Is getting a Bachelor's Degree not much better...

[coloradodem2005]

...than getting a H.S. Diploma? In terms of jobs. Most jobs these days seem to require something beyond a Bachelor's. Teaching may be one of the few exceptions. What do you think?

[sir_captain]

1. It's still much better

though it is true that the biggest jump in salary comes with a Masters degree

[swag]

2. Getting a bachelor's degree is much better than getting an HS

diploma in terms of the jobs you can get and the pay you can expect.

[ALago1]

3. Eventually I think a Master's will be standard

But right now I think one could be set with just a Bachelor's

I just graduated and am in the market, what I've found is that most of the places I've been interviewing require only a bachelor's

I'm looking to enter the financial industry just fyi...

[pagerbear]

4. Many companies just want to see the degree

...and don't even care what field it's in. Depending on the field, it might take a substantial amount of relevant work experience to overcome the lack of a degree, and there might be other applicants with similar experience and the degree.

Just my two cents.

[PragMantisT]

5. Most teacher education programs require the student

to acquire a Master's degree to be certified. And the underfunded "No Child Left Behind" program pretty much demands that teachers have a Master's degree. But you can still be a substitute with nothing more than a High School diploma.

[WindRavenX]

14. sh*t

I want to be a teacher, but I don't know if I can afford graduate school. The "Teach For America" program has you teach and work with local universities/colleges to acquire a master's degree.
I thought most states, in order to be certified, required only a bachelor's degree in the field that the teacher will be teaching.
Man, my future is looking not so kosher lately..

[PragMantisT]

20. Sorry man, I feel the same way.

But there is hope. School districts may be so hard up for teachers that they lower the standards.

My understanding is that all states require at least a Bachelor's degree and some sort of state certification. They may raise the standards to a Master's before too long. Private schools can behave differently.

You may try for Special Ed. They will usually accept a BA in ed and certification. They cannot afford to be too picky. Speech/Language Pathology is also a growing field.

On the good side, every hour and degree you get garners you a pay raise. Always acquire more hours whenever possible and degrees as well. Once you have a few years of experience, move to a more lucrative district, like Alaska or a town with a wealthy tax base, with lots of industry and managerial wage earners; they want the best for their kids.

[fishwax]

22. It depends on what the degree is in

And on what you want to teach. My wife just finished her first year teaching elementary school. She has only a Bachelor's degree in education, with one semester of graduate work (that was part of her ed degree program). She was rated as highly qualified under NCLB. One of her colleagues had been teaching for 20 years, but b/c her degree was not in education and she had not earned enough points over the last few years, she was substandard. I also know someone who has taught high school english for decades (she might even have a master's degree, I'm not sure), but b/c her degree is not in english, she needed additional coursework to reach the standard.

For certification, most states that I've investigated require a bachelor's degree in education plus a battery of tests to be state certified for elementary school. Certification for secondary school requires a degree in the field you want to teach plus additional courses in education and a battery of tests.

In my experience and observation, Master's degrees can actually be a hindrance, unless you acquire the degree while you already have a secure job. Because school districts are almost always financially strapped for cash, and most can barely hire all the teachers they need anyway, the extra salary they have to pay someone with a Master's often gives them pause.

NCLB is a nightmare b/c it purports to raise the standards for qualification, threatens to cut off funding if higher standards aren't met, but doesn't provide the resources necessary to meet those higher standards.

[Trajan]

6. GET THE BACCALAURETTE ...

Dont even question it .....

[St. Jarvitude]

19. Amen.

There may be a big gap in salary between a Master's and a Baccalaureate, but there's an even larger gap in lifestyle between your B.S/B.A and a HS Diploma/G.E.D. r

[bleedingheart]

7. Get the Bachelors...

I have a BS in engineering...and to be honest it doesn't actually pay for me to get a masters based on my years of experience. It wouldn't hurt but it wouldn't give me much of a pay boost beyond where I am now.

I think that what you do with your degree is what makes the difference.

[Gyre]

8. Think hard about it

cause the stats are completely against you having any material quality of life without it. While you're at it you might think about studying something that is oriented towards a field that interests you.

Gyre

[coloradodem2005]

9. I am asking based on what I see.

I do have a Bachelor's and I am going back for a Master's. Just from what I have seen, Master's seem to do better than Bachelor's.

[AlienGirl]

12. The stats are against a material quality of life, regardless

I think we're all just screwed unless we're born rich.

Tucker

[DS1]

10. It better f*ckin be!

:grr:

[fortyfeetunder]

11. get all your education early

get your BS and you can always take continuing education, if you don't want to pursue an advanced degree.

Just cultivate a love of learning and educating yourself will be your hobby.

[bookfreak]

13. It depends

I'd definitely recommend at least a Bachelor's degree. However you'd want to avoid a field like mine (Psychology) unless you were going to get something higher than a Bachelor's because you can't do a heck of a lot with it. Frankly I don't make much more with it than I did withtout it. Same would apply to things like Human Services, Sociology, etc. Those fields just don't seem to be very high paying, at least at the Bachelor's level. :-(

I read an article online recently and wouldn't you know it, of all the Bachelor's degrees they mentioned, Psychology netted the least money. Go figure! That's why I'm going for my MLS when I finally get the money together. Then I'll get a job as a librarian and begin making a bit more money (or rather, about the same money but by working only one job instead of the two full-time ones I'm doing now).

[AlienGirl]

16. Psychology

How does one go about getting a degree higher than a BA in Psychology? My dream-job is Forensic Psychologist, but I just don't know how to get from here to there--or if it even can be done.

Tucker

[Mallifica]

17. MSW

I am in a Master's of Social Work program. Social Work is a diverse field in which a BA in psychology is great door-opener. Also, at the Master's level, SW can lead to a diverse aray of promising career oppurtunities. I wanted to get my Ph.D. in clinical psych after my B.A., but found SW to be much more promising.

[regnaD kciN]

18. According to my wife...

...who has a B.A. in psychology (which may explain why she's with me -- fertile ground for study? ;-) ), the next step would probably be a graduate degree in Clinical Psychology, although you might need some study in Law Enforcement as well.

Here are some links that may also help:
http://www.geocities.com/Athens/7429/forensicpsychprep.html
http://flash.lakeheadu.ca/~pals/forensics/faq.htm
http://www.wcupa.edu/_ACADEMICS/sch_cas.psy/Career_Paths/Forensic/Career08.htm

[Zorra]

15. My education has helped me in everything I do and have done. n/t

[amazona]

21. teaching requires a masters, at least for public school

If you want to make a career of it, you're expected to get a master's around here. Some even have Ed.D's or whatever they're called. Librarians have to have master's unless they're unpaid volunteers. Heck, even my waiter at a local restaurant has a master's.

I don't know. I think it's all part of the plan to keep us in debt forever with these endless degrees. Don't know what to tell you. My friends keep getting degrees and keep making the same amount of money...so they are just getting further in debt.

I don't know if my area is weird or what but I don't think you can count on teaching without post-graduate work.

[Nikia]

23. Depends on your field and where you are

There are some areas of the country where there are fewer educated people than there are in other areas. Of course there can be different versions of this, some areas have few people with any kind of college degree where others may have many people with Bachelor's degrees but still few with Master's degrees. If you are in an area where few people have any college education, your BA/BS will really help you get almost any job. A Master's degree might make you overqualified or they might think you are too "bookie" if you have a Master's without experience in your field. In areas with many people with BA/BS, you usually need a degree to get any decent paying job if you don't already have experience. If there is higher unemployment, it might be tough to get a job as a new graduate as the people getting jobs have a degree and experience. A Master's degree might help, but try to get an internship in your field to overcome lack of experience. If there are many people in your area in your field with a Master's degree than perhaps your perception is right for your area of the country.
If I remember right, your field is math. I live in Wisconsin and there are jobs for math majors with BA/BS in a variety of companies especially if you have some computer skills. In your area, things might be different. People who majored in a particuliar career oriented field (engineering, accounting, computer, journalism) probably have the easiest time of landing a job with just a BA/BS as long as they are applying for jobs in that field. For other majors, it depends upon the companies that you are applying to. It also depends on how many people in your field have advanced degrees. I was a biology major and dismayed to find out that 80% of biology majors go to graduate or professional school. I can find jobs, especially since my area is not overly educated, but many entry level jobs requiring my degree pay equal or less than entry level manufacturing jobs requiring no education (not even tech training)and really require little skill or thought. I am getting experience in the field that I have been working in (quality assurance, food industry) , which will allow me to have a more professional level job with a higher salary. A master's would help me in my search for a better job but I am getting calls and a couple interviews and maybe I could get a job with tuition reimbursement (which the job I turned down did).
Good luck. Maybe, you should try relocating.

[DrWeird]

24. Seems to me...

That a bachelor's is today what a high school diploma was about forty years ago. You need one to get a decent job but it's no garauntee.

I myself couldn't find work with a BS in chemistry.

[Misunderestimator]

25. Bachelor's degree is very important....

Actually getting a Master's degree is not much more important than getting a Bachelor's (depending on the field, but at least in my field). No HS graduates allowed.

[kodi]

26. one learns a lot in college, & employers know it.

the bs/ba degree is now somewhat equivalent to a union card. it exemplifies a standard of competence and knowledge in a field of study. it does not make one an expert in it.

[ProfessorGAC]

27. It's FAR Better

Look at the income statistics. The median and mean incomes of BS or BA holders is higher than those of HS diploma holders and the lower end of the 95% CI is higher as well. So, you are much less likely to be poorly paid, and much more likely to be better paid with a bachelors.

The stats are available at any library that has access to the database of the Statistical Abstract of the United States. (Most research and university libraries will have that.)
The Professor

[Iris]

28. Well, you can't get anything beyond a Bachelor's if you don't have one!

Many people go to school and work to get an MS/MA.