<p>It is the case that some credentials have increased educational requirements over the years. For example, it used to be possible to earn a law degree without having previously earned a bachelor’s degree (California’s earlier Governor Brown (not the current one) is an example).</p>
<p>Almost nobody (maybe in fact NOBODY) has an MBA in my IT department and an many ohter places that I have worked, However, the key in my first sentence is MANY PALCES. Yes, this is the most important part of my post. I happen to live in very economically depressed region and I acnnot relocate because of my husband job. When I was looking for many jobs in my life (I am currently at my employment place #9 ) I was told by many that they were impressed by my MBA. It is not easy at all to find a job at our place and surrounding area (Detroit would be a better alterantive and some are driving to Detroit on a daily basis, so we are much worse than Detroit, believ it or not). Not only I found many local jobs over and over and over, but I also was able to find most of them based on the ads in local newspaper. The known statistical chance of that is about 2%.
Yes, in my case my MBA served me awesomely, degree that I do not need at all in my job positions as a Computer Programmer (they all had different titiles, it could be Analyst or whatever, but what I do is writing software and it has been the same for over 30 years and in the same really economically depressed locality)</p>
<p>Computer science jobs seem to have great opportunities and salaries with just a bachelor’s degree. There is a lot of self learning while working so getting a formal masters isn’t always desirable.</p>
<p>I agree that too many people attend graduate school because they don’t know what to do or can’t find a job. While advanced degrees are necessary for certain professions, what many people don’t consider is that the higher you go the more specialized you typically become - which means you’re qualified for more specific work, rather than a broad range of work options. This strategy can be counterintuitive for students who are lost in the job search. They may get a master’s degree in hopes of landing a better job and end up in a profession they never needed the master’s degree to get.</p>
<p>I have a BA in psychology and I work as a human resources manager. I could get an MBA with an HR focus or a master’s in HR management, but it isn’t necessary and it won’t prevent me from advancing in my field. As I gain experience and expand my list of accomplishments the “education” section moves farther down on my resume. </p>
<p>Since the OP asked about a BFA/MFA: The arts are based on talent and experience. A degree does not mean someone is a good artist - it just means they were good enough to pass their classes. An MFA or above is understandable to teach or conduct research - but to be a graphic design? A web developer? A singer or dancer? No - if you’re amazing at what you do, that should (and often does) weigh more than any diploma. I worked as a graphic designer for a marketing company straight out of high school. Once my portfolio was developed I could have expanded that into other work without going to college at all. The key is to make sure your work is seen before hiring managers have a chance to review and toss out a paper resume. This is where self-marketing and grass roots become critically important. Get the managers to recruit you, rather than you trying to convince them to hire you.</p>
<p>An MS CS isn’t necessary if you have a BS CS but there is a work experience equivalence for a MS CS. Academics doesn’t replace real work experience, however, in my industry (defense) you can easily do a MS CS part-time while working full time. Since an MS CS is equivalent to 2 years of work experience, you can basically work full time for 4 years and complete an MS CS degree as well. Your pay would faster than your peers because you would have acquired about 6 years of work experience in a span of 4 years.</p>
<p>It depends on the field. My neighbor’s kid in CFO with one of Peter Thiel’s companies with just a BA or BS in Economics. It’s easy nowadays because there’s LinkedIn. Everything is verifiable on the net.</p>
<p>PurpleTitan wrote: “BTW, some schools offer a tuition-free Masters to some of their undergrads. Clark and Rochester come to mind.”</p>
<p>Are you referring to the Take 5 program at the University of Rochester? If so, then I don’t believe your statement is accurate. While it’s true that the UR Take 5 program offers up to 2 additional semesters of tuition free post-grad study, it is meant for enrichment and not for earning additional credentials.</p>
<p>Whether it’s free or not… there is an opportunity cost to a young person to spending however many months or years out of the workplace while in graduate school. When there’s a clear path (I worked in finance for three years after undergrad but now I’d like to refocus on marketing so I’m getting an MBA) then the missed wages, all the other professional opportunities are possibly worth it. When there’s no clear path (I majored in accounting but hated it and don’t want to sit for the CPA and take more courses for a field I loathe so maybe an MBA can help me figure it out) it seems like a very dumb plan.</p>