Master's degree bump?

[Anonymous]

10:20 here again. And if someone is a plumber but gets a degree in business, then maybe they do get a paybump because they can apply some of their knowledge to improving the business aspect of their job.

It may not be immediate. It may be in response to an issue that arises, but again, it means that person has a more expansive knowledge base to draw upon.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:10:20 here again. And if someone is a plumber but gets a degree in business, then maybe they do get a paybump because they can apply some of their knowledge to improving the business aspect of their job.

It may not be immediate. It may be in response to an issue that arises, but again, it means that person has a more expansive knowledge base to draw upon.

I am 8:20 and what you are saying is a tangent to my post. Does it make you more employable or to your point, provide knowledge that can improve how they do the job and therefore a stronger income stream? Direct effect = got a pay boost due to the degree (most people's ROI calculation). Indirect effect = it definitely helped me even though I cannot 100% quantify it.

[Anonymous]

I'm a nurse and one of the reasons I haven't gone back for my masters is that it would result in a significant pay cut. Most masters prepared nursing positions such as NP, nurse educators, managers etc pay quite a bit less than regular nursing jobs. Plus I would have to decrease my work hours and pay at least $50K/yr while I'm in school.

It would probably result in a more satisfying career long term, but I have your children and just can't justify it financially at this time.

[Anonymous]

Not a bump if you're completing it while employed, but there's a higher starting salary coming in with a Masters degree. His best bet would be to figure out how to sell his new skills during his annual review and create a plan to take on some special project worthy of a more substantial salary increase.

[Anonymous]

I'm an engineer and I didn't get a raise or promotion or anything based on completing my masters degree. I do feel that it helped me when I looked for a new job, though, so there is that.

[Anonymous]

Nope. And in fact I find the whole academia idea that you get paid more for your education rather than what you do in a classroom frightening. Pay should be based on performance not on education-- some how teachers don't have to follow that concept.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Certain ladder positions and labor category upgrades aside: I respect higher education, but this question always irks me to no end. So you went and got a masters degree, but are still doing the job you were capable of doing without it. Why does that net a salary bump? If you're better at your job now or qualified for a new position, then, yes, your pay should go up (though potentially not immediately). I've had employees blankly repeat "but I got a masters" and not understand that the accomplishment was theirs, and it may have made them better even as they studied for it along the way, but the granting of the price of paper itself is not a turning point that gets the a raise.

There's a reason why so many employers will actually pay for someone to get a master's degree. People get continuing education and training -- even when their actual job doesn't change. Why? Because the assumption is they can do it better and they can offer the company more down the road.

Teachers get a pay bump when they earn a master's. Their job doesn't change, but it suggests they bring something additional to the table, have a greater arsenal of tools and skills and knowledge to apply to the job.

A lot depends on a person's individual field, but if you are irked that people seek a pay upgrade for earning an advanced degree, then you really don't respect higher education and, frankly, you are shortsighted. Wise employers invest in employees not because it makes an immediate difference but because they know the employee will grow and possibly be able to contribute in other ways.

But sure, if someone is a plumber and gets a master's in French Literature, then maybe they aren't going to get a pay bump. But if someone is in an office environment and gets an advanced degree in communications or an MBA, then even if that person's job doesn't change overnight, it makes them a bigger asset to the company because they can be called upon for other projects when needed.

I love investing in my employees--we offer both tuition reimbursement and money for trainings/conferences--I just don't see why the moment you receive a degree you should get a raise. I've definitely given raises along the way, where the person demonstrated new skills or better skills. I've given them after the degree when they used their new knowledge to blossom. But I don't understand why the moment you get a degree, you get a raise. That's not even remotely short-sighted and, as a multiple grad degree household, I absolutely understand the value of higher education.