Masters Degrees

If you want to improve your earning power and employment prospects, then one way of doing this is by earning a higher qualification such as a Masters Degree. According to a survey carried out by the Bureau of Labor in 2002, people in professions that required a Master’s degree as a minimum earned between $80,560 and $22,200 per annum. Salaries are, of course, affected by what type of work you do and where you live. Of the 32 professions requiring this level of qualification, unemployment rates were described as low or very low. Growth between 2002 and 2012 is expected for all these occupations with one notable exception of mathematics, which is expected to remain pretty static.

There are a number of ways of studying for a master’s degree. These include residential campus based courses at colleges and universities or you can learn online. Campus based programs are great fun and many people make life long friends during their time there. College is an excellent way of building up a professional network. Many job interviews are offered on the basis of the selector graduating from your college, or already having somebody else in the company who has. As people rise up through the ranks, this is an extremely important advantage to have. If you are looking to use your degree in a professional capacity, make sure that the college you choose is accredited.

Online courses are becoming ever more popular. They can offer you more flexibility than a residential course, and usually cost less too. Many online colleges offer a range of start dates, instead of the traditional annual intake. This means that you can choose a date that suits you and fits in around your other commitments. Some colleges offer start dates as frequently as every month. As well as full time courses there are plenty of part time courses available. If you need to continue being employed to pay for the course then this could well be your best option. You can work at a pace that suits you. If you have a laptop computer and a modem, you can even continue your studies during foreign business trips. Not all programs are suitable for online training due to a bias towards practical work.

The following are just some examples of careers that require a Masters Degree as a minimum entry requirement, maybe some of them appeal to you: School Counselors, Librarians, Physical Therapists, Market Research Analysts, Rehabilitation Counselors, Instructional Coordinators, Mental Health And Substance Abuse Social Workers, Speech-Language Pathologists, Mental Health Counselors, Social Scientists and Related Workers, Substance Abuse and Behavioral Disorder Counselors, Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health, Operations Research Analysts, Health Educators, Urban and Regional Planners, Geoscientists , Marriage and Family Therapists, Archivists, Curators, and Museum Technicians, Survey Researchers, Statisticians, Economists, Audiologists, Hydrologists, Various Mathematical Science Occupations, Political Scientists, Anthropologists and Archeologists, Epidemiologists, Sociologists, Mathematicians, Historians, Industrial-Organizational Psychologists, and Geographers.

Whilst you might feel that furthering your education will cost a lot of time and money, see it more as an investment in your future. The more highly educated you are, the more you will earn. This means that you can afford a better quality of life. Retirement may seem a long way off, but you will be glad of the provisions you make now.