years a cop. I did contracts, grants, property, resolutions (still hate them), etc... My kids are 8, 12, and 14 so it made a crucial difference. For the last 5 years it has been just me, no mom, and the kids. I have been on the road "In the Bag" as it's called and my do I love it!

While I'm grateful for everything life has given me I do realize instead of pursuing MPA I should have gone directly for the JD!! Now I'm 47 and have a large home and 3 very active kids. Two boys are 120-140 baseball games a year; basketball is year round on 3 teams each boy; daughter is basketball and dance and piano too. Hard decision to get the JD or take it easy and work part time.

I don't think turning down education is ever a good idea. If it means being in debt for the rest of your life, well then it's a crap shoot.
 
Whatever skills that are developed during a master's program also need to be in demand in the market place.

Some skills are much more scarce and therefore demand higher compensation than others.
 
Originally Posted by dja4260
My Masters Degree helped me move from a Teacher position to Principalship.


Same thing with me.
In Education it is compulsory.
First year after getting it (before I moved into administration) it amounted to a 4K pay bump.
At the time, it amounted to an 18 month payback for what the degree cost.
 
Masters in Engineering doesn't really help you advanced your career in terms of knowledge.

It is just an indicator of your dedication to learn new things.

Ph.D can help if your thesis is directly related to your field.
 
Originally Posted by UG_Passat
Masters in Engineering doesn't really help you advanced your career in terms of knowledge.

It is just an indicator of your dedication to learn new things.

Ph.D can help if your thesis is directly related to your field.


That depends. I took the long route - legit thesis based Master's, then my Ph.D. My Master's degree was lab based, I had to do real research in addition to my core courses. Worked out well.

Universities do sell 5-year Master's, and coursework only Master's. Some good fundamental maths, some basis of m&s these days... useful, but not the same as strong hands on and bench top work to reinforce concepts.
 
Originally Posted by JHZR2
Originally Posted by UG_Passat
Masters in Engineering doesn't really help you advanced your career in terms of knowledge.

It is just an indicator of your dedication to learn new things.

Ph.D can help if your thesis is directly related to your field.


That depends. I took the long route - legit thesis based Master's, then my Ph.D. My Master's degree was lab based, I had to do real research in addition to my core courses. Worked out well.

Universities do sell 5-year Master's, and coursework only Master's. Some good fundamental maths, some basis of m&s these days... useful, but not the same as strong hands on and bench top work to reinforce concepts.


I took the work-paid route with Stevens, especially when Stevens professors came to your workplace to teach.
 
Originally Posted by wallyuwl
The only point of me getting a MS was to go on to get my PhD. I'm a college professor, still under 40. But wondering if it was all worth it now, might even go back and get another MS in something different and switch careers.


Just learn to write software and work for a software company, don't waste anymore time in school.
 
Originally Posted by Mr Nice
How much did your Master's Degree advance your career ? Could you of climbed the ladder into the same exact job / salary without it ?


So far, it hasn't done anything for me. No recognition, no salary difference from my peers, nada. My occupation, and industry, at the plant level just don't reward (or even encourage) higher education. I personally could have gotten to where I was with no degree, meaning they reward political pals (office crew) and especially ego first (which I don't bother to have since it's pretty crass). However, I am moving to a corporate team very shortly where my M.S. Tech may carry some weight (hopefully mainly in the salary department!) because I've seized an opportunity that only a few people have the mental capacity for (in this industry). Since the rest of them are either H.S. diplomas or community college B. Science, I should not have much competition for any of my next 2-3 moves up the ladder. They always say "good things come to those who wait...", well, this job has been about 2 years in the making. COVID really threw a wrench into things, but this too shall pass... Remember, the grass is always greener where the dogs are s***ting.
 
My MSc (mechanical engineering - thesis based) made a big difference for me. I used it to transition from Engineering to Medicine. In addition to the thesis, I completed the 5 required post graduate classes in engineering and 3 undergraduate classes needed to get into medicine, and did it all under scholarship.

In my engineering class everyone who graduated with Great Distinction eventually got an MSc. And no-one in that group got a PhD.

I see the MSc as a brilliant transition device. If someone's career stalled out, or they lost a job during a period of high unemployment, the MSc became their transition device. You learn a bit, catch your breath and re-launch.
 
Originally Posted by Mr Nice
How much did your Master's Degree advance your career ?

Could you of climbed the ladder into the same exact job / salary without it ?



I have not, nor will I pursue a masters, but if I did it would change the landscape of my career. I would see a likely pay increase of $20-40K per year, and the challenges I faced would be a bit different. I just have not pursued it because of barrier to entry/not worth it to me/etc.
 
In my opinion, a higher degree may get you into a company at a higher level, but whether you go up or down from there depends on your performance. I have only a high school degree and so started at the bottom, but hard work and a positive attitude propelled me to Vice President and I was making more money than every PhD in the company.

Of course it depends on what you want to do. In some careers a higher degree is essential, not only to get in but also to perform.
 
In my profession 40 years ago a masters was worth $500 annually over a bachelors degree. I guess with inflation that would be maybe $2,000 or so today.
 
Originally Posted by Mr Nice
Good to see many folks benefited from their degrees.

I have a PhD but am looking to get out of academia in a year or two. Things are really bad right now, plus my bosses are total [censored]. Whiny entitled students that act like children.

Actually looking at either a MS in business analytics ($20k, two years), or an Associates in one of the Engineering Technology areas ($7k, 1 year). Both would be a pay increase, with the analytics degree probably starting $5-10k more than the engineering tech ones. I don't have the time to do a B.S. in engineering on campus.
 
MS/Advanced degrees is very career specific what is does for you.

My wife is physical therapist who was in last class who could do it Bachelor of Science (4 years but they did class/placements) during breaks and over summer.

PT's now need a doctorate but she actually gets same pay because Dr is meaningless in field as she holds the license. Potentially the MS or Dr would help her teach but she has taught at Dr program state school.
 
I'm in the automotive industry and my master's degree had a direct & positive impact on my career. My company paid for the tuition and I paid for the books. Additionally, I did my thesis on a work related issue which was reviewed by the top execs.
 
It really depends on your career field and what your *plan* is. I work in IT like Donald, and have a BA that is not even really related to my career field, but it helped me get in the door along with my experience. A Master's wouldn't really be a good cost/benefit ratio for me, but certifications and training certainly would, which is what I'm currently pursuing while also working full time.

My sister is in Marine Biology, and a Master's or PhD would really help her climb up the ladder in her career field, since a lot of it is research based.

I think in some cases a Master's will really help some people, but for others it is really not helpful for their field. My Ex got her master's. She just really liked the college environment more than anything else I think. She now makes probably the same amount I do, but has a mountain of debt from school bills, and very little job experience. Degrees look great on paper, but it seems now a lot of companies want to hire people with experience that they can send out in the field and not have to baby sit.

Like I said before it's all about what your career plan is. Have a plan before spending the incredible amount of money on school, and see where it can benefit and if it is worth it. I have friends with PhDs who are extremely hard working, but now have a mountain of school bills and make under $50k doing research for universities because of what field their degrees are in. I also have a co-worker who after high school went to a trade school for 2 years and got his network certifications. He now makes $95k a year with no debt at 24.
 
For my daughter it made a difference. She was a Nurse. And a Masters says she is a Nurse Practitioner. So she can act like a doc and prescribe meds. She never did that but it did help her.

She got her masters in MS 25 years ago. It took her under a year and she had 3 little kids and a part time job. Did I mention her IQ is through the roof?...lol It jumped a generation.
 
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