Why Purse a Master’s Degree

Why Purse a Master’s Degree

Due to the competitive marketing many are pursuing a higher education beyond their bachelor’s degree. My decision to purse a master’s degree has always been a personal goal, but with the change in the market I realized my bachelor’s degree would no longer be sufficient or marketable in a couple of years. Many would say that obtaining a master’s degree is only as valuable as how your current or future employer measures advanced education. There are many rewarding benefits of pursing a master’s whether for a personal goal, career change, or salary increase these are all convincing motives. This paper will explore the various motivations that resulted in my decision to purse a master’s degree.
Initially a master’s degree will give me the added credentials needed to pursue a promotion or career change that I would not have been considered for with my current education level. The norm was that a company required you to have a bachelor’s degree to be considered as a candidate in the corporate world. This is no longer the case as employers are demanding candidates attain the life experience in conjunction with a master’s degree. Stronger economy and more company demands for management degrees have positively shifted the local and international market for candidates whom hold a MBA (Rebecca Kaplan (2008). “Demand for MBA on the Rise). This evidence confirms having a master’s degree significantly increases my marketability. Since only a small percentage of people in the United States have a master’s degree, holding one can put me ahead of the pack when competing for a job (“Jane Porter, (2006). “Forecast: MBA Hiring Up Again). Employers are leaning toward hiring more MBA candidates because they are looking for people with managerial and team experience (“Jane Porter, (2006). “Forecast: MBA Hiring Up Again). These facts indicates that companies value a higher education and are willing to provide more opportunities, greater compensation packages and greater chances for promotion. In 2007 Radford proclaimed an advanced degree will provide hopeful with a better professional network and insights into the working practitioners.
Holding a master’s degree will also expand my knowledge in a specialized area and improve performance in many areas of my work and personal life. Following this path will allow me to utilize my bachelor’s degree foundation to gain a greater understanding and appreciation for my field of study. As a person high in conscientiousness, people may perceive me to contribute to a higher level of job performance. This personality trait is a strong focus behind my plans for a master’s degree. If I am going to be portrayed as person whom exerts greater levels of effort on the job, then I should have the knowledge and the degree to back my training and experience. Based on Jungian’s Personality Assessment, I am well suited for a management position. I am viewed as a person well organized who is open to learn new skills and updating current skills, which is a key area of interest for employers. A Master of Business Administration translates into salary increase, as with most fields. PayScale.com calculated the median salary by years of experience for a Bachelor of Business Administration and Master’s of Business Administration in the United States
As noted in the below tables master’s degree holders makes an estimated 20k more in salary then a bachelor degree holder with the same years of experience.
Median Salary by Years Experience - Degree: Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) (United States)

Median Salary by Years Experience - Degree: Master of Business Administration (MBA) (United States)

An earnings increase is only part of the benefits. A college education enriches your life in ways that cannot be measured by dollars. "Education is power," Frederick Douglass. Personally, earning a master has always been a goal. I first considered earning my master’s degree recently after I received my bachelor’s, but felt I need to take a brain break and experience the corporate world. After gaining eight years of work experiences I felt it was time to give it a try. Learning of my employee’s tuition reimbursement policy for the master’s program I soon realized it was a win-win for me and the company. If the company is willing to invest in my education, I believe the company is quietly endorsing that a master’s degree is valued and expected for high-level professional. Consequently, the benefits I will receive from this degree will give me self-assurance to know that I have the collective resources of knowledge, effective decision-making and skill sets needed to be successful in my personal and professional life, (Gary Radford, (2005). Having a master’s will give me a sense of future employment security and will allow me to gain qualifications that I may have missed in my earlier education.
The school of choice also heavily weighed on my decision. I debate for several months whether online or classroom format would be suitable for me. After speaking with the University of Phoenix enrollment counselor I was excited about the learning environment. I understood that taking courses online allowed the flexibility I needed to sustain a work-life balance. There was also the fact that I would be communicating with different individual who I could openly share experiences and gain valuable knowledge that can not always be taught from a book or a classroom setting.
A master’s degree is a good investment the evidence is clear. Yes, it will take time, dedication, and money to complete my degree, but the return on my investment is all worth the effort. In addition, the increased sense of achievement, career opportunities, new circles of friends and networks along with the new ranges of skills I will gain are some of the major reasons that confirmed my decision. Whether personal or practical, a master’s degree can be both life affirming and career enhancing. As stated by Dr Bruce Lewis, an education beyond a bachelor’s will put you in a better position to help your family, your community and give you the kind of life you dream of having. The more education you pursue, the better career options you will have. Ask yourself the following questions:
1) Do I want more career marketability?
2) Do I want to earn a higher income?
3) Do I want to increase myself assurance and workplace confidence?
4) Do I want to enhance my current skilled set?
If you answered ‘yes’ to any of the above of, then you too need to purse your master’s degree. Reference:

Kaplan, Rebecca. (2008). Demand for MBA on the Rise. Receive May 7 from www.thedailypennsylvanian.com

Lewis, Bruce. (2002). Received May 9, 2008, from http://teach.fhu.edu

Porter, Jane. (2006). Forecast: MBA Hiring Up Again. Received May 8, 2008 from BusinessWeek.com

O.P John, “The ‘Big Five’ Factor Taxonomy: Dimensions of Personality in the Natural Language and in Questionnaires,” in L.A. Pervin (ed.). Handbook of Personality Theory and Research(New York: Guilford Press, 1990) pp.66-110; and D.L. Formy-Duval, J.E Williams, D.J. Patterson, and E.E Fogle, “A ‘Big Five’ Scoring System for the Item Pool of the Adjective Check List,” Journal Of Personality Assessment, Vol. 65. 1995, pp.59-76.

Radford, Gary. (2007). Received May 7, 2007 from www.fdu.edu
Median Salary by Years Experience - Degree: Master of Business Administration (MBA) (United States) table. Retrieved May 7, 2008, from PayScale.com.