How worthwhile is it, careerwise, to pursue a second Master's degree?
November 18, 2009 7:28 PM
How worthwhile is it, careerwise, to pursue a second Master's degree?
I have one professional Master's degree, but job openings are scarce in that field right now (urban planning, or stuff in the public policy/community-related nonprofit world in general). I'm considering going back to school, but wondering if that would help me or hurt me -- I understand some employers reject candidates with advanced degrees. I also worry that being a specialist rather than a generalist would put me in a box when looking for jobs outside that specialization.
That said, I might be interested in some kind of health policy degree, but it's very early in the game.
I have one professional Master's degree, but job openings are scarce in that field right now (urban planning, or stuff in the public policy/community-related nonprofit world in general). I'm considering going back to school, but wondering if that would help me or hurt me -- I understand some employers reject candidates with advanced degrees. I also worry that being a specialist rather than a generalist would put me in a box when looking for jobs outside that specialization.
That said, I might be interested in some kind of health policy degree, but it's very early in the game.
I also think further education and additional degrees are always a good idea, but mainly for personal growth, not for "landing a job".
Three or four years spent getting a degree solely to increase your odds at a better job, though, especially when you have no real data on which to base that perceived improvement in the odds.... well, that's a long, long time that could be spent looking for and applying to those jobs, or jobs a level beneath, and time in which you could rack up actual real experience.
(Sure, if you turn out to have been right about the degree's value, you might indeed get rejected five or six times as often for lacking it, but... you have years to keep trying, so the sheer numbers are on your side anyway.)
In hiring, an applicant with three years direct experience (even it it's from work one step down from the position) almost always trumps the applicant who spent the same three years getting a better degree... but has no experience.
posted by rokusan at 8:58 PM on November 18, 2009
Three or four years spent getting a degree solely to increase your odds at a better job, though, especially when you have no real data on which to base that perceived improvement in the odds.... well, that's a long, long time that could be spent looking for and applying to those jobs, or jobs a level beneath, and time in which you could rack up actual real experience.
(Sure, if you turn out to have been right about the degree's value, you might indeed get rejected five or six times as often for lacking it, but... you have years to keep trying, so the sheer numbers are on your side anyway.)
In hiring, an applicant with three years direct experience (even it it's from work one step down from the position) almost always trumps the applicant who spent the same three years getting a better degree... but has no experience.
posted by rokusan at 8:58 PM on November 18, 2009
"I also worry that being a specialist rather than a generalist would put me in a box when looking for jobs outside that specialization."
My first Masters is in Quantitative Finance, highly specialised (following up on undergraduate Math & Computer Science), so after about eight years I decided to take an MBA (which I'm now finishing) solely so I'd gain a broader perspective.
I think another Masters makes sense if you can see it as complementary rather than alternatives to existing qualifications. My MBA programme, of course, featured finance electives which I almost completely passed on (only took a few more Economics classes as I'm interested in the subject) in favour or HR, Management Accounting, Operations Management and Marketing; all stuff I had zero knowledge of and felt that I'd benefit by pursuing.
Now all this being said, when I was evaluating business schools for my MBA I was actually pitched a DBA, Doctor of Business Administration, degree by two institutions. Seems that at least in Europe some folks in education have a bias against multiple masters and will try to push you towards taking a doctorate. For me that was a non starter as I knew what I lacked from a knowledge point of view, and an MBA precisely filled that gap.
At the time an MBA ideally suited my career path, but since taking it I've found many other doors have opened. You probably already know that degrees do that.
In any case I wouldn't worry about taking another Masters, as long as its not a duplicate of your first degree. After all, the more you know the more you can offer an employer.
And if an employer rejects you citing "an advanced degree" they're really doing for nothing more than monetary reasons.
posted by Mutant at 7:48 AM on November 19, 2009
My first Masters is in Quantitative Finance, highly specialised (following up on undergraduate Math & Computer Science), so after about eight years I decided to take an MBA (which I'm now finishing) solely so I'd gain a broader perspective.
I think another Masters makes sense if you can see it as complementary rather than alternatives to existing qualifications. My MBA programme, of course, featured finance electives which I almost completely passed on (only took a few more Economics classes as I'm interested in the subject) in favour or HR, Management Accounting, Operations Management and Marketing; all stuff I had zero knowledge of and felt that I'd benefit by pursuing.
Now all this being said, when I was evaluating business schools for my MBA I was actually pitched a DBA, Doctor of Business Administration, degree by two institutions. Seems that at least in Europe some folks in education have a bias against multiple masters and will try to push you towards taking a doctorate. For me that was a non starter as I knew what I lacked from a knowledge point of view, and an MBA precisely filled that gap.
At the time an MBA ideally suited my career path, but since taking it I've found many other doors have opened. You probably already know that degrees do that.
In any case I wouldn't worry about taking another Masters, as long as its not a duplicate of your first degree. After all, the more you know the more you can offer an employer.
And if an employer rejects you citing "an advanced degree" they're really doing for nothing more than monetary reasons.
posted by Mutant at 7:48 AM on November 19, 2009
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posted by katemcd at 7:49 PM on November 18, 2009