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Master's that weren't worth it

brainhulk

brainhulk

Diamond Member
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/my-master-s-wasn-t-worth-it-173855765.html?page=2

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I have more education than I know what to do with, and I am one of the long-term unemployed who have given up hopes of finding a job.

After a double major in chemistry and microbiology as an undergrad, I earned a master's degree in molecular biology and gained teaching experience in cellular, micro, molecular and plant biology.

I thought this wide array of experience would at least get me interviews. After hundreds of applications over the past four years, I have had less than five interviews.

My solution has been to try and employ myself. I resorted going back to a high school hobby, as a job.

I'm working on starting a woodworking business that makes canes, using a special kind of diseased wood. Basically, I'm using my chemistry background to create functional pieces of art.
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crazy
 
I smell BS. he probably have 0 experience & want to apply for the department's head position and was rejected.


Time to occupy wall st. he is the 99%
 
TehMac said:
probably isn't selling it right, or is being an entitled dumbass.
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Yup. I have a Master degree, I'm not applying for some entry level bachelor crap! I'm going straight for the department's head position!
 
Kroze said:
Yup. I have a Master degree, I'm not applying for some entry level bachelor crap! I'm going straight for the department's head position!
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Not necessarily. I have a masters, and it took me 4.5 years to get around 5 interviews (4 of them over the phone) before I could get a different job, and I was looking for a different job in the same field I was in, not anything "high-end". Sometime, people don't want to talk to you at all, unless you have 7+ years of experience, even for an entry-level position.
 
Unfortionately you really need good contacts to get a non-entry level position. It's not really due to the economy either - it's always been this way. Lots and lots of graduates end up getting basic technician jobs before moving on. The other problem is that people stay where they got educated and that's not going to work. Getting a job in the bay area for example is much easier than in the middle of Iowa. Can't get employment? Move.
 
My wife will be graduating this May with a BA in Applied Physics. We're both scared she's not going to find anything that utilizes her degree. 🙁
 
brainhulk said:
wth is applied physics? i thought that was what engineering is
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From my understanding, once you have your BA most people continue on to get their MA in a particular engineering field.

This is what she eventually wants to do but we will have to move in order for her to accomplish this.
 
randomrogue said:
A BA in physics? Good luck with that.
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It all goes back to an argument I've made here over and over again -- people need to look at a degree as an investment and need to analyze the anticipated ROI before embarking on a degree program. The problem is that too many people selected a degree based on "what they (allegedly) 'love'" or pick the easiest major available just to get a degree. In many (most?) cases, neither of these options will lead to a good career path and often result in loads of debt.

Oh, and before the "college is to become educated and more well rounded" crowd shows up, let me say: bullshit. That was (and probably still is) true for the wealthy, but for the middle class and below, college has always been about upward mobility and attempting to land in a career to make that happen. It is time we take off the blinders and become a little more pragmatic -- majoring in sociology because "you love it" will likely not do anything for you except land you in debt.

Oh, and for the record -- if money and career path were no concern, I would've majored in history or astronomy.
 
Josh123 said:
From my understanding, once you have your BA most people continue on to get their MA in a particular engineering field.

This is what she eventually wants to do but we will have to move in order for her to accomplish this.
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I've never heard of an MA in engineering and it if does exist, I'd never get one. She should look at MS degrees.
 
i met a woman years ago who had a PhD in molecular biology. she switched career and went to programming and made a ton more money.

another dude i know had 2 masters (microbiology and some other science i forget). went back to pharm school for a ofher 6 years. that set him back almost 10 years wow.
 
Although true, if you loved Physics you'd take the extra couple classes to get a BS. A BA in any science major is really not a wise move. Nobody will take that seriously unless you're going to teach high school and get a masters in education.
 
SandEagle said:
i met a woman years ago who had a PhD in molecular biology. she switched career and went to programming and made a ton more money.

another dude i know had 2 masters (microbiology and some other science i forget). went back to pharm school for a ofher 6 years. that set him back almost 10 years wow.
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>biology
>hard science
also biology is known for not being the best way to make money.

In Europe there even isn't this bachelor of arts/sciences thing, the % of free choice courses is very limited, and the options you can choose are all related anyway.
It seems that USA unis leave a lot of freedom to students in picking courses, but this freedom comes back to bite them in the ass way too much.
 
A masters in a life science (chemistry, biology, biochem, etc.) gets you almost nothing. Many folks who have them are PhD dropouts. That is precisely why I got a BS in chemistry and didn't go on to get a masters in science. Its either get the PhD (which I did not want to do, not that I was incapable), or try to spin the BS into something worthwhile (which I did).

It constantly amazes me how many people make education decisions without understanding what opportunities those decisions are likely to make available.
 
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