<p>I plan to major in either engineering or business fields (two very different areas, I know; 6 figure investment analysts are simply awesome, but being a part of today's technological development is another thing)</p>
<p>I dream of being employed by a major firm like Intel, Microsoft, and JP Morgan. And these companies often come to the so-called 'target schools' to recruit talented undergrads.</p>
<p>Is graduate level education (master's degree or a MBA) necessary to strive in your future job?</p>
<p>The reason why I ask this is that if graduate school is necessary, it is rather inefficient to study business/engineering durig undergrad. Sure, your undergrad will help you get into more prestigious colleges and understand the course swiftly. But based on what I've heard, you basically repeat the same course in just shorter period of time. People told me undergrad engineering is for those who want to get employed after college and also admitted that master's degrees is just a way for universities to make more money.</p>
<p>A graduate level education is not necessary to thrive at a respective job. For the most part, with virtually the majority of masters programs, you can learn most of what they teach you on your own. A masters or MBA is mainly good for corporate political purposes. It can help you to move up the corporate ladder quicker than those who don't have one. And it at the very least, separates yourself from the rest of the pack. Depending on the graduate school you attend, you can develop a number of key relationships with people who may be able to help you out greatly in your career (including alumni). </p>
<p>Also take into consideration how much more money you can potentially make with the degree, because it varies with fields. So some fields, with a masters your potential salary level can spike considerably. Whereas, with other fields, it may only increase it slightly (which is futile and is not worth it since grad school is expensive).</p>