Going back to school is a huge decision entailing two things that are valuable and hard to come by — time and money. A common misconception is that a master's degree will guarantee a bigger salary, but reality is that increased income is not automatic. We can weigh the pros and cons until we're blue in the face, and still end up without an answer about what is the best decision for our careers.
MSN Money personal finance columnist Liz Pulliam Weston gives a simple but smart piece of advice: "Talk to people in the positions you see yourself in someday, and ask what degrees they have and whether they needed those degrees." Many professionals are happy to help others who are interested in the same field, and getting that input could be just what you need to land on a decision.
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great tip! I need to send this to my husband as he's finishing his third degree right now and contemplating two more that he wants to get.
1I've gone back and forth about getting another degree or going to law school, but I'm in sales - so alone, it won't really get me anywhere higher. I would like to slowly work on an MBA, though -- my company will pay for it!
2I work in a library and if you want to be a librarian (with professional pay scale) you *must* have a masters degree. Right now I'm working toward a para-professional certificate.
3I've been looking at another degree to help supplement what I already do. But there's too many choices. I feel like I can leverage anything from an MBA to a Psychology degree. So I'm stumped.
4I'm working on getting my MBA right now. I'd like to go to law school, but my employer will pay for an MBA.
5I've juggled between MBA,JD, and another choice for a while. I have so many directions I want to go but can't decided where to start. I'm definitely thinking of doing the other master's degree (only 13 months!) and skipping the MBA b/c honestly, I get exactly what I need and could feel confident if i went straight to law school after that. Hmm, I think I just made my decision. Lol.
6I have debated going back and getting another when my kids get in school. My current one won't do me much good, I am afraid.
7I was working on my master's degree, but I lost enthusiasm for it and was totally distracted by wedding planning and house hunting. I'm hoping to go back and finish in a year or two, though I don't think it'll help me professionally very much.
8I was debating going back and getting my MBA, but recently decided to wait another year. The tuition costs and current state of the economy made me realize that now might not be the best time for me to go into massive debt!
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