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

[wings&wheels]

I can't answer directly from the having a Master's perspective, but can opine from the hiring and corporate perspective.

So I got to within 2 courses of my MBA, but never completed. I hire MBA's and strongly encouraged my staff to get them if that counts... I was completing mine part-time then joined a tech company at the beginning of the tech boom when the company launched, and between the crazy hours, travel, etc., never finished. It is one of my bigger regrets. I was sent through several "mini-MBA" leadership development programs.

Overall, yes I would recommend one from the best school you can afford or otherwise manage. I would also generally not recommend graduate school immediately after undergrad unless it is the norm for your field and/or you manage to get into a top tier school e.g. Wharton, Stanford, MIT. I would only do a full time Masters if I was sure of the payback including all costs of the degree (foregone income, all living expenses, debt...).

Unless someone is in in a position where it does not matter, they should look at education as you would any investment; ROI. However this is a complex calc as many of the returns are intangible; network, 'door opening' power of the degree itself as well as the school on your CV, etc. Also, speaking to say an MBA's, they are somewhat general, now almost a commodity, and would a different, more specialized degree be better for whatever career you plan on, such as an MST or Masters in Accounting. There are parallels in other fields of study. If I were to get a do over, I would have looked towards a Masters of Business Analytics.

 

[aquariuscsm]

I'd say it depends on what it's in. I've known a lot of cashiers with liberal arts degrees. Those imo are just bucket list degrees.

 

[Uregina09]

I looked around my organization at the time and wondered how I would differentiate myself from the few hundred other folks my age with Bachelor of Commerce degrees. With encouragement from my spouse, I wrote the entrance exam and enrolled in the MBA program at the local university. Not only did my employer pay for tuition and books, they also paid a financial bonus for each class completed. I moved into management during my second class and am now at the director level. Completing my MBA helped me personally and professionally.

It was difficult as our two daughters were born and we built two houses while I worked full time and went to school. I doubt I'd be able to handle it all if I did it again now that I'm in my 40s.

 

[Paul_Siu]

Like the other people say, it depends on the field. I worked in IT and it's your current working knowledge that matters in most cases. A master may not help because experience matter more. However, some IT fields that have advance research aspect may be helped by an advance degree. If you for example work in area with heavy duty search algorithms or AI for example.

For other like my wife, a PhD is a must. She works as a college professor. Teacher also get pay more if they have a higher degree.

However, a degree may be useful if you want to combine it across different field. For example, you can do a bio degree with IT. Another common one may be a law degree with IT so you can do patent law.

Paul

 

[gfh77665]

I am sincerely impressed with the amount of brain power in this forum. There are a ton of accomplishments listed above! Well done!

 

[bachman]

I was never academically confident or a go-getter, pretty much coasted through school and never really set my target on a career or college plan. Not knowing what one wants to do or has a passion for really shoots you in the foot if that 'gumption' and vision is the driving force.

Nowadays, I surround myself with intelligent people

and ask lots of questions.

 

[MolaKule]

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.


Totally agree.

It's okay to waffle among various subjects until you find your specific interest(s).

And with changing industry needs, do a bit of research and determine which careers are most in demand and which subject or industry will benefit you the most.

See my signature.

 

[Mr Nice]

In some industries it's necessary, other industries not so much.

Staying current with technology in your career field is also very important, too many people become stagnant.