What has your Master's degree done for you?

MCPWannabe

savior faire wrote: »

This is why I pointed out a few weeks ago that a masters in any IT discipline is a waste of time. IT experience, plus an MBA in some business discipline is much more valuable. Add in some technical certs, and you can likely work anywhere and you will be promotable.

hmmmm.. What an interesting point. I can't really say which is most useful. My experience would seem to lend credibility to what you say. My next Master's will be a technical one, so I will need to see how things go. I've heard that to really get the good consulting bucks, it is best to get a doctorate in a computer related field or Finance or accounting.

I've often wondered if my own rapid rise has been more attributed to my Master's degree or more attributed to having my own business and working for myself.

I will say one thing: it does help to have a business degree when dealing with those big time financial market people. But let me see what this technical degree delivers in terms of marketability.

darkerosxx

Let's move the post back to the original topic...if you have a master's degree, what has it done for you?

Sepiraph

Essendon wrote: »

Once went for an interview at Symantec, maybe 1.5-2 years ago (was for a junior sys admin role) and the guy asked if I had any certs. I said that although I didnt have certs, but I had a Master's in Telecomm and the guy said "Do you know Master's degrees are nothing more than very expensive toilet paper??" Take that.

I took some very dumb advice about doing a Master's, they said it would open up new avenues for me, get a decent starting job. By the time I realised I had blundered, I was too far into the degree to pull out. So just completed it. Now the degree sits in bottom drawer among cables and screws.

My advice based on my expereince (only), dont do a Master's degree. Go for the certs.

Your interviewer is an idiot, personally I wouldn't want to work under anyone like him. I once read that MBA is like a trump card--you have to use it at the right time and at the right place. By a large degree I think Masters/graduate degrees are the same, they can be used to open doors but make sure you have the right keys for the right doors.

seansabian

I hold an MBA with IS concentration from DeVry. DeVry has a great reputation as a technical college here in Chicago. I graduated in June of 2003. I immediately started looking for greater opportunities and got two jobs that Fall.

I got on with an EMO aka Charter School Management Company. The school district started me off in a higher pay track because of the master's degree. However, the education industry historically rewards those with advanced degrees with greater pay.

I also got on with a local community college teaching computer networking part time. Now most colleges require a master's degree to teach even part time. However, a bachelor's degree may be sufficient for hard to fill majors such as math, computers, and nursing. This is my second college teaching job. The first one I landed with a bachelor's degree. However, I was considered temporary because I did not hold a master's degree.

I don't regret getting my master's degree. I am glad I got an MBA with an IS concentration. The business knowledge I gained in the MBA program has served me well over the years. I develop and manage the IT budget for the school district. And currently I am working on several new school construction projects where staying on budget is critical.

seansabian

I went to school and worked full time. I am was also married with school age children at the time. My employer paid $10K on my master's degree. And my employer allowed me to study on the clock and this made a big difference.

I was just fortunate not too many people have this opportunity.