-
Ever wanted an RSS feed of all your favorite gaming news sites? Go check out our new Gaming Headlines feed! Read more about it here.
-
We have made minor adjustments to how the search bar works on ResetEra. You can read about the changes here.
Do you have a Masters degree? Was it worth it?
- Thread starter 5taquitos
- Start date
Depends?
My wife needs one to practice, so yes.
I've made it to a director level position with a bachelors, so maybe not.
I don't really know, I've had friends get MBAs thinking it would get them from 50k/year to 100k/year. But really it got them 50k in debt and 60k/year. Also have friends who got an MBA and got a dream job with good pay.
If you can get your work to pay for it, I would say it's always worth it.
My wife needs one to practice, so yes.
I've made it to a director level position with a bachelors, so maybe not.
I don't really know, I've had friends get MBAs thinking it would get them from 50k/year to 100k/year. But really it got them 50k in debt and 60k/year. Also have friends who got an MBA and got a dream job with good pay.
If you can get your work to pay for it, I would say it's always worth it.
Working on a MS right now...I'm not sure how much it'll help me, but I'm trying to keep the cost low/get it reimbursed, so hopefully it'll be a net benefit no matter what. I wasn't sure if I should do a MSIS or a MBA, so I went with MSIS (since the MBA seems to only be useful if it's from those top b-schools with crazy costs). We'll see what happens.
Will depend on the field/position.
I got one because jobs I was hoping for required one, but the job market stank so badly I ended up going a different direction that doesn't care about my master's. At most it might be helpful for me to check off a box when it comes up for getting into higher positions. I suspect the bigger factor will be connections and experience though.
I got one because jobs I was hoping for required one, but the job market stank so badly I ended up going a different direction that doesn't care about my master's. At most it might be helpful for me to check off a box when it comes up for getting into higher positions. I suspect the bigger factor will be connections and experience though.
I have a Masters in Information with a concentration in Archives & Records Management.
It's an extremely similar program to Library Science, which is another concentration under the same degree. In fact half of my work is doing legal research as a Librarian.
Whether it was worth it or not is a matter of how you look at it:
Was it worth it in the context of me having an undergraduate degree in history? Yeah it was because you basically need post graduate education to secure any real job prospects with that type of undergrad.
Was the entire undergrad + masters combo worth it? Honestly no. If I could go back and do it all again I'd have chosen a different degree. I didn't understand just how hard it would be to make a decent wage with these degrees when I originally started down this path. I'm making it work as best I can (job interview for a new librarian position today actually!) but I'm 29, still have a ton of student debt, and I'm make less than 2/3 of what my partner does - and she has no masters and no debt. It hasn't exactly paid off compared to how some other undergraduate degrees would have.
It's an extremely similar program to Library Science, which is another concentration under the same degree. In fact half of my work is doing legal research as a Librarian.
Whether it was worth it or not is a matter of how you look at it:
Was it worth it in the context of me having an undergraduate degree in history? Yeah it was because you basically need post graduate education to secure any real job prospects with that type of undergrad.
Was the entire undergrad + masters combo worth it? Honestly no. If I could go back and do it all again I'd have chosen a different degree. I didn't understand just how hard it would be to make a decent wage with these degrees when I originally started down this path. I'm making it work as best I can (job interview for a new librarian position today actually!) but I'm 29, still have a ton of student debt, and I'm make less than 2/3 of what my partner does - and she has no masters and no debt. It hasn't exactly paid off compared to how some other undergraduate degrees would have.
I'm a teacher in a state that requires a Master's degree, so it was worth it in that I get to keep my job. The actual content of my classes and coursework was not helpful in the slightest, but I also worked as a graduate assistant for much of the time and built personal and professional relationships through that that I value.
The value of the MBA has fallen through the floor outside of a handful of top business schools. There are way, way too many schools offering sub par 1 year "executive MBAs" to working professionals that aren't worth the cost of the program.
I got a masters degree but not an MBA and that was one of the most compelling reasons for me. Amusingly enough my employer hired what seems to be an idiot as a training coordinator (I have a background in this, but don't like to specialize in it) and...surprise surprise he's a product of one of those programs.
not a fan.
depends on where you are. Not the case in my state. Any 4 year degree and a teacher's certificate is sufficient for K-12.
Even with my shitty IT job, my Masters has me as the highest paid in my position by at least 15k. But I can't seem to get any other jobs with it so far.
I got a masters degree in GIS and Archaeology. Unfortunately I don't get to use the archaeology part, but the GIS part has given me a comfortable life. A big way I saved money when doing my masters was I went over to Scotland (I'm from the USA). The tuition was cheaper, they were VERY generous with scholarships, and the program was only a year long instead of two, which let me get into the work force sooner (this is in comparison to UW). I've heard that if you go to other European countries as well, such as Norway, that sometimes you can get your tuition free.
yes, after 1 year of full time Masters work I earned 250% of my previous salary and it's been uphill since then
I'm currently applying to graduate programs in Data Science, got into one school so far =)
Going back to the classroom in over twenty years after getting my BS in Comp Sci. The pandemic has led me to pursue higher education.
MS in Civil Engineering. I had an immediate advantage when applying for jobs and I started with a significant higher salary than other entry level staff.
I'm heading back to school for a second BS in Comp-Sci (first was in Biology) with the intention of heading down the Data Science path, soooo... *fingers crossed*
Masters in Social Research. Originally a milestone towards a PhD I have almost completely abandoned, since I became disillusioned / fed up with academic life.
On a practical level, it was a mere refresh of methodological tools I already knew. I did choose the most generic / versatile Masters I could find, since I did not want to hyper-specialize.
That said, it gives a 9% increment in my current salary and gave me several contacts which were ultimately crucial for my career.
On a practical level, it was a mere refresh of methodological tools I already knew. I did choose the most generic / versatile Masters I could find, since I did not want to hyper-specialize.
That said, it gives a 9% increment in my current salary and gave me several contacts which were ultimately crucial for my career.
For teachers, it's the only way to get a substantial pay raise. Most teachers have a masters + 18 or two masters degrees.
I think for myself personally I might've been better off going straight into a PhD program and skipping the masters (which was an option as a BioEngineering student at my grad school), but at the time I wasn't sure if I wanted to go on to a PhD or not. So it's hard to answer whether it was worth it or not because it did give me time to consider the experience without committing, but I'd probably be closer to my PhD now if I had gone straight for that
there is no chance that Biden knows how to use a computer this well.
*someone who has taught computer competency to old ppl*
then again... an intern would probably run his era account... :O
As note, most high level tech places will expect a masters for any data science position!
Congratulations! It's been the most challenging academic experience of my life, but so worth it.
A lot of CS programs will prepare you very well for data science positions, so I think you will be fine!
Also, y'all should join us in the Data Science OT if you haven't already!
I think my Master's was worth it for me as the university I went to for undergrad paid for my classes while I worked there - so if you can find a similar Graduate Assistance program in something you're interested in that's definitely the way to go. I personally had a lot more fun with my graduate program too and my class size was usually ~12 at the highest so we all became pretty close throughout the experience.
Thank you! I've subbed to the DS thread a while back but just been reading and learning from everyone's experiences for now...hopefully I can contribute to it later on =)
There is a big difference between what a full-time MBA from one of those top schools offers you, and what you get from a part-time program, but they are also starting to be priced accordingly.
Minus some weird tax stuff and books, work is paying for my MBA, which I think I'll do with a Business Analytics track. I would have thought a lot more about whether I should go back if I was on the hook for tuition, since I'm still paying off private undergrad debt, but it was an easy decision given the circumstances
Ultimately, my masters was pointless.
I started it in hopes that I would get a job. I was trying to break into IT, and thought a degree would help, so I started a degree program for IT.
Shortly after I started, I got a job which was the start of my now-15 year career in network engineering.
Fortunately, I got tuition reimbursement from that company,so I didn't pay much for the degree, but in hindsight, I didn't need it. I also never mention it because my 15 years of experience far far exceed whatever benefit I got from a master's.
I started it in hopes that I would get a job. I was trying to break into IT, and thought a degree would help, so I started a degree program for IT.
Shortly after I started, I got a job which was the start of my now-15 year career in network engineering.
Fortunately, I got tuition reimbursement from that company,so I didn't pay much for the degree, but in hindsight, I didn't need it. I also never mention it because my 15 years of experience far far exceed whatever benefit I got from a master's.
I'm actually just about to quit my masters program after being in it a year. The stress of the program is literally killing me.
I don't have a Masters and don't plan on getting one for the time being, but if I did, it'd be because I love my research subject. Money wouldn't motivate me to go back to school - which is obviously something I can say because education is free.
Yes, and yes for the job I had and have now. But I wish there was a way of doing it with less debt (I worked for the university and had tuition covered and a small stipend, but that still didnt make ends meet, even with my wife working)
Mine is Information Science, though school librarian. Was worth it.
Mine is Information Science, though school librarian. Was worth it.
It was - it taught me invaluable life skills:
- Time management
- Determination
- Reach out if I am struggling
- Being respectful as an adult
I have two, and yes. One got me into my current career, the other one (an MFA) was the best and most fulfilling year of my life.
I have a MS in mechanical engineering but I was focused on supersonic combustion so it was mostly aerospace work. It was the same department so I requested to do it under that umbrella for resume purposes.
Honestly, I only remained in the field a short time because the work was highly nomadic as various government policies expanded and contracted the projects. I don't think it was valuable to me in terms of my ACTUAL field, though it could have been. Just having it did open doors for sure.
In the end it's one of my proudest accomplishments and I would do it again. It did a lot for my confidence, publishing work and such. I had the opportunity to press on for PhD (and wish I could have) but it would have ended my marriage. It was on the edge due to the time and effort that it required (teaching, research/thesis, course work).
Edit: I was able to get paid for my teaching and research, so I left graduate school with zero debt. That probably tilts my scale as well. My wife had an accounting job for the county government and I earned more than she did at the time.
Honestly, I only remained in the field a short time because the work was highly nomadic as various government policies expanded and contracted the projects. I don't think it was valuable to me in terms of my ACTUAL field, though it could have been. Just having it did open doors for sure.
In the end it's one of my proudest accomplishments and I would do it again. It did a lot for my confidence, publishing work and such. I had the opportunity to press on for PhD (and wish I could have) but it would have ended my marriage. It was on the edge due to the time and effort that it required (teaching, research/thesis, course work).
Edit: I was able to get paid for my teaching and research, so I left graduate school with zero debt. That probably tilts my scale as well. My wife had an accounting job for the county government and I earned more than she did at the time.
Last edited: