<p>Have you ever been in a situation where a new job opportunity arises but the organization required or preferred an advanced degree/certification (i.e., MBA, MSW, MPA, CPA, etc.)? </p>
<p>What did you do to overcome this situation? Did you go back to graduate school to achieve the degree? Did you convince the HR/hiring manager you could do the same work with just a bachelor’s degree? Or you looked at job opportunities at another company?</p>
<p>There are many jobs and job titles in which an advanced certification is mandatory by the state or licensing boards. I guess you are not referring to those kinds of situations.</p>
<p>I guess I should explain myself more clearly: I am referring to positions where the job description has “Minimum Bachelor’s Degree. Master’s Degree in (blank) preferred.”</p>
<p>If you don’t have an advanced degree, do you even bother applying?</p>
<p>Yes, you do apply. It is entirely possible that the advanced degree person will demand more money than you and that a bachelor degree at your price might be preferable. Before the financial crisis, I think we were rapidly moving toward an advanced degree being required for almost everything except sales.</p>
<p>Yes, you definitely apply. In my line of work, we try to get Master’s prepared people, but the pool of them is small in my city, so we often hire people with just the Bachelor’s credential.</p>
<p>Remember, if you apply, the answer might be “yes”. If you don’t, the answer is automatically “no”.</p>
<p>Yes, I went back. I don’t know that I was ever “passed over” in a formal sense. “Never considered” is probably a better description. In my field, biomedical research, it’s basically a doctorate or nothing - if not a formal, written job requirement then certainly one that is clearly understood. People with Bachelors or even Masters seldom get to run their own labs. There are rare exceptions, but they’ll usually rise no higher than being some PhD’s or MD’s assistant.</p>
<p>So since I wanted to stay in reseach but I didn’t want to be held back, I quit and went back to school. I enrolled in graduate school at age 29. Four years later I had my PhD and have been running my own research at one level or another ever since.</p>
<p>ten- my Dad’s last promotion was between a Princeton grad and my dad - no college degree. He applied was chosen- job performance and the corporation’s needs will determine who gets promoted. The VP of the company explained to the company president why it should be my Dad promoted- we have a problem that needs to be fixed only (my dad) could fix the problem.</p>
<p>And if it doesn’t work out, realize that there may be reasons beyond your understanding why the employer needs people with advanced degrees.</p>
<p>I work for a company that does contract work for various U.S. government agencies involved in health or environmental research. When my company bids on contracts, they need to show that they have adequate educational credentials among their staff. I didn’t know it at the time when I was hired, but one of the reasons why they wanted me is that I have a master’s degree (in a field only marginally related to the company’s work). The knowledge that I gained while earning that degree is of no relevance to my current job. The value of my degree is that it makes the company’s proposals more attractive to the government agencies from which we wish to solicit work.</p>
<p>I had never worked for a government contractor before I took this job six months ago, and I had no idea that this sort of situation existed.</p>
<p>My husband and I were hired because of our advanced degrees. I have a friend who does not have an advanged degree but graduated from a prestigious UC who has been unemployed since 2001. While my undergraduate degree is not from a top tier university. So I tend to think the advanced degree did help.</p>
<p>of course the person with out the advanced degree could expect more money as compensation so could actually be a disadvantage.
The people doing the hiring also don’t seem to have advanced degrees/from expensive colleges so you might keep that in mind.</p>
<p>If you are having trouble finding work- aren’t in the sciences and are thinking of graduate school instead of entering the workforce- you might remember that you will be incurring bills while others are getting experience.</p>
<p>emeraldkity4, thanks for your input. I am currently employed (thank goodness cause Michigan isn’t the place to be) but I want to make more money than I make now and pursue a management role. I really don’t want to get an advanced degree right now (even though I’ve noticed some jobs I like require or recommend it). I’ll just see what comes my way.</p>
<p>Most of the time in the type of situation, you have posted some people will have a vast amount of experience whill will compensate for the lack of a masters. </p>
<p>However, some peoplw who know the heirachy of getting from point A to Point B in their careers will also have a plan as to how to go about doing what it takes to get to their next job. </p>
<p>Since you are at Mich, if you are an employee, take advantage of getting your masters on their dime (pay the taxes). This way you will have the best of both worlds; education and experience.</p>
<p>I have been trying to teach my kids- ( this is the do as I say part, not as I do part) that connections can make a difference- maybe not now but perhaps in ten years.
I agree with Sybbie, take advantage of the opportunities you have and keep track of those who have been helpful.</p>
<p>The worst case scenario I fear is if I go back to grad school now full-time and apply for jobs two years later, I may witness fewer interview opportunities because I have “lots of education” from two elite schools but not a lot of work experience. What do you think?</p>
<p>In the early 90s, my husband was offered and accepted a job at IBM at the executive level. Quite a good job. High salary based on his experience.</p>
<p>Then HR found out he’d never actually gotten a college degree. Negotiations followed, including an offer to send him back to college to finish his degree WHILE PAYING HIM THE SALARY. It boiled down to: get the degree or you don’t get the job. He didn’t take the job after all.</p>
<p>It’s usually more prudent to have some working experience prior to grad school unless you want to pursue a PhD. Are you talking about an entry level job ?</p>