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I got a masters in 2009 in communications management. I think it has helped me get the past two jobs i've had (still at one of them) but I'm really not doing anything with the degree. I work in customer support and i use writing skills on a daily basis...but i just feel that i'm underemployed. Maybe I'm lazy? I havent applied for any jobs in almost 3 years. I dont even know what I'd like to do. Anyone else in a similar position? I also feel like i've had opportunities to improve myself but i get afraid or something.
Communications Degrees are frequently considered one of the "degrees obtained just to obtain a degree" with a few exceptions, they're not the most relevant degrees to anything, let alone a Masters version.
I think this is just a bigger version of that useless bachelors major.
I got my Masters over 10 yrs ago from a regular old school (good one though) and a regular old program. There were a few people that didn’t make it through. Some of them then switched schools and enrolled in an MPA program or something of that sort that is less concrete.
I was leaving my job and was interviewing people to take my place. One of the candidates had an MBA from Phoenix U. She was one of the stupidest people I interviewed. Much much stupider than the people who flunked out of the Masters program I was in. It made me think poorly of people with degrees from that school. They’re doing a huge disservice to all their graduates who aren’t idiots.
I got my Masters over 10 yrs ago from a regular old school (good one though) and a regular old program. There were a few people that didn’t make it through. Some of them then switched schools and enrolled in an MPA program or something of that sort that is less concrete.
I was leaving my job and was interviewing people to take my place. One of the candidates had an MBA from Phoenix U. She was one of the stupidest people I interviewed. Much much stupider than the people who flunked out of the Masters program I was in. It made me think poorly of people with degrees from that school. They’re doing a huge disservice to all their graduates who aren’t idiots.
Regular old good schools vs Ivy leagues are actually preferred by a lot of companies/people.
And I'm sorry if this offends those reading this thread, but anyone who doesn't do their homework into what kind of program they're entering and the legitimacy given to it, before spending thousands of dollars, is an idiot!!
Regular old good schools vs Ivy leagues are actually preferred by a lot of companies/people.
And I'm sorry if this offends those reading this thread, but anyone who doesn't do their homework into what kind of program they're entering and the legitimacy given to it, before spending thousands of dollars, is an idiot!!
I agree. I use to be of the thought 'well, at least the person is going back to college', but you're right, it's not impressive to attend places like U of Phoenix. Case in point as I wrote about earlier, co-worker friend 5 years after getting her MBA from that place, has still yet to obtain the job she wants, and on top of that, she owes over $60k in student loans. I paid half of that at my brick and mortar university that was established in 1849.
That's why I tend to look at credentials and look at verification.
Nearly every profession has a group. It might be national maybe state based as well. They are not unions but lobbying groups. They set agendas and try to forecast ahead.
I take online classes as a supplemental to show continuing education and development. If someone wants to critique those that's fine however there are enough of them to validate enough in the subject going beyond just an interest.
I have a Masters degree from MIT (specifically, a Master of Science in Transportation). Both my current employer and previous employer make it very clear that the degree is meaningless to them. Even MIT (after I was already in the program) openly admitted that the only reason they offer the Masters program is to weed people out of the PhD program (I was one of the many who was weeded out).
The only thing I got for my Masters is one year of experience toward my P.E. (Professional Engineering) license (with a BS in an engineering field from an accredited university, you need 4 years of work experience to get a P.E.; I only needed 3 years due to the MS). However, since MIT's Masters program requires a minimum of 2 years, that is hardly a good tradeoff: invest 2 years in an MS program to be credited with 1 year of work experience.
It is frustrating how I had to work hard enough to get a PhD at any other school (admittedly, for a shorter period of time) and have basically nothing to show for it.
Yea, it's the sad truth. A Masters in Civil Engineering from MIT is worth about as much as a MSCE from Podunk State. If you are doing Structural for big skyscrapers and architects, then it probably helps, but otherwise...
Sad. A great school and a great program.
The real world is different from academia. That's the problem. A couple of years of experience designing roads is probably worth more than 5-6 years spent for a pHd in Transportation Engineering.
OTOH, if you could have made it through the doctorate program, a pHd in CE from MIT would have guaranteed you a tenure track positition. Somewhere. For what that's worth.
I loved the MBA curriculum and think it is a great program. However, everyone I know who got an MBA thinking that the degree alone would transform their career failed. I think the same is true for most masters degrees. If you pair it with experience it makes for a very powerful tool. But if you expect the degree alone to change your career you will be very disappointed.
There used to be difficult-to-refute, objective data that a Master's in Business Administration (MBA) from a top-10 (great) or top-20 (good) business school program was strongly correlated with big pay jump...
...for those with, as you say, experience. Oh, and I too found the MBA curriculum extraordinarily enriching on a personal level!
I didn't know or care about more-traditional MBA students, median age c. 27 last I checked (five years ago). Nor am I sure what the data trends say these days, post Great Recession. I bet the landscape is different.
Anecdotally, it worked out great for me in top-20 program (Johnson), but then again, frankly, for roles at my level "not" having certain things (JD, and/or MS, and/or MBA) are potential road blocks to entry and definitely to executive management. Thus, to OP's question, might be better to ask:
"Does not having MBA, MS, or JD constitute a glass-ceiling for me in my field, per objectively-collected data?"
That was the only relevant logic I used, before deciding to invest $93K and two years of my time in a program mid-career.
Call me weird, but I'd totally like to get a master's in art history. I don't care what anyone says anymore (specifically, it will be a waste), I'm just going to do it. If it doesn't work out, then I'll have my Finance degree to fall back on.
I definitely think having a master's gets you farther than those with just a degree, which is today's diploma.
In many ways a 4yr degree is equal to what a HS degree was just 25 years ago. The world has changed and the white collar world is not accessible without such. A young woman use to be able to walk into an executive secretary position out of HS and earn a good wage whereas that is unheard of now.
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