In college, we both were members of a team, sorority and various other student organizations that kept us busy throughout our four years of undergraduate studies. After graduation, Laura pursued her M.A. while I worked my way up from an entry-level position at a software company. It was during this time period we both gained valuable experiences and education (in and out of the classroom) that prepared us for our current roles at Dittoe Public Relations.
The point of my post is to show the merits of masters programs and “real world experience.” Both are extremely important – and most professionals, regardless of their field, struggle with the decision to continue their education full-time or part-time, or to focus 100% of their efforts on their career. The question that always comes up is, “Do I need a masters to land my dream job?”
If you ask Kassenbrock what the difference between the two of us is, she will say, “About $30,000 in loans,” with a smile on her face. From my perspective, we are both so different, with very different PR backgrounds and it's because of this that am able to learn from her (as I do all of my colleagues) on a regular basis. Whether her input and advice stems from a graduate program required course or from her internship experience is irrelevant.
So, for now, my answer to the question, “Do I need a masters to get my dream job?” is not necessarily. However, if it is your dream to earn a graduate degree – go for it!
Posted by: Jeff Bowe on Friday, November 14, 2008
I have an MBA, am working on a DBA (Doc of Bus Admin) and have taught college, as well as owned three businesses including my current professional sales training company. So, from that background, yes, a Masters is the new standard to set yourself apart. We, unfortunately, do not teach enough in secondary school or college. But that's ok. In college, I want to teach my students to think so they can integrate new ideas for the rest of their careers. The Masters is a specialty degree, also giving a small conceptual framework to the area of expertise, and allowing you to understand a bit of the "why" under the "how" that you learn on the job. The job seldom teaches "why" by the way. If you want to get the full "why" its the doctoral level and I may be biased, but I am thinking we will see a rise in that degree by the time 2050 gets here. Back to the bachelors, you went to Hanover and I to DePauw. Both great liberal arts schools, whose purpose is to teach you to think. If you talk to students like I do when I give networking workshops, hit that message hard.