PhD versus 2nd Masters

[KayV]

Unless they already have enough money to pay cash for it, I would strongly advise people not do a PhD unless they have funding for it. That might mean a teaching or research assistantship where tuition and a stipend are provided, or perhaps funding from their current employment, or military/ federal benefits. Otherwise, unless it will advance their career or place on the salary scale in education, people too often end up with tens of thousands of dollars in debt and still no job even with the PhD.

Disclaimer: I got my Ed.S. when online post-master's programs were just beginning (tuition reimbursed by job), and I couldn't find any manageable online doctoral program back then. Now I am in a quandary of having what is supposed to be a terminal degree...that isn't a PhD or EdD. So even though the EdS puts me right where a PhD would on my school's salary schedule, I still fight feeling like I'm not done yet.