Reply to Why do so many jobs require masters degrees in this area?

Forum Index » Jobs and Careers

Reply to "Why do so many jobs require masters degrees in this area?"

Subject:

Emoticons





More smilies

Text Color: Font: Close Marks

[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Does it say it's REQUIRED or just preferred?  Some places allow substituting years of experience for education.

I might avoid places that doesn't seem to be in tune with the requirements of a job and might be an indicator of their culture.

I have worked with some people who really tout their doctorates, ie introduce themselves as Dr. so and so, have it in their signature lines, etc.  But then find out that they're not really cut out for the job and some of them are let go pretty quickly.  Or end up bouncing around between different organizations.  It actually seems like this happens to the people who tout their doctorates more, or maybe they're just more noticable.  (there are others that do amazing work who I sometimes forget are doctorates until I see a reminder on their wall)  But people with doctorates still hold more cachet in the organization and also the level of degree determines the ceiling you hit.

But I do appreciate what degrees bring.  Where I've noticed or assume that people with degrees are more well rounded than some people without.  So are able to grasp and pick up concepts quickly and expand on it.  This is mostly in regards to two and four year degrees.  Don't know if this applies to masters degrees and higher.

If it's a job that you're really interested in, I would suggest trying to apply for the job anyways and say something along the lines of how your years of experience can be considered as a substitute for a masters degree.  You might find a manager who is willing to take that into account and it has worked for me in the past for some organizations.  Some of them mentioned how the job posting description was created by the people in HR without their opinion or input.  So it might not necessarily be the hiring manager's requirement.

It's also possible that your application never makes it past the HR system due to not meeting the checkboxes of requirements.  And as mentioned before, you'd probably have to think about if you really want to work at a place that doesn't seem to be in tune of the real requirements of a job.

Also some of this might require you to really evaluate your position and the type of jobs you are looking for.  Most of what I said above is based on the description of your original post, which I believe based on what I've seen.  But it's possible that the positions you're looking at really do require a masters degree or higher.  And if that's the case, you might want to look into making the time and money investment in pursuing a higher level degree.

And I originally wasn't going to say something along the lines of what the poster from 9:52 said.  But kind of agree with this, that their are many diploma mills out there nowadays.  But again, it goes back to the point if you really want to work for a place that's not in tune with the real requirements of the job.  And knowing that some diplomas/degrees aren't as meaningful as others.[/quote]

Good points. The jobs they are posting now require a masters degree. It doesn't even specify what kind of masters degree. This is a new trend. Outside of Lawyers and Phds, very few of the people above me have masters degrees, or ones worth talking about. If you don't have the connects, this trend it essentially freezes mid-career professionals w/out a masters like me out of the market.

You are right about re-evaluating my career. I have been doing that lately.  It seems a change of industry for me would result in a budget-crippling drop in pay that our family could not withstand at this point in time financially. In a sense, I feel a bit trapped.

I am thankful to have a good paying job. Just disappointed that uncessary barriers are being created to make it more difficult for me (and others like me) to advance.

[/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