Let's Talk Human Resource Management (HRM) Grad Programs!

[dfrecore]

Thank you for the additional thoughts and advice!

For some reason, my local HR job market is highly competitive. Even with my experience, I've struggled to even land an HR Generalist job in recent years. As grateful as I am for my current role, I'm largely in it because of who I knew. I'm the only one on a team of 20 that doesn't have an undergrad degree.

HR Specialist, LOA Specialist, and many more positions that I'm overqualified for by experience, have been beyond my grasp, with Recruiters telling me that without a Bachelor's Degree and a PHR, they can't even consider me, since all of my competitors have both.

In fact, there's someone in my department one level below me, who has an MBA, that can't break into Management.

I've done enough research to know that this isn't the case everywhere else, but for some strange reason, the Sacramento region is ridiculously competitive in the HR space. All that said, there's a chance that I'll go get my PHR and then try to apply for HR Manager positions to see how things go before fully committing to a Master's program.

I didn't know you lived in Sacramento!  I'm from there, we moved to San Diego about 8 years ago and never looked back.  I have several friends that work at Sutter.  One in training, one in IT.

I think the Sac job market is funky - so I get what you're going through.  BUT, I still think the PHR is your best bet for now, plus any experience you get doing what you're doing now.  Also, I would spend a lot of time networking.  I think that will pay off in ways that a MBA will not (as your co-worker can attest to).  A degree is just a degree - but who you know matters, especially in a small town like Sac (yeah, I know it's not that small, but in a weird way, it really is).

And again, do the research.  You got a job that some said could only be had with a degree, which was proven false.  Keep looking, keep researching, keep expanding your network.

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I vote for the WGU MSML - it's fast (potentially), its affordable (especially if your current employer will pay towards it), it applies to your field (on the broad spectrum) and it allows you to check of that "Master Degree" box that no certificate can do.

The PHR is not just any old certificate - it is basically THE certificate in the HR world.  The only other one out there is SHRM.  It's like saying that if you worked in IT, certificates don't matter much.  They matter a LOT, especially certain ones that pertain to what you're doing.

If you look at mid-level+ HR jobs, almost every single one will require or at least request a PHR/SHRM certification.  It is almost universal.

You should always look locally to see which cert is more requested in your area.  SHRM used to have a very strong presence in Sacramento, so you may want to look at that instead (or in addition to the PHR).

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Last point - you may want to sign up for the PHR/SHRM as a student if possible. Then the requirements for length of time in HR are not required.