Perhaps this is rude....

[varJosh]

So how about guys like me, who work dead end, slightly higher than minimum wage jobs? Will a degree from TESU (In progress) open a great amount of opportunities for me, without having prior experience or X amount of time at a company?

[theonlyski]

So how about guys like me, who work dead end, slightly higher than minimum wage jobs? Will a degree from TESU (In progress) open a great amount of opportunities for me, without having prior experience or X amount of time at a company?

Well, that depends. What kind of work do you want to do?

Experience is more likely to get you a job in the information technology world than a wet-ink CIS degree (I am not saying it doesn't happen though).

A CPA job may weigh a degree more heavily. An auto mechanic job probably would lean more towards experience.

[varJosh]

To be honest I don't know. That's why I chose to pursue the BSBA in Gen Man. I have 0 experience and 0 amount of time at a structured company.

[MD_AJIBULU]

So how about guys like me, who work dead end, slightly higher than minimum wage jobs? Will a degree from TESU (In progress) open a great amount of opportunities for me, without having prior experience or X amount of time at a company?

A lot of factors here (not that all these factors SHOULD matter, but tend to) - age, location, your ability to sell yourself AFTER you get your degree. I know plenty of post grads that are not working because the testing anxiety translated to interview anxiety and most office environments that Ive ever worked in are often high stress environments. A lot of lazy, dumb, upper management making terrible business decisions that affect mostly their subordinates in the worst ways. If you haven't been turned off by my negative nanciness at this point....you're probably in a great position to get a good job notwithstanding the previous because you'll look "entry level" and (at least in my industry) entry level will gross you about 50k. Thats great if you're coming from minim wage.

[sanantone]

So how about guys like me, who work dead end, slightly higher than minimum wage jobs? Will a degree from TESU (In progress) open a great amount of opportunities for me, without having prior experience or X amount of time at a company?

I was stuck in the low-paying security field. Even as a security supervisor, my pay was low, and hardly any women are promoted to management positions at security companies. The unemployment rate was still kind of high when I graduated from TESU. While I didn't immediately land a job that required a degree, I did land a higher-paying job that substituted the experience requirement with my college credits.

After finishing my masters, I landed a part-time teaching job that paid $5 more per hour than the security job I had. I was offered a full-time position as the chair of the criminal justice program, but couldn't take it because I was attending an on-campus doctoral program. When I worked as a substance abuse counselor intern, I was paid a few thousand more dollars per year than the other interns due to my additional education.

Currently, I have a government job that requires a bachelor's degree. I make almost $12,000 more per year than I did in security. By next year, with the automatic pay raises, I will make almost $20,000 more per year than I did in security. There are rarely raises in security. If the company has a 5-year contract, then the pay will likely stay the same for five years. Plus, the benefits at security companies are awful. At the government agency I work for, I pay no health insurance premium, the retirement plan is decent, and I can receive up to $5,000 per year in tuition reimbursement.

[tsimmns]

Sanataone you mention a government job, I also love in Texas and while it might be one of my business I wonder if you're a GS 13 employee. If so, did the degree automatically get you into the GS-13 field. I know USAJOBS is weird about their wording with time and experience and all. But then again, when you say Government, you almost might mean something other than a Federal Employee.

[sanantone]

Sanataone you mention a government job, I also love in Texas and while it might be one of my business I wonder if you're a GS 13 employee. If so, did the degree automatically get you into the GS-13 field. I know USAJOBS is weird about their wording with time and experience and all. But then again, when you say Government, you almost might mean something other than a Federal Employee.

I've never worked for the federal government. A bachelor's degree will automatically get you to GS-5 for most jobs. One year of graduate school will get you GS-7. A masters degree will get you GS-9. I believe a doctorate will get you GS-11, but some jobs will not substitute experience with education. With the hiring freeze, the only federal government jobs available now are in law enforcement, healthcare at the VA, and the National Guard.

[cookderosa]

this is a really strange question, because if you want to generalize, the govt collects data on such things. These tables, however, are almost useless. https://www.bls.gov/emp/ep_chart_001.htm
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But if I worked at McDonald's as a front line cashier, earning a degree doesn't change the pay for my job. I'd have to leave the job and pursue a different job. Most jobs pay a certain amount, so if your degree doesn't prepare you for a new job....you might be wasting your time. Furthermore, many people hold management positions before they ever pursue a degree. The degree is just checking the box on a resume next to a job and experience set they already have. Those people bring more than a degree to the table, thus are worth more.

If you are in a career that automatically increases your pay BECAUSE you earned a degree, then the pay will be specific to that career, and doesn't generalize to the population. A bachelor degree holding teacher makes about $42,000 but earning a master's puts you at about $55,000. Of course the "gain" from no degree to bachelor's is HUGE, while the gain from bachelor's to master's is modest. My husband works for a university and will receive about $7,000 per year salary increase if he doesn't do anything. Of course, he had to have a degree to GET THERE.

There's a great book that I think people in their teens and 20's would really benefit from- it's called There is Life After College. It is a pretty good roadmap that outlines the tried and true paths to success, while avoiding some of the every expensive missteps people often make when pursuing their education.

[Aurelius]

For me it enabled a career change within my organization. While my pay stayed the same, I moved into a completely different management role that required finance, marketing, and management knowledge and required a degree. While the pay is the same it positions me to be a Director in the future where my previous position was well paid but a dead end. I was able to land this job before finishing my degree because I listed my expected graduation date. Which reminds me I need to finish my last course this week.

I've got 20 more years to work and had reached a ceiling where I was. Without a degree I wouldn't have had the mobility to make a change without going to an entry level position and taking a $50k pay cut or more.

For reference, the top pay for the position is $110k in Florida. I wouldn't have gotten an interview without the education. Now in 5-7 years I've positioned myself to be a Director or more, making significantly more. Of course I also wouldn't have landed the interview without the 19 years of management experience and networking I've done. It's a total package that gets you the job.

[theonlyski]

I've never worked for the federal government. A bachelor's degree will automatically get you to GS-5 for most jobs. One year of graduate school will get you GS-7. A masters degree will get you GS-9. I believe a doctorate will get you GS-11, but some jobs will not substitute experience with education. With the hiring freeze, the only federal government jobs available now are in law enforcement, healthcare at the VA, and the National Guard.

FWIW, I was offered a GS-12 with basically no college on record. Experience was the key factor.