Master degrees - are they worth it?

[drakioned]

Surely you've kept the skills and behaviours (rigour, research ability, confidence, communication skills etc) you developed during it and utilise those in your work though?

ehhhh, sure, let's go with that.

 

[OspreyO]

I'm a bit older and later in my career and a requirement or desirable of a masters has started to appear often enough for it to be useful have done it. 30 years ago even a degree wasn't a requirement.

 

[malachi]

I'm a bit older and later in my career and a requirement or desirable of a masters has started to appear often enough for it to be useful have done it. 30 years ago even a degree wasn't a requirement.

The good old moving the goalposts.

When certain job sectors start to get crowded then they add higher requirements to thin the herd.

 

[VRDoctor]

The good old moving the goalposts.

When certain job sectors start to get crowded then they add higher requirements to thin the herd.

It makes sense - as the general population becomes better educated, why wouldn't you want to select those with more qualifications?

 

[malachi]

It makes sense - as the general population becomes better educated, why wouldn't you want to select those with more qualifications?

Because it's a poor way of selecting the best people, may have worked in the 90's but not anymore when everyone has more degrees than an thermometer. Some of those degrees are in Fuffy Bunny Studies but they lack basic skills to do the job.

I'm not a fan of "let's raise the entry requirements for this job but keep the pay the same while adding more work to the job"

 

[VRDoctor]

Because it's a poor way of selecting the best people

Statistically it is a good way of selecting the best people though.

I know it's all the rage nowadays to be "anti-education" with even some employers jumping on the bandwagon (I think PWC is an example) but that's just not how it works in reality.

Better educated workforce = higher productivity.

Also "They also systematically highlight that educational credentials have a stronger impact on productivity than on wage costs. Firms’ profitability (i.e. productivity-wage gap) is indeed found to rise when lower educated workers are substituted by higher educated ones (and vice versa)."

 

[malachi]

Statistically it is a good way of selecting the best people though.

I know it's all the rage nowadays to be "anti-education" with even some employers jumping on the bandwagon (I think PWC is an example) but that's just not how it works in reality.

Better educated workforce = higher productivity.

I'm not saying better educated workforce doesn't equal higher productivity. My point was having unnecessary requirements for jobs an 14 year old could do.

For example, a department where I used to work. They had a degree as an requirement to work in their call centre.....Why on earth do you need a degree to work in a call center!?!!? I didn't for my first job in a call center back in 2003. I had to raise the question with HR to why as they complained about high turnover. Their answer was "because most people have degrees now " It really wasn't about getting an better educated workforce with higher productivity as most didn't stay longer than 18 months. This was for a Government organization, so the pay wasn't bad, better than average to be honest. With crap loads of overtime too.

Having bits of paper stating your education doesn't necessary mean you are better educated. Anyone can get a degree these days. The degree you earn such as in Mathematics or other STEM fields, that can determine your education and higher productivity.

I dont have an degree or Masters. I did think about it at one stage but at 40 years old and working in IT for nearly 20 years. It wouldn't help as I have relevant certifications in my field of work.