My master's wasn't worth it

[Aaliyyah]

Be careful what you study. Going to grad school isn't always worth the time, effort and money.

 

MBAs: A dime a dozen?

 

 

Courtesy: Aaron FraserName: Aaron Fraser, 42

Place: Virgin Islands

 

I once looked at the MBA as the crème de la crème of business degrees, but now I realize I'm a dime a dozen.

 

I have an MBA in media management from Metropolitan College of New York and a master's in organizational leadership from Mercy College. I am in debt to the tune of $120,000, and for me, it just wasn't worth it.

 

After graduating, I applied for jobs in New York for at least a year. In interviews, I was either overqualified, or high risk.

 

I am high risk, so I'm told, because I have multiple degrees, which means it's more likely that I would pursue other means of employment if I am offered a higher salary.

 

I'm 42 years old, and I'm competing with 25-year-olds who have MBAs from Harvard. There are so many young people with MBAs from exclusive schools, it's very difficult for somebody like me to compete. Employers don't expect middle aged people to be innovators.

 

 

My master's is a joke

 

 

Courtesy: Jen SmialekName: Jen Smialek, 31

Place: Boston, Mass.

 

I work in such a completely different industry, it's a joke amongst co-workers that I have a master's in education.

 

I completed that degree -- which was my second master's -- in 2010, and taught for a year in Boston. It was the hardest work I've ever done, but I loved it.

 

A year later, it was first in, first out in terms of layoffs. I didn't have any seniority and I was unfortunately laid off.

 

I couldn't find another teaching job, so I returned to marketing. I had about $26,000 in student debt from that master's, and I've since paid off most of it (I completed my first master's for less than $500).

 

If I could go back, I wouldn't earn the education degree again. It was a good personal enrichment activity, but for someone like me who does Internet marketing, my career would benefit more from an MBA.

 

 

I work 3 part-time jobs

 

 

Courtesy: Nick HintzName: Nick Hintz, 28

Place: Kansas City, Mo.

 

When I graduated from my undergraduate program in 2008, I had a bachelor's degree in psychology, which was too general to get me a job. I wanted to go into business, so I decided to earn a master's degree in human resources at the University of Minnesota.

 

At the time, it was rated as the number two HR school in the nation, and it cost a lot to go there. I took out $120,000 in student loans. The economy was unraveling at the time, but I hoped that over a couple years, the job market would improve.

 

Instead, things got worst. I graduated in 2010 at the bottom of the U.S. job market. At the time, only about half our class found jobs.

 

Now it's been more than two years, and I'm competing against fresh grads for entry-level positions and leadership training programs. A career counselor told me I missed the boat on getting a solid return on investment for my master's.

 

I have three part-time jobs. I am an unpaid volunteer in a local hospital's HR department, I'm a content manager for a video game website, and I clean typewriters... yes, typewriters.

 

I'm stuck with a large amount of debt, I have this fancy master's no one cares about, and I can't get the experience I need. I'm really at a loss of what to do.

 

 

My master's wasn't worth the debt

 

 

Courtesy: Daniel SnyderName: Daniel Snyder, 38

Place: Chicago, Ill.

 

I've always been in tune with other people's emotions, so I studied psychology, hoping to be a clinician or a therapist.

 

I earned a bachelor's and then master's degree in clinical psychology, but at the end of my final internship, I became ill and was hospitalized for a few days. I still graduated from the program, but because I had not finished my internship, I was unable to get a license to practice as a psychologist.

 

I was told I could return in a year to re-start the internship process. In the meantime, I hoped I could still get a job, applying the degree to other fields that don't require a license. I sent out more than 300 applications.

 

It's been almost a year and I have not been able to apply my degree to any jobs in human resources, psychology consultation or even restaurant management. I am just starting school again, now for a master's degree in human resources. I've been living off credit cards essentially, acquiring about $25,000 in debt. And that's in addition to the $60,000 in student loans I acquired in grad school.

 

I had to sell my car. It got so bad that some points, my phone or power would be shut off.

 

Not only was my first master's not worth the debt, it wasn't worth the emotional journey of going through a program that requires such introspection and self reflection. If I had to do this all over again, I probably would have just gotten an HR degree instead of a social science degree.

 

 

 

I want to use my degree

 

 

Courtesy: Mary LeMayName: Mary LeMay, 47

Place: Stevens Point, Wisc.

 

After working 18 years in financial counseling, I went back to school in my 40s to earn a master's degree in community counseling.

 

I had always aspired to be a school counselor, but when I started the program, I was informed there were very few job openings in schools. I chose community counseling instead, because I was told it was a larger umbrella with more opportunities.

 

After graduating in May 2010, I knew that most counselor positions would require certification as an LPC (Licensed Professional Counselor). In Wisconsin, that would entail an additional two years and 3,000 hours working under the direction of someone in the field. I didn't know how difficult it would be to obtain that certification.

 

I've been looking for those positions, but it seems there are so few job opportunities for someone to become a counselor-in-training. Very few employers are willing to supervise you.

 

Why do graduate schools keep churning out counselors when there are so few jobs or opportunities for certification?

 

I funded my masters degree with $20,000 in student loans. I'm still looking forward to being able to use my degree, but I'm just wondering if that's ever going to happen.

 

 

 

I'm overeducated

 

 

Courtesy: Sean PaddenName: Sean Padden, 42

Place: Providence, R.I.

 

I have more education than I know what to do with, and I am one of the long-term unemployed who have given up hopes of finding a job.

 

After a double major in chemistry and microbiology as an undergrad, I earned a master's degree in molecular biology and gained teaching experience in cellular, micro, molecular and plant biology.

 

I thought this wide array of experience would at least get me interviews. After hundreds of applications over the past four years, I have had less than five interviews.

 

My solution has been to try and employ myself. I resorted going back to a high school hobby, as a job.

 

I'm working on starting a woodworking business that makes canes, using a special kind of diseased wood. Basically, I'm using my chemistry background to create functional pieces of art.

[Safferz]

Blanket "Don't Go To Graduate School" Advice Ignores Race and Reality

[Wadani]

This doesn't apply to those of us who r willing to go back home and make a difference. As soon as im done my masters im going to xaggaa iyo wadankii. Maxaa meel aan qoti ka ahay i dhigaya.

[Aaliyyah]

That girl makes some good points. I personally believe of one is pursuing grad school. They should have an entry job in that field while they are still in undergrad/grad school. Master's degree will take you from an entry job to a higher position. Otherwise if you attained master's degree without anyprevious experience you will be overqualified for an entry job.

 

As far as back home is concerned. One needs to go back home with a skill to make a difference.

[Wadani]

Safferz;939385 wrote:

Blanket "Don't Go To Graduate School" Advice Ignores Race and Reality

Good opinion piece.

[Safferz]

Why would you spend $120k on an MBA in *media management* from the Metropolitan College of New York? A lot of these anecdotes are hilarious, these are people who didn't think through their career options carefully or make a proper risk analysis before going to graduate school. It's not graduate school itself that's the issue here. An advanced degree will always make you more marketable in this economy, especially when bachelor's degrees are fast becoming the new high school diploma (the minimum requirement for many jobs, but it's often not enough on its own to get you the job -- which is why further education and training is critical). And as the article I posted above points out, an advanced degree also adds to your social capital as a minority and can help offset any (racist) concerns about your competence and qualification for a particular position. Telling people that a masters/advanced degree is not worth it is bad advice, but people need to be smart about it, go into advanced degree programs that fit their desired career trajectory and adjust their expectations accordingly. There are a number of other skills that need to be developed and put to work in order to land a job and succeed in the workplace beyond your degree qualifications too.

[Wadani]

Aaliyyah;939399 wrote:

That girl makes some good points. I personally believe of one is pursuing grad school. They should have an entry job in that field while they are still in undergrad/grad school. Master's degree will take you from an entry job to a higher position. Otherwise if you attained master's degree without anyprevious experience you will be overqualified for an entry job.

+1

[Safferz]

Aaliyyah;939399 wrote:

That girl makes some good points. I personally believe of one is pursuing grad school. They should have an entry job in that field while they are still in undergrad/grad school. Master's degree will take you from an entry job to a higher position. Otherwise if you attained master's degree without anyprevious experience you will be overqualified for an entry job.

I don't agree with that. Of course students should be smart and acquire the skills and experience they need to position themselves well for employment upon graduation, but a bachelor's degree is no longer enough for many entry-level positions. That's certainly the case in Canada, where more than 50% of us have tertiary education (making Canada the most educated country in the world, apparently). People just tend to blame "overqualification" for their bad luck finding a job when they're actually underqualified in terms of experience and skill set. An advanced degree is always an asset but that doesn't mean it will get you the job on its own.

[Wadani]

Safferz;939414 wrote:

I don't agree with that. Of course students should be smart and acquire the skills and experience they need to position themselves well for employment upon graduation, but a bachelor's degree is no longer enough for many entry-level positions. That's certainly the case in Canada, where more than 50% of us have tertiary education (making Canada the most educated country in the world, apparently). People just tend to blame "overqualification" for their bad luck finding a job when they're actually underqualified in terms of experience and skill set. An advanced degree is always an asset but that doesn't mean it will get you the job on its own.

U make some good points but sometimes being overqualified is a liability, as employers may doubt u will stay with them long term and/or may feel their own positions threatened by ur superior credentials.

[Aaliyyah]

Nowadays, a bachelor's degree is viewed like a high school diploma. Since thousands of students graduate annually with BA or Bsc. But, I disagree that a bachelor's degree is not enough for an entry level position. Although that might hold true in some fields.

 

When someone with a master's degrer is overqualified for a position. It is clearly due to their extensive education and expectation to be promoted in a short time frame. I have already pointed out if they lack an experience in their field, that would be a setback as well.

[SomaliPhilosopher]

No degree is 'worth' it, let alone a masters

[Safferz]

SomaliPhilosopher;939431 wrote:

No degree is 'worth' it, let alone a masters

Why do you say that SP?

[SomaliPhilosopher]

Safferz abayo, I do not have the energy to explain tonight.

[Safferz]

Fair enough, but you owe us an explanation when you have the time

[Blessed]

This isn't about going for a masters degree as that can be essential for some and useless for others, it depends on so many factors. However, this article stresses the importance of having a plan -- which these people seem to have lacked, some of them seem to think that another degree will magically solve the shortage in the job market. Perhaps, the $120,000 student debt would have been best used to start a business.