Does anyone think that a Bachelor’s degree is the “new” High School diploma, meaning most everyone has one?

2017-10-20T13:37:48-04:00

‘…like that old saying, 50 is the new 40!’ Does anyone think that a Bachelor’s degree is the “new” High School diploma, meaning most everyone has one? I just recently obtained my Master’s degree and I’m just now feeling competitive in the hiring process in the civilian world. Most enlisted soldiers don’t have one or don’t get a degree while in the military, unlike Officers who need to keep up their education to go up the latter.

Response by MSG Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 20 at 2017 1:42 PM

2017-10-20T13:42:32-04:00

Agreed. Many of the education requirements in job listings in my area require a "4-year degree in any field".

Response by SSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 20 at 2017 1:43 PM

2017-10-20T13:43:08-04:00

SFC Christopher Taggart If it is not already at that point, it is very quickly approaching. A bachelor's is like a drop in the bucket - everyone has one, and more and more in a subject that has no practical application to the world.
I think that is one reason we are seeing a push in the technical fields, too.

Response by MSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 20 at 2017 1:43 PM

2017-10-20T13:43:53-04:00

I believe most of the branches now require their SNCO's have some college credits or degree to advance their career especially to E-8 & 9.

Response by MSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 20 at 2017 1:46 PM

2017-10-20T13:46:03-04:00

Also great topic!

Response by CW5 Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 20 at 2017 1:49 PM

2017-10-20T13:49:12-04:00

I dont think so. If it were, it wouldn't still be a discriminator to being an officer nor a discriminator for most management positions.

Response by PO1 Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 20 at 2017 1:53 PM

2017-10-20T13:53:44-04:00

I think it is a perception issue, but I agree that it is being seen as the new baseline, and I believe that is unnecessary. There is very little information that I use professionally that I have acquired through my education, but I value my education because it forced me to learn things I otherwise would not have done on my own (anthropology, art, business, etc.).

I actually think I would have done a lot worse in my Master's program had I not had any real-world experience to draw from. That thing was difficult.

I see you got your degree in Business Informatics. How did you like that? I have toyed with the idea of going through some sort of informatics program (certificate, degree, MOOC, or whatever).

Response by SSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 20 at 2017 2:06 PM

2017-10-20T14:06:39-04:00

Hi, SFC Taggart.

Only half of the US population has a Bachelor’s degree. It seems like everyone has one because everyone applying for the same jobs you are does; the job requires an undergraduate degree, so the field is populated with them. The undergrad stood out more when we were an agrarian or industrial society. You didn’t need one to build a car, just to manage the factory. Having transitioned to an information- or knowledge-based job market, a lot of jobs have funneled their application requirements to a higher level of education, perhaps whether the job requires it or not.

I always described my MBA as the Bachelor’s degree I needed a Bachelor’s degree to get.

Response by SPC Erich Guenther made Oct 20 at 2017 2:28 PM

2017-10-20T14:28:01-04:00

Actually, my point of view is the Masters Degree was a waste of your money more than likely but it depends on what your targeting. If you were shooting for a heavily intellectual field like Engineering, Economics, College Professor, or something along those lines than you probably need a Masters at a minimum. I can tell from the profile pic and your saying your not competitive in the employment market is one of two items. #1 Lack of experience, #2. Resume / Interview issues. #1 was probably partially addressed via the expensive Masters Degree, you probably could have done it cheaper via Continuing Education courses in addition to your Bachelors Degree........you didn't necessarily need a Masters. Again though it depends on what specific White Color job you were going for.

I have a Bachelors and I am making more in Salary than most Master Degree holders and I have the option of increasing my Salary by 50% if I take a few more courses and become proficient in more analytical stuff but at that point I will start to see more requirements for a Masters. Not because a Masters is needed but because they want the applicant to have that level of analytical background, if you have it via experience they will waive the degree requirement.

Response by Cpl John Barker made Oct 20 at 2017 2:37 PM

2017-10-20T14:37:29-04:00

Depends on what you want to do; there are a lot of government jobs for example like DOJ, FBI, CIA where you need a bachelors just to apply. Heck, we had some Lt's who had degrees in subjects like Philosophy and Drama.

Response by Sgt Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 20 at 2017 3:06 PM

2017-10-20T15:06:28-04:00

SFC Christopher Taggart When I was discharged in 1972, I knew that I needed a degree for the career that I wanted. In 1977, I had my degree, and started the career that I had been planning for. Then as now, if your desired career, calls for a degree, then that is what you do.

Response by Maj Walter Kilar made Oct 20 at 2017 3:36 PM

2017-10-20T15:36:22-04:00

Not all bachelor degrees are equal, and the value of a degree varies by job. Certainly a bachelor of arts in underwater basket weaving may be considered the equivalent to a high school diploma, but a bachelor of science in nursing is not. In some jobs, it might be better to skip the degree and go straight for credentials, e.g. Certified Cisco Networking instead of a B.S. in computer science.

Response by SSgt Luke Hunt made Oct 20 at 2017 4:00 PM

2017-10-20T16:00:26-04:00

It is beginning to seem that way

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 20 at 2017 4:34 PM

2017-10-20T16:34:03-04:00

For the broad cross section of society no.

Response by SCPO Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 20 at 2017 4:34 PM

2017-10-20T16:34:34-04:00

Checking the current stats for Adult education levels in the US

No HS 13%
HS 30%
AS 29%
BS/BA 18%
Post Grad 10%

With those numbers, as listed it does not support that hypothesis as stated. I was surprised with the above data, I expect to see an increase in the workforce that have completed a secondary education, since our nations technical work force has increased and the jobs that the traditional high school education prepared the nation for such as labor, factory, construction have gone away or now require additional training offered by community colleges. The numbers provided still offers those that have a four year or greater degree has not saturated the work force. So no I do not think that the Bachelors has become the new HS equal.

Response by 1LT Kevin Chapman made Oct 20 at 2017 6:29 PM

2017-10-20T18:29:57-04:00

I would have probably agreed had I not known the process it takes of acquiring that Bachelors degree. I do agree it has become more common for people to have them, but it’s still takes a very diligent and persistent individual to complete all of their coursework in order to graduate with their respective degree.

Response by Cpl Julio Rosa made Oct 20 at 2017 6:44 PM

2017-10-20T18:44:41-04:00

It was starting to look like that for a while but now the whole educational structure itself is collapsing. This is due to education at all levels being highly accessible for free online. oeiple are teaching themselves on YouTube pretty much. Trades jobs are in the rise again

Response by MSgt Thomas Schonborg made Oct 21 at 2017 9:49 AM

2017-10-21T09:49:13-04:00

I certainly see your point. I'm not sure this is a good thing though. I'm concerned that decent trade schools could offer many people a better skill set. And that's coming from someone with a bachelors degree.

Response by CPT Scott Batz made Oct 22 at 2017 10:27 AM

2017-10-22T10:27:03-04:00

The Bachelors Degree is a common degree in relationship to your career. As a Nurse the BSN is very common. After earning the MSN I found that Masters is almost the equivalent of the BSN 30 years ago.. Now the degree to accomplish is the DNP or PhD for a Nurse. I would encourage pursuit of the Bachelors Degree to any individual. Requires a lot of effort and realistic to accomplish in this age of on-line classrooms and resource availability.

Response by Sgt David Butler made Apr 12 at 2018 9:29 PM

2018-04-12T21:29:46-04:00

When I got out of the Marine Corps in 1979 I believed an Associate's degree would help me to get a decent job. After I worked for awhile it became evident that a Bachelor's degree was needed in order for me to reach the management level that I wanted. After a few more years it became clear to me that an MBA was necessary for me to get into senior corporate management. Fortunately my employer, Motorola, was willing to pay 100% of the tuition costs and I was able to complete my Masters with a 4.0 grade point. From there I was able to move into the Senior Management ranks and eventually made it to to VP level. I am a firm believer that without the degrees I would have not experienced the success in my career that I did.