74.

Give ‘Em What They Want

In every field, certain things are required before you can “get in the door.” In the financial sector, that might be an MBA. In counseling, it might be an MSW or an MFT. In my field, education, if you want to teach at the college level, you must have a master's degree. If you're shooting for a tenured professorship, a doctorate is required.

You might be saying, “This isn't fair. I have years of real-world experience that's far more practical than any silly degree.” Well, good for you. But them's the rules. Sorry. A degree won't necessarily make you that much smarter or better at what you do, but if the people doing the hiring want you to have one, then it's up to you to go get it. Think of it as a rite of passage, the accomplishment that will get you to the next level, the new starting line.

I regularly counsel my students and clients about the value of obtaining more education and/or additional degrees. If it makes sense for them to do that—and it varies from person to person—I always caution them to lower their expectations before they begin their educational journey. What they'll be learning should not be their main focus. In terms of priorities, first on their list will be the credibility they'll enjoy from having attained that degree and the doors it will open. Second is the people they'll meet and how they'll be able to leverage those relationships in the future to further their careers. In third place is what they might learn.

Unfortunately, higher education—even at its highest levels—is still full of theory and busy work, and not much that's practical and applicable. Generally, professors still teach the way they've taught for the past 100 years: by having students memorize factoids and spit them back out on a test. I speak both as a student who's suffered during the majority of my 20 years of schooling and three degrees and as an educator who sees the futility of continuing to try to engage students in a so-called “learning process” that long ago proved bankrupt.

Generally, the more degrees you have, the better, because more degrees equals more options. Of course, you will have to weigh their value against the debt you may have to incur to obtain them. If you're going to pursue another degree, learn whatever you can when you're back in school. Just don't expect much.