Was Your Masters Degree Worth It!

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Was Your Masters Degree Worth It!

I read this article just a couple of months ago on Clutch Magazine about the value of a Master's Degree. Now a lot of people don't know this but I have a Dual degree/Masters in Education and sometimes...SOMETIMES I feel that it just may not be worth it.

Now don't get me wrong I LOVE my job and relate and apply ALL that I learn from my studies to my job as a Site Director for a Learning Program in NYC Public School's but sometimes I just wonder if this paper that I call my degree was really worth it.  With knowing that Sallie Mae will want her money back, taking out loams and repaying them and to some... be in debt because they are over qualified for a job that was meant for them to taking a job that really doesn't require a Masters degree at all.

When reading this article on-line the first thing that came to mind was my cousin who graduated with Honors with her BA from Stony Brook University and Her Masters from Columbia University and still struggling to get that right job where she doesn't have to sacrfice as well as live from check to check. Now grated we "were" in a recession around that time but NOW with all of the experience that she has she is still basically making under $40,000 at a job she hates.

I recently (yesterday) had this discussion with my sister Renata, who graduated yesterday with her BA in History and I asked her.. "So what's next?" implying if she made her mind up about Grad School. At first she laughed and then she paused and said "I don;t know, is Grad school worth it?" Being the older sister that I am (with three dregree's) I myself had to think about it. Is my Masters degree worth it? Everyday for me is a different task. I am happy that I went back to school and happy that I have that education background as well as knowledge to apply everything that I learned to the job I love... granted, LOANS, LOANS & MORE LOANS will forever have me rolling my eyes but I am happy at my acomplishments.

So I ask this question... Is your Degree worth it?


4 comments

High Heels & Good Meals! said...

This is part of the reason why I have not gone back to school to get my masters. I teach and having a masters only gets you an extra $2500-$3500 a year. I don't see the several thousands dollars of extra debt being worth the extra 3000 bucks a year in pay. It's crazy.

Anonymous said...

I think "worth" has to be evaluated on an individual level for each person.

Very thought provoking!

I definitely discouraged my younger cousin from getting a Masters in Business Admin and advised her to get a Masters in a specific skill set such as: Public Administration, IT or Project Management. Maybe a better way to look at it is..keep your Bachelors broad but narrow with a Masters to entail landing a role with higher pay.

Unknown said...

eh who knows? at this point most of us are too young to really know if it will have paid off in the end. I'm happy enough to have my terminal degree, but I couldn't afford it then and I still can't afford it now. I guess the sense of accomplishment makes it worth it.

Bootzey said...

I have a doctorate... that I never use. No one told me when I was going thru school that that could happen. I feel some kind of way about it, yes....