What’s the highest form of education you have? Has it served you well? Would you go even higher?

26 comments

1. I tried working right out of high school. Peaked at $14/hour with bennies around 2011.

   Got burnt out on software testing after a decade. In 2012 I enrolled in a community college’s welding program. Finished my associates in 2015. Worked as a welder on a swing shift, again maxing out at $14/hour with bennies. I left after a year due to poor work conditions and racist/sexist co-workers.

   Enrolled at a local university in 2017. Graduated in Dec 2021 with a Bachelors in Mechanical Engineering. Started working in the next state over making 70K with bennies in June 2021.

   So the bachelors degree was worth it, and the welding associates helped get me my current job.

2. BA; the degree itself hasn’t served me nearly as well as the connections I made getting the degree. In my present life I would never go back to school for higher education, but if I could do it again I might have planned better and gone directly into a law program.

   Your degree isn’t keeping you on your brother’s couch – you are. If you’re interested in getting off the couch, then you should be taking steps every day to make new connections.

3. BS in Civil Engineering. Yea. Didn’t get til my late 20s/early 30s. For sure wish I would’ve done it sooner but honestly I wasn’t in a spot mentally where I was ready for school.

4. I have a bachelors of science degree in public relations, which has been beneficial for me. About two years ago, I considered pursuing a master’s degree, but I enjoy having a lack of responsibilities lol.

5. Highschool Diploma, hated school and felt like I would “just find my own way” I basically wanted to be a working man and i thought if i worked hard I would move up guaranteed

   turns out the job market of the 80s I was daydreaming about doesn’t exist, I was thinking I would find something in manufacturing or warehouse and work my way up, but I was met with nothing but retail and janitor work that would give me a chance

   I do just okay with my low tier job since I live with my family and can save, hoping to get into trucking this next year

6. PhD, it’s served me well. I went to school until I was 30.

7. PhD. Gave me a secure career with solid income. 10 for 10 was worth it.

8. I have 2 Master’s degrees and I obtained both while working (and while getting each employer to cover most of the cost).

   It’s interesting, I think the Master’s degrees served as a good “get me in the door” tool, but honestly the day-to-day work I do (in consulting) mostly just comes from my peers and the experience of working.

9. BFA. Served me well working in tech.

10. Bachelors degree out of high school but never really needed it. I guess it showed that I was interested in learning but it wasn’t until I started applying for government roles, and their matrix required a degree in a specific field, that it actually came into play.

    I suppose I’ve considered finishing my masters in the past or going on to do a PhD, but I dont think it’s worth it at this stage of my life and career.

11. High school diploma.

    I fell into a job at a radio station at 19 and somehow turned that into a 14 year career spanning two different companies. Started as a board operator for NASCAR races and finished as a station manager for several stations having done just about everything in between.

    When my son was 3-4, I needed a change. Radio DJ is a young man’s job – very cool, very fun, but shitty hours and the pay is awful (even as a manager). So I took a bullshit office job as a palette cleanser, making the same money but more time at home.

    That lasted a year, which seemed appropriate. Ready to get back into the media, I took a job as a marketing coordinator for a TV station. I’ve been here about four years now and it’s been great. I’m making real money for the first time in my life. I’ll never be close to rich; I don’t care about that. I don’t hate my job and I’m on the baseball field with my son for every practice and every game.

    As for formal education – I’m tapped out. My brain doesn’t work like schools do. I would have dropped out of college at 19, and I would drop out if I started it now. My wife is doing her Masters now and I can’t picture myself doing that. She’s great at it; I’m not.

    I’ve been very fortunate to piece together some semblance of a career this way. It’s been a lot of taking chances, differentiating between good opportunities and bad ones, and putting up with some bullshit to get to the next stepping stone. It may have been easier if my brain worked right, but I’m okay with where I am.

12. I’ve got a MA, but honestly the BA would have been enough. The applicant tracking systems companies use filter out those with degrees and those without, so it’s helped me there at least.

    I am looking into academia and gov’t though, so it could help in the future…

13. I have a bachelors of arts in International Relations. The actual content of the degree hasn’t helped, but the skill of persuasive writing has been the core skill of my career.

    Today, my TC is slightly above $200k. I’ve helped launch non-profits, held elected office, worked on campaigns large and small, and received some cool awards/honors.

    I don’t think I’d go back to school. I’ve thought about it in the past, but really only when I was bored. The reality is that I’ve already gotten to do the work that folks who get further degrees in my field do, so I’d really just be wasting $100-200k on a degree.

14. Master’s. I am well-educated but experience in my job (biomedical scientist) counts for a lot more. Knowledge is good but seeing thousands upon thousands of patients’ results is what really educates you.

15. High School diploma. 1 year college dropout.

    Schoolbwas not for me. I aced all of my tests in HS, got good SAT scores, etc. BUT I refused to do homework and other assignments that I deemed “unnecessary” at the time. I could’ve been a 4.0 student if I applied myself. My high test and exam scores kept me as a B-C student, which was good enough for me.

    I got into Finance after I dropped out of college, bummed around until I was 30, then buckled down and got a low level accounting position. I then worked my *ass* off and am now an Accounting Manager making pretty good money (mid 100k salary plus 10% yearly bonus and really good 401k match as well as profit distribution).

    Not mad, but I wouldn’t suggest no college for most people.

16. High school diploma and a bunch of IT industry related certs. I’ve had a progressive career for the past 22 years, with 10 of those years at a top 5 consulting firm all WFH.

    Last year, I made a switch to a different company for a change of scenery. It worked out in my favor.

    I’d say my level has served me well, but my personality and work ethic have served me more. As for more education? Nah. I’ll keep at the certs, though.

    The only thing that bugs me about my lack of education is people who look down on me for it. People like my sister, who is a teacher with a masters; her husband with the doctorate, and his entire family. I get treated and talked to like a child.

17. I have a JD (law school). I went back to law school about 5 years after my bachelors bc I couldn’t find a white collar job and wanted to leave retail. Doubled my salary from 5 years ago, with a stable job that I could stay in until retirement if I want or will set me up good for future (working in public. Service to get the loan forgiveness for now)

    Wouldn’t go higher. But yea, it’s served me well and I have no idea what my life would look like if I didn’t go to law school (I also met my wife there so it changed a lot lol)

18. I got a Bachelor’s. It served me well for 7-10 years of my career, but then I found myself being “managed” by kids with MBAs who had no clue what I was working in and knew very little about management or business, either.

    My recommendation to school age me would be, get the highest degree that you can, from the best University you can, and try to get good internships and co-op experience, to build good connections with your classmates, and to develop skills in time management and emotional intelligence along the way. But do this in a field that interests you, and gives you opportunities to help others by feeling something valuable (and rare because it is hard) as much as you can predict that.

    But mostly, be a good man. Good men are rare, and valuable. Make the effort to be that way.

19. Bachelors in Science. Best thing I ever did at a time when I was pretty aimless and had no idea what to do.

    Currently heavily considering a Masters degree which would boost everything to another level.

20. Year 10 drop out here.

    Have a trade, a diploma and two advanced diplomas. I would say it’s served me well, I have 3 seperate qualifications that earn me over 6 figures a year.

    I think I’m done studying, but I’m only 36 so who knows. I’ve always been interested in mechanical engineering which is very close to what I do now (Marine engineering)

21. I have an MBA. It was absolutely crucial for my career.

    I finished undergrad in the aftermath of the 2008 recession with a philosophy degree and very little else to put on my resume. I never really had an interest in pursuing an MBA, but I recognized my job prospects would be awful.

    While getting the MBA, I received fellowships during both of my years in the program. In the first year, I helped plan and run an international science competition for high school students. In the second year, I did economic development research for the Brookings Institute.

    Those opportunities were invaluable. They gave me something unique and impressive to add to my resume and provided me with real work experience and professional connections.

    I was planning to pursue a PhD in Organizational Behavior after graduating. I studied for and took the GRE, had a list of programs to apply to, and was working on my application. I scored well on the GRE, but not so high I was confident I’d get into a good program. I decided to move to NYC and get a job for a year or two, then start studying to retake the GRE…. which never actually happened.

22. > What’s the highest form of education you have?

    A Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration. I did a two-year Associate in Arts degree before I did my bachelors.

    > Has it served you well?

    It looked good on my resume and enabled me to move out of a helpdesk network engineering job. I’d have probably had a future there by gaining certifications, but I think the business degree was the right move even if I haven’t directly used any of the skills I gained. It was a resume builder in my 20s when I didn’t have that much experience. My field has been in tech since I started working aeons ago.

    > Would you go even higher?

    I’ve thought about going for an MBA, but I doubt it’d provide anything that my current degree doesn’t give me. I’ve also thought about officially studying computer science and getting a degree in that, as I find it interesting, but I’m already in that field and have over 11 years of experience – so I’m not sure the return would be worth the cost on that one (as I doubt a degree will give me more money or get me into a better position than I’m already in). I think studying is still worth it, but I’m not sure I’d pursue an official degree program at this time simply due to cost.

23. I have an AA.

    I went to college straight from high school, but I wasn’t prepared emotionally. My father had recently died, and I just kinda hung out at school for a semester and tried to sell weed. It didn’t go well.

    I went in the Army, got my shit together…then I got an AA as an adult, about 35.

    I’m 55 now. Quite a few times I did an analysis to see if I should go back to get a BA, but I decided not to.

    One of the main reasons I didn’t do it, is that I found a nice niche for myself, and getting a BA would push me out of that niche. I was interested in ‘Management Information Systems’ because it was the IT BA with the lowest level of math requirements. If I had that degree I would have been pushed into a position I didn’t want- wearing business casual clothes, and managing a bunch of people.

    I’ve been a programmer for 25 years, specializing in a particular field. This in-depth knowledge of the industry I am in (a type of agriculture) has been far more valuable than a BA would have been.

    I just looked at some salary scales yesterday, and I was surprised to find that I am on the upper end of the scale for my job (programming, not a poorly paying field) with an AA. I’m glad I didn’t pursue more. I’d probably be managing a call center or some crap like that.

    ** I just read that again, and it sounds like maybe I am in the weed industry. I am not. I am in the alcohol (wine) industry though!

24. HS Diploma, 1 industry specific credential & 2 industry specific “certificates” from universities. The post HS stuff was paid for by employers later in life.

    Also, tried college 4 separate times between 18-24 (before the certs/career) and have nothing to show for it. I wished I never tried college. It wasted my money, my time and wrecked my mental health.

    I now have a great career, make good money, and have a lot of fringe benefits in what I do. It started recognizing an opportunity with a startup that hired me for $16/hr to hand out flyers on the street. In my opinion, college/university is for the person who knows exactly what they want to do, and/or the profession they are going for requires the education. Every job I have ever applied to required a bachelors degree and the jobs that hired me recognized I worked hard and my experience was worth more than a degree.

    OP, if you want to get ahead, my opinion is find a job you can tolerate and work your ass off. Find a way to make a niche for yourself and become the expert of something at that job, anything. From there you’ll find some direction and the money will come.

25. Business bachelors. Work in analytics. Make more than I ever thought I would, remote, & I pretty much do what I want. Absolutely worth it.

26. AS in EET, but started it 11 years after highschool and took 6 years of night classes to get it while being the sole employee of my business.

    Started out designing control systems and took on things outside my education. Ended up in R&D and working on things that had me signing mounds of NDAs with DoD, pharm manufacturers, and Treasury department. Settled into commercial security system design, build-outs, and onsite oversight of installation and testing after jumping around a bunch in other R&D departments for an eclectic variety of companies. Going back to custom product design felt comfortable.

    My favorite things I designed, I can’t say a dang thing about. I’ve had FBI and SS escorts at various times and had a great time. I’ve had fairly extensive experience with FEA… which really doesn’t line up with my education at all, but it was fun nonetheless.

    I wouldn’t have wanted to go any other way and will always be grateful for all the folks who took a chance on a cocky guy with the weird resume. I’ll forever grumble about all the jackwipes who degraded me and my education until I showed them up to shut them up. I sometimes believe my problem solving abilities are fueled with spite. (That never happened at Honeywell though and, except for the R&D management system, was a fun time.)