Graduate School: Worth investing in or just a waste of time and money?

What is the value in higher education, if you've already established momentum in your career? When does it make sense to go back for a Masters? What payout do you need to see in order to justify the high cost of post graduate education? Or should higher education not be tied to a monetary gain? 

That is, you have established yourself in your industry as a subject matter expert and you have a pretty good gig going for you. All in all, you're finishing off your tenure in the work world making a decent salary, and for the most part, life is just peechy. 

The obvious answer in my mind is well, duh!!, education is always valuable. You will grow as a person and make yourself more competitive in the work place, especially if you get into a position where your employer is comparing apples-to-apples. But really, what is the value in investing more time and money into a Masters if you're already moving forward successfully in your career path. Will a Masters make a real difference? 

You ask me, my answer is undoubtably, Yes. 

You ask my friend, who is a director of a Global auto division working in the US from Europe and has about 5 years my senior in the work world; Her answer, undoubtably, No. 

This friend has a University degree from France which I believe is equivalent to a bachelor's degree in the US. She has achieve a senior level position within her global company without a post-graduate education. And she's only moving up the ladder, quickly. 

In her mind, once you get to a certain level in your career, there are no financial benefits to pursuing post graduate education that you could not achieve on your own without that degree. Bottom line, he philosophy is unless you can equate a direct ROI of that potentially $50,000 - 100,000 investment of your post graduate education, what is the point? You would have to really sit down and break down how quickly you project you will realize a return.

Though I don't completely agree with that philosophy, I can respect that very direct point of view. 

There are a few questions you should ask yourself before dropping a ton of cash on another degree that you may or may not need.

• Why do you want to go back to school? What do you expect to gain?
• Is it because you can't find a job and that is the only other alternative to flipping burgers? What I see often is you have a high rate of unemployed, but highly educated people. And the workplace is becoming more competitive as a result. 
• Do you have an employer that is willing to invest in paying for your education? Keep in mind, an employer that is willing to invest in you, is truly an employer you should be willing to invest in. 
• Do you want to go back to school simply for the pursuit of knowledge, not expecting a monetary gain, but a non-tangible gain in the form of greater knowledge? 
• Are you shifting careers and need training in a new field?
• Do you plan to work in other countries? Are their standards of higher education the same as they are in the US? That is, do they value work experience just as much as having another degree? 
• Ultimately, what are your life goals? Do you want to be a C-suite leader? What lifestyle are you looking for?

Whatever your reasons are, make sure you think long and hard regarding your choice to go back to school. Consider the long term benefits of your post-graduate education. If you're stuck not being able to find a job, try diversifying your search efforts. Shop online, use social to make connections, build a digital portfolio, work though a workforce solutions company, and/or go back to school to expand your skill set and experience.

Here are some of the comments I received on my facebook. Cheers!!

Mona