Graduate Degrees...A must

Graduate Degrees…A Must

When entering into UNC’s program for my Master’s Degree in 2000, I was doing it for two different reasons; one if I were to leave education it would open some doors in the sports industry, and two if I were to stay in education it would give me a pay increase. As it turns out, I never left education and it did give me a pay increase. Now I embark upon a new journey of entering into the HESAL program. Many people ask why I am doing this. The answer has a variety of responses, but mostly, I love learning about this area, and eventually I would like to leave K12 education and enter the field of Higher Education. As I was researching why people should look at entering graduate school, I came across University of Colorado’s page of why grad school (http://www.colorado.edu/GraduateSchool/whyGradEd/index.html#7). I found some very interesting stats in there that have been some focal points of discussions during these current events classes.

As we have discussed in class, to earn a degree more than just a Bachelor’s, shows a stronger desire and “expertise” in an area of study. Businesses can see that you have showed a desire and a willingness to devote more time and energy into a field of study that you are trying to get a job into. Another reason that grad school is so important is because "America continue to maintain a high standard of living—including providing national security—for its citizens.” I find this as a great backdrop of why America has become one of the most sought after higher education location in the world. American’s drive for more education has created this high standard of living, and as I learned through presentations last week, the more education a person receives, the less of a chance for that person to engage in criminal activities (thanks Larry!).

Another reason, money. (http://www.bls.gov/emp/ep_chart_001.htm) The amount of money you earn, typically, depends on your degree. According to the Bureau of Labor, on average Americans make &782 a week. But the difference between just a Bachelor’s Degree and a Master’s degree is over %20 more a week, and between a Bachelor’s Degree and a Doctoral degree is over $500 a week! Not saying that money is always the driving force for a job, but it does help assist people in making decisions.

Most importantly, graduate degrees allows for people to return back to school and receive more information and knowledge about a given topic they are most interested in. By furthering that knowledge allows them to have a more established spot in their workplace, whatever that may be. For me, all of these reasons are great driving forces for me to continue down this path of earning a very prestigious degree.