Posted on 09/12/2007 8:15:39 AM PDT by SirLinksalot
And according to an in-depth study conducted back in 1999, those with Ph.D.s in the humanities had the highest debt and lowest income of all students in all disciplines.What, nobody is paying for their in-depth knowledge of all matters concerning gender identity, Marxism and gay sex? How is that possible?
Great article.
Find an employer that will foot the bill, or at least a large part of it. The Government paid for at least half of my courses as “work related”. Most of the rest were paid for under the GI Bill. I had relatively little out-of-pocket expense. Of course, going part-time does take longer; but you’re still earning a salary along the way.
I would have liked to see comments on “education degrees”, such as M.Ed. and E.Ed..
Having been involved in Graduate Studies for several years, this a very good, spot on article.
When people talk to me about going to “Grad School” my first question is “what for?” If they can’t answer that, it’s not worth going.
When I tell people they need to figure out what they want to do first, then pick a program that fits their career aspirations if it is necessary, you would think that snakes were coming out of my ears.
Where else can a kid go and have his parents spend $40K a year so he can party his butt off? Heck yes it is worth it.
In many states the M.Ed. is required to keep certification after so many years. It has become a bit of a joke at some schools because people are only there because they have to be.
Ed.D’s are supposed to be the practical application doctoral degree, however it has never really been treated with respect.
If both of these were set up as true, rigorous programs, we would have some REALLY strong master teachers and administrators that would have the equivalent to an MBA.
Well...that really depends doesn’t it...
If you are going to grad school for a Masters/PHD in some field of applied science...it’s probably worth it.
Business (Unless it’s Harvard, Wharton, or Kellog School of Business) or Humanities...etc...who gives a krap...
But it has been worth it. I can't measure my education by the degrees. For me, the intangibles that come from pushing myself beyond my comfort zone, striving, setting goals, and being rewarded not just in a grade but knowing that I left "nothing on the field."
For me, the 6 years I spent in academia have been the most rewarding and promising of my life. I would not trade them for anything.
NO
Yes, but you went for something. Were you interested in your chosen field? Did you want to improve your scholarship in that area? Does a research or academic position appeal to you? Do you have long term career goals where you know your degree will better position you?
I speak with people who can’t even answer these questions. Generally a yes to 2, 3, or 4 is a good enough reason to pursue graduate school if you have a field of interest.
I just accepted a position with a Fortune 500 company where an MBA is required. I entered the MBA info on the application (name of university, location, GPA and graduation date). I was never asked for actual transcripts or a copy of the degree.
Except for the FBI application process, I have never been asked to produce any documentation to prove I have a college degree.
And whose fault is that? It's not like the AMA has been battling to dismantle the utterly socialist and non-competitive residency system, and replace it with a free market system that would pay recent medical school graduates what they're really worth.
One correction: medical schools are running between $140,000 and $190,0000 for four years. $850,000 is, I think, a vast overestimation of a Cardiologist’s income. A realistic cap is around $400,000 for that field, perhaps a little higher for dermatology, orthopedic surgery. I’m not sure where plastics fit in, but I’m guessing it’s on the high end as well. $100,000 is accurate for FP (one of the reasons nobody wants to do it).
I’m right with you Princess B. I was the only person in my circle of friends that did not pursue a graduate degree within a year of finishing college. The reason? I didn’t know what I wanted to do, and didn’t want to waste my time and money getting a degree that I would end up not using. I now am going back to business school after 11+ years as an engineer. I have not been ready until now. It will be tough balancing the time commitments, but my company is paying for most of it, so the decision was a no-brainer...
And even those the long term goals have changed course in six years - the degree is still necessary.
Check some of the top research universities. Some of the cardiologists there do pull in high income that tops $1 million.
Then you have to factor in the cost of malpractice insurance, which varies widely by field, and the risk of becoming uninsurable and for all practical purposes unable to earn a living at the profession you’ve gone heavily into debt for, because of a trumped up claim supported by a jury of welfare bums who view malpractice awards as something akin to winning the lottery for the person who receives them.
Last year I was talking to a former ob/gyn who’d been in practice for 30 years, never had a single malpractice claim, much less award, and had given up ob a year earlier when his annual malpractice insurance premium was raised to over $250,000. If he’d had an award against him, he probably wouldn’t even be able to practice as a gyn anymore.
Still, I can see how some degrees are more desirable than others.
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