Reply to Master's degree bump?

Forum Index » Jobs and Careers

Reply to "Master's degree bump?"

Subject:

Emoticons





More smilies

Text Color: Font: Close Marks

[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]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. [/quote]

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.[/quote]

Options

	Disable HTML in this message
	Disable BB Code in this message
	Disable smilies in this message

Review message

Search Recent Topics Hottest Topics