Era users with a Masters degree..... was it worth it?

[Soulnado]

I've been seriously considering getting a Masters degree in a technical field from a prestigious university. The program is considered one of the best in the country, and the curriculum can be tailored specifically to meet my goals, which is a big plus. It would be expensive as hell (~40k for tuition), but the way I see it, it has the potential to increase my current salary by ~25k after I get it. It would also help me specialize in something I'm more interested about compared to what I'm currently doing. The program can be completed in a year and a half, so that means I must be frugal as all fuck during that time, as I most likely won't be working since I want to enroll full time.

For those that have pursued a Masters degree..... was it worth it? Was the education necessary to increase your opportunities in life?

I know some places want you to have a masters, but they don't give two damns about where you get it from so people brute-force through the program. In my case, I'm definitely interested in learning new stuff and putting as much effort as necessary to get the most out of the education.

Please share your experiences.

 

[Wordballoons]

It is worth it, but if you aren't on a fellowship then don't bother until you are. You should be teaching or doing research and getting paid for it rather than taking out loans for a masters

 

[Deleted member 15428]

Yes

 

[Blent]

It was worth it for the knowledge it gave me and how it helped influence the person I am today.

Professionally, the fact that it unlocked a path into my dream career was a bonus.

 

[SteveWinwood]

it was worth it for me but some of the business and tech stuff is so different from science stuff i don't think you can put them in the same category as "masters", meaning i couldn't help you answer your question

they paid me to get it so that alone was pretty good incentive

 

[Rodelero]

Yeah in my case. I did Computer Science at bachelor level and my Masters was oriented towards video games. Not sure that having MSc on my resume made all that much difference but what I learned over the course of the year helped immensely.

 

[EJS]

I just completed by program in December. I feel like the pay increase, the new opportunities I can consider, and the sense of satisfaction are worth it. I paid as I went so I did not take on any debt. It took me a long time - only did 1 course per semester since I am working and it definitely monopolized my time on weekends and evenings.

Just be prepared to make more than just financial sacrifices.

 

[Deleted member 14313]

It was worth it for me but tbf I enjoyed Physics for the sake of Physics and learning more was fun for me. So the Master's degree was worth it on it's own. I would have done a PhD if I thought I could handle the workload and freedom. Plus my government gave a loan for both tuition and living expenses repayable based on income so while things were tight I didn't need a job.

 

[SpottieO]

Yes it was for me, wouldn't have even been considered for the job that got me started at my current company without a Masters.

 

[Shooter]

I'm a teacher and the increase in pay that I received was equal to the cost of my Masters degree. It was 100% worth it.

 

[Wrexis]

It's worth it, but you won't have a life for the period that you do it.
If you're dating/married, make sure you have their support.

 

[shnurgleton]

Had a BA in economics then got a MSc in Computer Science. Enabled me to make a radical career shift and make much much more money

 

[BringBackSonics]

For public school teachers getting a masters gives you and automatic 7-8k boost year one in salary

 

[Firebricks]

They don't teach you the fun computer engineering stuff until you get to the master's level anyways, so I'm glad I did it.

 

[Supaidaman]

not really (in Brazil).

Most companies around here doesn't care about that or try to actively avoid people with Masters and PhDs. So it were 2 years that I kind wasted without being able to have a job. And all my university friends are far ahead than me at their carreers since they had more experience.

But, right now, I did get a job inside a university. So it's actually worth something because I got fast-tracked at the hiring process because of that.

 

[Soulnado]

not really (in Brazil).

Most companies around here doesn't care about that or try to actively avoid people with Masters and PhDs. So it were 2 years that I kind wasted without being able to have a job. And all my university friends are far ahead than me at their carreers since they had more experience.

But, right now, I did get a job inside a university. So it's actually worth something because I got fast-tracked at the hiring process because of that.

Click to shrink...

What was the masters about?

 

[Rad]

Definitely. Around 20% better salary and the education was free. Also, achieving engineering masters was way easier than I thought so it didn't require that much extra work.

 

[lt519]

For those that have pursued a Masters degree..... was it worth it? Was the education necessary to increase your opportunities in life?

Click to shrink...

I think it taught me a different style of learning and writing that I didn't get during my undergraduate degree. A lot more research oriented and being able to step out of the safety of equations found in textbooks. So it was good from that angle in that I am a more well rounded engineer and I think that has had a significant impact on my career.

For getting a job I think it helped as a resume builder and it increased my starting salary by $7.5k. But you have to remember you are forgoing 2-3 years of raises on a base salary without a masters. 2-3 years of experience that you can then leverage to job hop and get a nice 10-20% salary increase. So by the time you enter the industry at a higher salary there is a good chance you would have made it to that higher salary by then. That and you aren't making salary for 2-3 years while getting the degree. I don't want to discourage anyone, but it is kind of a misconception that a Masters is more fiscally advantageous than just getting a job with a Bachelors.

It can also make you look more attractive for businesses that have better benefits which can be as important or more important than the base salary itself.

 

[Dany1899]

I think that it mostly depends on the field, on the country and your ambitions, but generally I think that, after a Bachelor's Degree, a Master's Degree is worth a few other years of sacrifices. For example, in my country, in the Computer Engineering field you can get a good work with a good salary with a Bachelor's, but it usually is oriented to development of web/mobile applications, since during the Bachelor's only general subjects are taught. Instead, Master's courses are more specialized: you can follow courses on data science, on networkig, on cybersecurity or other CE subfields according to your interest and the work you would like to have in the future. I heard about companies who pay more for the same position if you have a Master's, too.
Then, in my case I started a PhD and, if you don't have a Master's, you cannot apply for the program, so it is mandatory in that case.

 

[Stinkles]

I can't talk about the fiscal rationale - which is often broken and irretrievable for some scholars, and varies wildly by nation, \but I can say that the current trajectory of business and politics tells me that we need as much intellectual development for not just our specialists, but our society as a whole.

Reading the writings of even a mediocre politicians in the early 1800s versus fucking tweets by know-nothing racists is so shocking in intellectual asymmetry that it's amazing we're still inventing things.

So if you can afford it, do it for the incremental benefit to the society.

 

[Pau]

It's worth it, but you won't have a life for the period that you do it.
If you're dating/married, make sure you have their support.

Click to shrink...

Ain't this the truth.

 

[WedgeX]

It was definitely worth it for me - helped shift my career and significantly increased my salary. I learned analytical tools that made me pretty unique, and gained experience that was near impossible to gain otherwise.

 

[SeanBoocock]

I was in a PhD program (Philosophy) on an academic track before deciding to drop out and make a pretty radical career/life change. Part of that was getting a Masters in Computer Science. For me it was worth it. While I had STEM background - Physics and Math major as undergrad - I didn't have enough of a background in Computer Science specifically and didn't want to try and limp my way into a software engineering career without one.

If you think the experience will be fulfilling and you can make the financial tradeoff work for your circumstances, I would encourage you to do it.

 

[Soulnado]

I'm pleasantly surprised at the overwhelming positivity here when it comes to masters. Reading stuff on reddit makes it sound it is a waste of money and you learn everything on your own buying courses from udemy.

 

[Glasfrut]

It was worth it for the knowledge it gave me and how it helped influence the person I am today.

Professionally, the fact that it unlocked a path into my dream career was a bonus.

Click to shrink...

.

Although I should add that I walked away with no student loan debt. Maybe my feelings would be different were that not the case.

 

[WedgeX]

I'm pleasantly surprised at the overwhelming positivity here when it comes to masters. Reading stuff on reddit makes it sound it is a waste of money and you learn everything on your own buying courses from udemy.

Click to shrink...

Haha sounds like viral udemy marketing.

 

[painey]

my school paid for mine, so it was a no-brainer. I wouldn't have paid for it, though.

 

[Murfield]

It was for me. I did a taught masters as well. Though I didn't have any loans from my undergraduate because I did it in Ireland.

 

[Deleted member 10428]

It was worth it and it didn't cost me anything, even got paid time off from work for it.

 

[onadesertedisland]

Sorta. Didn't get me where I wanted to be though.

 

[Violence Jack]

It got me more money, but I haven't gotten the kind of jobs that I expected I would with it.

 

[ameleco]

I have a pretty cushy community college tenure track job rn. I did physics (well, engineering physics). I don't really regret it, but am looking to switch jobs for more money soon. That said, it was a lot of work and for me, I wish I just went all the way for a PhD. That said, after a job switch and getting back into industry a bit, I will probably be looking to going back

 

[oni_saru]

It was worth it for me in the sense it helped me get the raise my boss was fighting for me.

But frankly it was disappointing because I didn't learn as much as I wanted. In fact I think i learned more at my job then my actual classes. This may be due to the program not being as great as I thought it would be. It was also in the middle of changing and rather then being up front about these changes or be ready to implement there was just so much confusion and ultimately bitterness by the end for me. So I would say, really research the program and maybe even talk to some of the current students or recent graduates about their experiences. I wish I would have done that because then I would have either chosen the other school I turned down Or waited till the changes were fully implemented.

Anyways ultimately despite losing interest in actually doing what I studied for, the Masters will still help me in my field to ask for higher pay and I've gained enough skills at my job, at my internship, at my previous jobs to make me a well rounded candidate so I think it wasn't a complete waste. But I do have some regrets.

 

[Delicious Waffles]

I'm an elementary school teacher so having one is kind of necessary. I think you could work with a bachelor's for a little while until it's required but, in the program I went through, I graduated with a master's. Regardless, I'd say it was worth it because it got me a job.

 

[Keuja]

It was very much worth it. Practically this is not only about what knowledge you acquire. That diploma, piece of paper will help differentiating yourself and negotiating a better salary on the job market, especially when hunting for your first job.

 

[Gwenpoolshark]

It certainly helped me get into my PhD program.

And mine was funded, which was nice.

 

[spam musubi]

In my field, definitely

 

[SwiftSweeper]

I have two. It was for me. It definitely led me to better and cooler opportunities. I am still paying off my student loans even though I went to a public university.

 

[Ogodei]

Yes, though in my case it was more about getting a do-over of college while taking hard skills accumulation seriously.

 

[Oneandonly16]

Thank you for making this thread OP. I've been stuff on whether or not I should get mines in the Accounting field since I graduated with my Bachelors.

 

[Dr. Feel Good]

At start of my program salary was $75K a year. Afterwards it was $180K.

 

[Necromanti]

In retrospect, I wish I chose a better program and didn't just go by the prestige of the university. I would be very unhappy right now if I would have had to pay for it.

But on the plus side, it was only a year long, and was a way for me to pivot my career to something tangential that used the domain knowledge I had, but with much better growth opportunities. (Basically going from data collection to data analysis.) I met a lot of great people and did a short internship during that time.

I'm starting a much better job in a new country soon, and I wouldn't have been able to make this transition without the degree. I was lucky that my dissertation centered around a "technology" that was key for some of the jobs I applied for (since the skills surrounding what I studied vary in the same way it does for something like data science). For me, it was an escape. I got lucky, though, since it's slim pickings without a PhD. Ultimately, I'd say it's very dependent on the field/industry you're working in.

 

[Ryutaryi]

This thread is really making me consider going through to graduate school. I went back to get my Bachelors at 27 and am about to graduate at the end of this year. I'll be 31 when I get my degree in chemistry and am now really thinking of just continuing forward to get my Masters.

 

[Lord Azrael]

What's the general consensus on a master's for someone in software development? Everyone tells me experience trumps degree, and I can't imagine the courses will be particularly useful for web dev

 

[hateradio]

I probably didn't need it. I also don't know if it helped besides a little bit of networking that landed me an internship and then a job.

 

[DrFunk]

Yes, but as a Librarian, it's a necessity as it literally defines if you're gonna be an assistant or a manager.

 

[aznpxdd]

Eh I don't think so but I think that's more due to me not taking advantage the degree and the networking.

 

[yankeeh8er]

I have a masters in physics and I recently lost my job and can't find anything else, so no it was definitely not fucking worth it.

 

[Wrexis]

What's the general consensus on a master's for someone in software development? Everyone tells me experience trumps degree, and I can't imagine the courses will be particularly useful for web dev

Click to shrink...

Having the Masters shows a commitment to the career as to just doing a random STEM course and falling into a software job.
To be honest I didn't learn that much from my Masters in Software (at least on a coding level).

 

[Mcspooky]

After bachelors life took a bit of weird turns and I never got back to getting my masters. Lucky I landed well, but I wish I had gotten back into it. Now I have kids who need to go through college. Maybe once they are done and there is enough time in my career left I will go back. So based on my own life it is not needed to succeed, but I think it helps and opens up a lot more doors for you .