Graduate Degrees: Are They Worth the Risk for Public Sector Professionals?

[Bullitt]

For a federal job, it's a waste of money. It amazes me when USA Jobs posts jobs as a GS 11 that require a PhD to the public, while that might be the journeyman grade after 3 years. Someone who has 5 years anywhere in the gov't who applies has not only time in, but an easy lateral move.

For now, I can't justify the financial cost or risk that I'll get stuck with a professor who's more concerned with his sabbatical than teaching. Do any prof's give any more to students than what can be read out of the $80 used textbook? Something has got to give.

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[Sensei]

I have two masters degrees, neither of which are necessary for the purpose of doing my job. In order to be what I am (public school teacher for the DOD), I need my major & minor from undergrad and my teaching credential. However, the masters degrees move me way over to the second to last column for salary placement. I think I make at least $10K more a year than someone without a masters. That's more than paid for the tuition in the 11 years I've been teaching, plus the 28-9 that lie ahead. And one of them could potentially land me a better paying job within the same field if the right opportunity should open up.

FWIW, I earned all my degrees at brick and mortar universities. A couple private, a couple public. I had scholarships at the private unis, and a grant at the public one where I got my last masters. The online colleges that crank out degress nowadays (think the University of That City in Arizona) are expensive papermills, in my opinion. The quality of the education is poor - I've been the supervising teacher for a student teacher that's gone through that program, so I have some first-hand experience. I once considered moonlighting with National University, and they explicitly state on their website that they do not hire graduates from their own university! How's that for an endorsement?!

Anyway, I enjoy learning, and would like to someday get a J.D. and become a lawyer. Even at this age I can dream! It wouldn't be anytime soon, though. Got little ones to raise, and no time for classes anymore. My last degree, I was married, working full-time, had a baby, and took classes 3 nights a week, and sometimes on Saturdays. That's when I began my caffeine addiction. Good luck to all of you who are in that position now. I feel for you!

 

[RealMoneyIssues]

I'm not public sector, but I have to get it for professional development. I will never use it and the fact that I have to pay for it (sans TA) irritates me even more... The waste of my time (I am not a good student) is my biggest complaint.

Oh well.

 

[pmcint01]

My opinion is that they are not worth it. I got my BS in Civil Engineering in 1998 and started with the Navy, moved over to GSA in 2000 as that command was being BRAC'd soon. Got my Master's in Civil Engineering in 2003. I do project management for construction projects here. I even have my Project Management Professional Certification, yet I get passed over for promotions here by younger less experienced co-workers who have neither the Master's degree nor the certification. It kills me that I am still paying student loans and I graduated with my BS over 14 years ago. A Master's degree is worthless at my organization.

 

[alevin]

In the early 80s,the job market was truly lousy for young B.S. degree people like me, but debtfree, I went from short term opportunity to shortterm opportunity, any semi-related job experience was good, regardless of pay as long as I could pay rent, buy food, put gas in the car, and go to a cheap movie once a month. Being out in the working world a few years I learned enough to discover what more I needed to learn and why I needed to learn it to be better at chosen profession when I decided to go back for the grad degree. until that point, I had no desire for more school. my grad degree was related, but not same field as first degree-the wider education made me more valuable (and capable) in the longrun to future employer. couldn't have done it without a pitiful stipend and a parental loan and an insurance settlement along the way-back when interest rates on savings accounts were 16% and I didn't know enough to know what that meant and didn't take advantage before the insurance settlement slipped through my fingers in basic living and tuition costs. took me a year to get debtfree after finishing the degree, tho. Young people today have no idea how different it could be for them if the fed reserve hadn't been manipulating the currency and interest rates all these decades. I feel for them and am not going to encourage any of my nephews to take out student loans, even if they never go to college.

 

[Aitrus]

I've always believed that some professions do require a degree simply because of the nature and complexity of the job. Law, medicine, planning and design areas of engineering, aeronautics, some areas of teaching, etc.

But for the vast majority of jobs out there, I don't believe that a degree is required. A student from ar more practical trade school, actual experience, or apprenticeship programs should be the way to go for most professions. In some cases an Associates or perhaps a Bachelors will do, but to require a Master's in everything is asinine in my opinion. We're doing a disservice to our youth by telling them that the only way to be "successful" is to get a degree and then work hard. They're being taught that just by getting a degree they're entitled to a good job. Then reality hits them squarely in the face, and they're faced with a mountain of debt and no experience with which to build a resume.

I don't have a degree beyond two Associates degrees, plus a couple professional certifications. I can't move higher, unless I take a position with way more responsibility than I want, and the pay raise for that is negligible. Even in that case I don't need a degree if I have enough experience.

 

[craigerv]

I constantly ask myself this. As an engineer, I have seen an immediate benefit in my work from the grad classes I'm taking, but working for the government, I will receive no raise when I'm finished with my Master's. Currently the Navy is paying for it, but if I had to pay out of pocket, I think I would have to seriously debate going back to school. I do see the trend though of many jobs requiring a Master's. What's confusing is those jobs are usually management positions where they just move around money and supervise. What is the point of requiring a Master's in Engineering if you're just going to use elementary level math?

 

[Skooby]

Graduate Degrees: Are They Worth the Risk for Public Sector Professionals?

Graduate Degrees: Are They Worth the Risk for Public Sector Professionals?

'Investing in your future' is a catch phrase you have heard before as a professional seeking to advance your career -- and it begs the question: what should you be investing in? One of the common responses is 'education.'


Some say that without a degree, it's much harder not only to get a high-paying job, but any job at all. Maybe they're right.


Yet a bachelors degree doesn't guarantee a position these days and sometimes, whether you can't find work or feel like you're stagnating, there is a temptation to head back to school for an advanced degree. But does a Master's or PhD really provide a significant return on investment for public sector employees?


That question was posed to the GovLoop community by Paul Binkley, Director of Career Development Services at The George Washington University's Trachtenberg School of Public Policy. Binkley wondered whether graduate school is worth the cost, or if graduate degrees are too expensive and time consuming. He made a case for both sides of the debate and noted that his advanced degree netted him only $1,000 more per year in his first job. Binkley explained:
"After my starting pay went from 22K to 23K because of my Masters, my heart sank...Why did I spend 2 years in grad school for this?"


Of course, that was back in the mid-1990s at a small nonprofit in Washington, DC. He admitted that he would never have landed the interview in the first place without having a Masters.


Today, Binkley noted, the success of his graduate students is exciting, but it also points to a definitive shift in the job market.


"Over the last 10-15 years," he wrote, "a disturbing employment trend seems to have grown: graduate degrees have become required for positions" that once only needed a Bachelors.
Andrew Krzmarzick, the Director of Community Engagement for GovLoop, recognized the latter statement to be true in his situation.


"It's on my resume and counts in some situations for that "Masters required" - but it's not really all that relevant to most positions I've held!"
Kanika Tolver, an IT Specialist for the Department of Transportation, agreed with Krzmarzick's assessment that a Masters is helpful to get certain jobs, even if the degree isn't relevant.
"I think it is good to get one if you really know what you want to do for the rest of your life or you can get a more generalized Master degree that you can utilize with any job" said Tolver, suggesting that a Masters could be beneficial regardless of the program.


Not all respondents believed that more education is necessary to succeed, at least not in government. Michelle Koenig Kosmicki, a Research Manager for the State of Nebraska's Educational Telecommunications Commission, pointed out that in state government there is little benefit for her to continue her education. She says that her Master's Degree did not earn her a higher salary than she already had.


"I earned my masters degree and got a whopping 0% raise for my efforts. Now many research/evaluation jobs require a Ph.D. I'm not going back to school, the expense will not outweigh my earning potential."


This is another belief held by others in the public sector as well. Terrence Hill, an HR Specialist for the Department of Homeland Security, agreed that his Masters degree does not seem to be as valuable.


"I have both a Masters and credentials for my profession. Since I work for the government, these are not as valued as they are in the private sector."


Many public sector employees seem to think that a Masters degree has a limited return on investment. At the same time, advanced degrees are increasingly becoming mandatory for many jobs, even in the public sector where, in states such as New York, teachers are now expected to obtain a Masters degree to continue teaching. Yes, we will have a more educated workforce. However, the rising cost of education without a commensurate increase in compensation makes going back to school a significant risk for public sector professionals.