Would you get a degree for an extra $500 a week?

I don't have personal experience in finding a job outside of the military, but if I had to add my opinion I would say a lot of it depends on who you know, not what you have to show for yourself. This may not be true in all career fields, but in the two that I have been a part of or having had knowledge of this has been true. I agree having a BA can't hurt, but I see a lot of military getting a degree from an online college that really is a check the block type of school.
For IT related jobs, I think it is more important to get certifications such as A+, Net+, Security+, CCNA, CEH, etc. Main reason I make that point is I have friends and family that are in the IT field and that is what they want to see. The degree will help you get paid more if they decide to have you for the job, but the Sec+ and CEH is what will get you the second interview. If you have no problem with where you will live the IT field probably pays more than most. The issue with that is the high cost of living around Maryland and other big cities where the IT jobs flourish.
At the end of the day, is it really about making more money or is it about doing what you enjoy? I am going out on a limb here and saying most people in the military didn't join because of the money, so getting a job outside of the military for money doesn't make a lot of sense to me.

My guess for highest paying, with a degree I would have to say something in the medical, either Pharmacist or Surgeon.
For the highest paid without a degree, I would say Air Traffic Controller.

1LT Laurie Deitemeyer I would eat a crap sandwich for an extra $500 a week, without any salt. That's $12k per year. Hell over the last 3 years I have had to take $15k in pay cuts. Laurie tell me where I go to get this kind of deal and I will give you $100 of that $500. ;-)

Great topic. Im gonna go a little further with this one. I think that senior NCO's, E-7 and up, should have to get a degree. I would say that in order to achieve E7 a soldier should have an Associates or equivalent and to move on they should get a BS or BA. It incentivises soldiers to better themselves and sets them up for careers after the Army. It also demonstrates a discipline and drive that I think is important for senior NCO's. However, i do believe that the Army would need to change its pay scale to reflect the additional schooling. I believe the current pay scale is already unfair and uneven. Perhaps requiring a degree would help to support a change in that scale. Already, there are a number of Senior NCO's who have degrees and are in extremely important and influential positions, yet they are paid and can can retire at E9 with 30 yrs and still makes only slightly more in retirement than an O3 with 20. There is something inherently wrong with that with that.

I am back in school... yet again. And thanks to a few more years of experience (maturity) I will be sticking it out until I am complete. The extra $$$ per week will just be bonus when the time comes. I am doing this for me and for my kids. I want them to see both of their parents with a degree (currently only my wife has one) and use that for encouragement when they go off to college.

Heck, even an extra $100 a week is 5k a year and 50k over 10 years. That's a really nice car or 4 years of house payments...and a nice vacation.

The value of education is often underestimated. While it is very true that there are many high paying jobs that do not require a degree (mostly in the skilled trades), for the most part, degrees will more than pay for themselves over the course of ones working life.
On reviewing your chart, I am somewhat surprised to see the percentage of female veterans is higher than male veterans in Government and Manufacturing. Not a bad thing, just not what I expected to see. Very interesting!

I'd throw anything IT-related in there as well. The pay bands probably have a higher variance than what you'd see in engineering fields, but it's a solid skillset that's in demand with virtually every major company out there, plus it's always growing. Computer Science is a pretty worthwhile major to go for.

Great Topic and eye opening for those of us that do not have a Bachelor's degree yet. Thanks for posting!

Yes, I would get a degree for an additional $500 per week. Over 30 years, that is an additional $800k in your pay. Every bit counts. Particularly if some/all of your degree is payed for.

I don't put much "stock" into which degrees pay the most, as I think it really depends on your specialty and where you end up, at least at the individual level. I know people 10 years into their careers who barely scrape past $50k with a Masters. And others who are near or over $100k without a degree at all.

In my opinion, you will get paid for the job you do, the revenue you produce, the value that you add, and the expertise that you have...instead of the thing you went to school for, in many cases (doctors and lawyers sometimes scrape by, compared to the cost of their education).

I am using my Voc Rehab benefit to get my BS Degree in Computer Science IT. I already have an Associates of Applied Science and over 15 years experience. It should all go nicely