Does getting a second bachelor's degree look bad on your resume?

yg7s7 · 10-03-2010, 03:56 AM

Say you got a degree in Chemsitry and then studied at another school for few more years to complete second degree in Chemical Engineering. Will this look bad to future employers?

APOL · 10-03-2010, 04:55 AM

If you need to spend a few more YEARS getting a second bachelors, you may be better served getting a Masters instead. My two cents....

Itachirumon · 10-03-2010, 07:00 AM

No offense but... do you really need to ask that question as well? You're improving yourself getting another degree, that in no way should EVER look bad to an employer... unless you live in the world of Kafka anyway.

BIGeastBEAST · 10-03-2010, 08:12 AM

I don't think it's an issue, especially for people who are making a career change.

However, if you had a B.A. in Philosophy then went back and got a B.A. in History, it might look a bit odd.

romanigypsyeyes · 10-03-2010, 11:07 AM

^ Why would that look a bit odd but getting one in Chemistry and chemical engineering does not?

And history and philosophy are completely different fields.

@OP- no it doesn't look bad. I would second the recommendation to maybe look into getting a master's degree instead though.

BIGeastBEAST · 10-03-2010, 11:37 AM

And history and philosophy are completely different fields. ~ Romanigypsyeyes
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No they aren't, not to employers. They both provide the same skills (if you want to call them that), reading, writing, and some critical thinking.

There isn't anything one could do that the other couldn't. So having both would just be repetitive and useless.

However, Chemistry and Chemical Engineering is different, because it's a different skill, hence - you offer more to an employer. If the OP wants to be a Chemical Engineer, I suppose he has no other choice than to get a degree in Chemical Engineering, however a masters degree seems much more logical, if possible.

Just like a Poli Sci major who wants to work in IT - they'll need to get some technical education.

Remember folks, in the long run education is a small part of your career. The more you work, the less it matters. Eventually it just becomes a check mark to make sure you meet the pre-req's for the position.

AtomicCafe · 10-03-2010, 04:50 PM

Quote:

No they aren't, not to employers. They both provide the same skills (if you want to call them that), reading, writing, and some critical thinking.

There isn't anything one could do that the other couldn't. So having both would just be repetitive and useless.

Oh, must be another one of those science majors who completely forgot about the benefits of the liberal arts and has to go around attacking everything "below" them....

BIGeastBEAST · 10-03-2010, 05:02 PM

Poli Sci major.

Either way, doesn't change the fact that I'm right.

See how much of a difference it would make in job hunting with degrees in both Philosophy and History - won't matter at all.

Same "skills", if you consider them to be skills. The benefits of any Liberal Arts education is becoming suspicious for many people, let alone two of them in related topics.

If the OP is able to, it would be better for him to just get a masters in Chemical Engineering, but I don't know if he could do that.

QwertyKey · 10-03-2010, 06:02 PM

If you think that for a particular job a 2nd bachelors may be unappealing (and I can't think of any realistic situations, but say you come up with one), just don't put the second. Put only one of them.

I don't see how a degree in Chemistry in addition to a ChemE degree could ever be a negative for a ChemE job.

"Oh, must be another one of those science majors who completely forgot about the benefits of the liberal arts and has to go around attacking everything "below" them...."

Fail argument.

BusinessGuy · 10-03-2010, 08:33 PM

I completely agree with BIGeastBeast. Spending 6+ years receiving two consecutive liberal arts undergrad degrees is inadvisable at best. The transferable skills obtained from history and philosophy are the same, and even if one were to pursue a PhD in either discipline, one could successfully apply with the other degree. In terms of pursuing another degree to obtain specific skills, a professional degree after a liberal arts one, I would agree that a master's would be ideal if one has the necessary prerequisites for the program, but a second undergrad is not the worst thing one could do.

I am a history major who has taken a decent amount of coursework in philosophy. I agree that the majors are quite different academically, but in terms of professional skills they are not.