# Professional Graudate Degrees: Worthwhile?



## Jake (Aug 5, 2017)

Does anyone here wish to share any thoughts on professional graduate degrees? By this, I mean degrees meant primarily to help further skills in your profession that can be done while working a full time job. Many are on-line, such as the ones I am looking at. My employer will pay for a degree in a related area to my work, so I've started considering degrees like an M.S. in Software Engineering or Computer Science.

In my case, the degree would not be tied to any direct new promotions, pay increases, or responsibilities, but the company is willing to pay for it for me to continue to grow as a worker. As I take on more responsibility and work with a lot of well-educated engineers, I've thought it might be worthwhile. I would like to go deeper into some areas that I've learned about, but am less knowledgeable than others I work with.

For those who have done one, did you find it worthwhile? Were you able to maintain good balance with other responsibilities while seeking further education and having a full time job?


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## hammondjones (Aug 7, 2017)

I'm starting an online masters this coming fall semester. I'm a little worried about the workload, but I figure I can always drop a class if I need to.


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## BlackCalvinist (Aug 15, 2017)

Jake said:


> Does anyone here wish to share any thoughts on professional graduate degrees? By this, I mean degrees meant primarily to help further skills in your profession that can be done while working a full time job. Many are on-line, such as the ones I am looking at. My employer will pay for a degree in a related area to my work, so I've started considering degrees like an M.S. in Software Engineering or Computer Science.
> 
> In my case, the degree would not be tied to any direct new promotions, pay increases, or responsibilities, but the company is willing to pay for it for me to continue to grow as a worker. As I take on more responsibility and work with a lot of well-educated engineers, I've thought it might be worthwhile. I would like to go deeper into some areas that I've learned about, but am less knowledgeable than others I work with.
> 
> For those who have done one, did you find it worthwhile? Were you able to maintain good balance with other responsibilities while seeking further education and having a full time job?



Hi Jake,

I haven't read anyone else's response yet, so pardon me if I repeat anything that's been said.

As part of the cultural mandate and part of your witness as a believer, seeking to become more knowledgeable in your profession is a good thing. I completed an M.A. in Teaching in 2013 and am two classes away from a M.M. in Conducting. I eventually want a doctorate in music, but my wife has asked me to take a few years off before doing that.

Think ahead to what you want to do 5, 10 and 15 years from now and what skills you may need. If a degree helps you forward and you can do it without taking on too much (or any) debt, and your wife is supportive, go for it. 

I currently have the job I wanted (high school band and orchestra director) at the school I want and the goal is to stay here for at least a decade, if not to retire out of the school system from here. I'm doing the M.M. in conducting because if a music job at the college level opens up and it's the _right_ job, I want to have the paperwork (degree) to be able to apply and get the job. I also plan on contributing to the field academically (peer reviewed journal articles, etc...), so having the Ph.D (eventually) will be necessary for me.


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## Claudiu (Aug 18, 2017)

My situation is different than the one you describe in the OP. However, in situations similar to yours, even if the degree does not offer many rewards immediately, it will long term. Pursuing further education will provide you with more knowledge in your field short term too. Long term, I know many have benefitted from having an extra degree by not just having a stamp of legitimacy, but also opening doors for promotion, pay increases, etc. Since your employer will cover tuition, if you can handle the school while working, it sounds like it will indeed be worthwhile.


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## Jake (Aug 18, 2017)

Thanks for the thoughts everyone! Does anyone have any comments on specifically wholly on-line programs?


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## Held Fast (Sep 6, 2017)

Jake said:


> Does anyone have any comments on specifically wholly on-line programs?


 I see no detriment to a fully online degree for a technical field; were we talking seminary, I'd advise against it.


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## hammondjones (Sep 7, 2017)

Jake said:


> Does anyone have any comments on specifically wholly on-line programs?



Yes, I think it depends on the program. For example, Georgia Tech's online Master's in Computer Science degree is rigorous and well-respected and would be worth the effort.


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## timfost (Sep 7, 2017)

I'd say if your company is willing to pay for it, go for it! I worked part-time while in grad school and my brother-in-law is working full time while pursuing his. While the bulk of my work is in my private studio, the degree has allowed me to teach a class at a local college. Though the politics involved at the collegiate level can be complicated, the teaching part is great!


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## timfost (Sep 7, 2017)

BlackCalvinist said:


> I eventually want a doctorate in music, but my wife has asked me to take a few years off before doing that.



I am in a similar position. I'm thinking about working towards my DMA sometime in the future. It would be difficult to put in the time with my work schedule, but then if I landed a full time position at a college/university my kids could get free tuition.

As an aside, I completed my MM in Piano Performance at College Park. I probably walked right by you at some point.


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## Logan (Sep 7, 2017)

I did a Masters in EE while working part time and I thought they were some of the most rewarding classes I took for multiple reasons:
First, because they were classes that I picked because I was interested in them, they weren't part of some prescribed curriculum.
Second, because I had an interest in the topics, I was far more engaged in the classes, being perfectly willing (and able) to engage the professor both during and after class if I didn't understand something.
Third, the students there were not nearly as much of burned-out degree seekers as undergraduate
Fourth, the topics were a little more focused and thus (to me) more enjoyable than trying to cover a broad field.
Fifth, they weren't as mindlessly difficult as some of the undergraduate courses I took, where you had quizzes and such simply for the sake of being able to assign a grade. In graduate school I found the course material deeper but in many ways the study easier because there seemed to be more of a purpose and it felt far less like being forced into some box and more like it being open for me to learn.

I'm sure there are many more but I thought the M.S. very worthwhile, though I'm not sure I would have felt the same about a PhD. I was advised that a M.S. only opens your options, while sometimes a PhD narrows them. Admittedly I was very blessed in getting to choose mainly courses I was interested in and none that I wasn't!

Note that I also opted to not do a thesis (I did a project instead) since I wasn't interested in going into academia, I was more interested in obtaining some more useful knowledge and skills (and happened to get a degree out of it).


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