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Wednesday, October 12, 2011

The Gift and Curse of Having A Master's Degree

I still remember to this day my graduation from grad school. I was so proud, felt so good, know I did the right thing. Did I? In this market that we are in, you would think employers would be banging down your door because you have a master's degree but is that really the case?

All throughout high school we were taught, you have to go to college, you have to learn more to succeed in this world we live in. We go to undergrad, take out student loans, do all the financial aid stuff and get your degree because society says this is the best way to get ahead. Once your out of school and land that entry level job, the job tells you if you work hard and go back to school and get your master's you will be able to move ahead even more. Okay so you go back, take out more loans, and get your master's. Now your thinking I am set, raise should be coming at work or other jobs would call and ask me to work for them. Your phone doesn't ring nor do you get that raise at work. What do you do then?

Everyone wants to live comfortable, get married, have kids, get a dog, and everything is all good. What happens when that doesn't happen? I know we are in a recession right now but the whole point of going to Grad school is suppose to separate you from the other competition that do not have one but there is always a catch.

Living in the city of Philadelphia, we have a lot of great schools in the area that offer master degrees in almost every field. Temple, Villanova, Penn, St. Joes, Drexel, etc shall I go on. I graduated from the University of Phoenix, Philadelphia Campus. I did not go online, I took all my classes in front of a professor. In theory, I am receiving the same education that the students are getting from the other schools but I believe the employers don't look at that. Names can bring you a long way and sometimes it is worth it to pay the extra money knowing it would look more attractive on your resume. There is so much competition out her for jobs that someone like myself with a master's degree will get passed over for some of the bigger named schools. is that fair? not really but do you blame employers for selecting people from those schools. Not really.

That's why i believe there is a gift to have one and a curse to have one. In my circle of friends and family, I am really the only male with a master's degree as i believe more woman are in school than men. All my close ones have good jobs whether they went to college or not but what about the people who do give up everything to make themselves better and once its done, there is still nothing out her for them.

Society makes us believe that they are telling us the right things that education is the way to go but there are a lot of fine lines in those statements. Is there anyone else out there that feels that having a master's degree in business is a gift and a curse? Let me know why employers will take someone with a lesser degree or not having a degree at all over someone with a master degree? I know school is not for everyone and that we all work hard no matter what we do. Tell me your thoughts.  

14 comments:

  1. yea brotha it's crazy. That is one of the biggest things I am hearing about right now. Just a couple months ago, my parents were at Carrabbas to eat and they are good friends with the manager. They were talking about the economy and the manager said she has a guy waiting tables who has a Ph.D. I couldn't believe it. This man has a doctorate and is waiting tables. He said he has to do what he has to do to take care of his family. Imagine the loans he had to take out and how much time he had to put in for that doctorate. I just hope things turn around for everyone because this is not how it should be. Exactly why people should really research the Occupy Wall Street Movement before they make judgements of the people involved.

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  2. Man... I wish someone would have said to me put on the breaks!

    I have so many student loans, I was able to find a good job but not in a field with my degree and it took two years for that

    and even with a good paying job the masters i HAD to have is not worth the bill every month to me :-/

    #CH

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  3. Stopping by from #commenthour. Looking forward to reading more!

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  4. It seems to be that more and more people are going for higher education. So then the thing that really makes you stand out is experience...which is harder to get when you've been in school for so long. It's pretty annoying, and sadly it leaves a lot of people without a job and confused.

    School names are pretty big, but connections are even more important. We're just in a time where people have to keep up with the changing demands. And sometimes not even that is enough.

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  5. I am hoping once you get your foot in the door with the just right job, your master's degree (and your performance) will prove its worth. Snobbery sucks. PERIOD!

    Just stopping by from #CommentHour. Glad to see a man featured!

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  6. This is a really tough question. I think to determine the true value of a masters degree you have to really know your industry and what you want to accomplish in it. I happen to work in the public sector. More emphasis is placed on actualy experience. So for me a masters degree could help but is not really necessary for what I want to do right now. While it couldn't hurt me to have one. for me right now it would not be worth the added time and money. Now the scenario could be completeley different for someone in a different careerfield or with different career goals.
    #commenthour

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  7. Double edged sword for sure. One thing is having the degree generally means they have to pay you more (or you'll request more pay.. because you deserve it to pay off that schooling!).

    And experience is always a Catch 22. You can get experience if they won't hire.. they won't hire because you don't have experience.

    #commenthour

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  8. How frustrating for you. I expect that the best thing to do now is to network, network, network with the companies that you would like to work for. Beyond graduating from one of the bigger name schools, having a good network can be a major factor in securing a good job.

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  9. So you're saying I should seriously put more thought into going back for my masters degree... Oh goodness! I'm really enjoying your insight and totally want to look around some more :)
    *Krystina

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  10. I stopped with a Bachelors degree and thought it was enough but I have hit the wall in my career and if I want to make more I need to go get my Masters...Its a viscous cycle no matter what you choose to do. Good luck!!!

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  11. Thank you to all that responded! Great insight. Grad school is and was a great experience for me but its not for everyone. I have over 13 years of experience in the customer service field and 4 years of management experience. I have a pretty strong network but all my connections really don't have anything out there as far as help. This market right now is crazy! The search continues

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  12. I think higher education has some misgivings for sure. My husband has a law degree and six figure student loan debt. There are no law jobs around, and he gets passed up for jobs not requiring an advanced degree for being "over-qualified". It's a catch-22 and it's all too common in our economy. We are located in the Philly area as well. Good luck to you on your journey and I wish you the best!
    Sarah @ made in usa challenge

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  13. Thanks Sarah! Its rough out here. Good luck to your husband as well! I wish your family nothing bu the best.

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  14. It is crazy how education works. I have a Master's degree and at one time I just needed a job, any job in my field. When I applied for jobs that only required a Bachelor's I was told I was over qualified!! Seriously? I got bills to pay is what I wanted to say. Although I am glad I went on to get further education, it can be a challenge using the education and getting paid for it. Catch 22.
    Best wishes to you!

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