Maybe You Shouldn’t Get A Master’s Degree 👀

In this video I talk about why you should not get a master's degree
It's about learning, coding, and generally how to get your sh*t together c:

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[feraskiki]

People that this video does NOT apply to:

- People who can get scholarship / it is very cheap to get a degree (and you expect significant increase in your salary)
- People who don't really have other alternatives (i.e you live in a country with high unemployment)
- People in developing countries (you can immigrate / travel easier with a masters)
- People in fields where masters is expected / required.
This is not just in academic fields, but also for working in R&D where a Ph.D is even expected.

For many people from countries from MENA, Asia, and Africa, getting a masters or even Ph.D is a great way to move to another country and have a proper salary to begin with.
However, I don't think that people from these countries would need a Masters necesserly if things were good in their countries.

[bears]

Me reading the title while getting a masters degree 🤡

[master_b]

- Tells you not to get a Master degree
- Also tells you to be more specialized

So, it is not a problem in a Master degree, the problem is that the employer doesn't value young and highly educated people.

[mindtheprivacy]

Do not get a masters degree in order to find a job. Do it when you have one, cause you want to. Job market right now doesn't care, but also, its about first come-first serve. Whomever finds the job first (and its chosen from a potential list od hundreds to thousands) gets it. So don't even bother.

[jopmota]

Do not get any kind of higher education if your only goal is finding a job. Do it because you are passionate about learning, being surrounded by that topic you love and people who loves it as much as you do.

[deanschulze]

If your masters program includes a graduate assistant stipend you have found a job. The pay is low and the hours will be long, but it's better than being unemployed.

In 1990 I was working on my PhD in physics, and the job market for PhD physicists collapsed when the cold war ended. There were hundreds of applicants for any postdoc position, and nothing in the private sector. In fact if you had a PhD in physics you were unemployable in the private sector and had to lie about not having a PhD in order to be considered at all.

With no job prospects I procrastinated for a few more years because I still had my graduate research assistant stipend. I was able to move into software development because I had done so much programming for my graduate research. The mid 1990s were the best of times in software with the arrival of the internet, and the worst of times for PhD physicists.

Take a graduate assistant position if you can get one.

[tm.]

I wish more people without degrees would tell their story of the hurdles they faced not having a degree. You can get by without me but if you see both paths the choice is clear.

[good-tnsr]

Thank you for saying this!!! I graduated in May with a bachelors degree in Computer Science, only 10% of us actually found a job. And none of the 40 people who got a Masters in Computer science found a job… When I found that out it killed my mood. We busted our ass for 4 years yet most of my friends were not able to find a job.

[occupationalhazard]

As someone with two master's degrees, it does really suck to be both overqualified and underqualified for every single position. You would think employers would realize that should balance out, but they only read it as two reasons not to interview me, no less hire me. 🙃

[bigbao]

I study electrical engineering MS now just because my professor in undergrad recommends me to study a MS. Our school have collaboration with several big companies. As I’m researching/specializing DSP digital signal processing integrating with computer science. For me, it’s worth it for me imo. My school covers 80% the tuition for me and I get 2200$ a month from school though I have a 60k debt in undergrad. For EE, a BS is not enough imo, it’s a super broad discipline; therefore, I recommend to study more.

[DorkaliciousAF]

A masters isn't for everyone, true, but the same can be said of bachelors and doctorates. It depends what you're trying to achieve. In industries that either have professionalized and require registraion, or will in future - software engineering being one such example - the top-tier jobs are going to filled by those with the education AND experience. Masters are long-term investments. That said, the cost figures for US study are pretty insane.

I'm in western Europe and hold two postgrad masters on top of my bachelors, which I earned part-time whilst employed full-time. I'm planning a third next year. Intense study is my favourite pasttime and I wouldn't take a masters just to earn more.

I'd be doing just fine with just the bachelors I'm sure, but my horizons now are far broader than they would have been and I'm in the top few percent of earners (more than most MDs and MPs) and work from home. Thinking about my journey so far I've no doubt the additional education has helped give me the edge.

[binry_dstructr]

You know what's so ironic? The underlying message of this video is for prospective students to conduct a thorough cost-benefit analysis before making a potentially life-altering decision by attending college ... which is something you'd learn how to do in college.

[DeltaTesla-phyh]

Honestly. If I could redo things, I'd do a ton of master degrees, one a year, and never go to a doctorate, and I'd only put the masters in my resume that'd help me in my job application.
I would do a bs in math and masters in CS, statistics, some engineering (electrical maybe), data science, psychology, phylosophy and physics.

[puigalejandro]

The percentages of "differential" at 2:55 are calculated incorrectly. Although in a down trend, not sufficient data and not as obvious as shown in the graph. That pretty much takes away credibility of the rest of the arguments. I do think that a masters is something to get is you want to do it no because it will vastly improve your odds of a better job, however presenting erroneous data solves nothing.

[tombarr]

I always wonder when recruiters, especially corporate recruiters are quoted. When I was in the corporate world, they only got in the way. We, eCommerce management, wrote the ads, we did the interviews, we made the hiring decisions, HR might lose things, pick the wrong place to post the ad, etc..

Also, when discussions about degrees occur they should be separated into degrees with directly marketable skills like programming, nursing, engineering, accounting and those that give "well rounded backgrounds". Mechanical Engineering degrees should not be in an aggregated with Suburban Dance Theory, Theatre Arts or English Degrees.

[MartinTimothyTimko]

I do not agree. You can learn mathematics yourself, but if you do not have a college exam, you have nothing. It is about the feeling. A person with a degree will understand things better. I was self-taught programmer, it was not bad, but the feeling, that I did not have a college exam, could not be replaced. In the beginning, it will take time to gain experience in the field, but then college graduates will be better employees. Teaching requires a master's degree, not just a bachelor's degree :)

[kevincodes]

I got a job in tech as a self taught developer. I'm currently enrolled in a Master's program because I enjoy learning, especially computer science. I wouldn't give an opinion if someone should or shouldn't go for it because it's such a personal decision for me. I'm in Europe though and my bill is way-way less... Crazy prices. So it's worth it to me.

[Siapanpeteellis]

I always appreciate your videos because they offer solid and practical advice for young people! While this may be beyond the scope of your current video, the primary reason for the recent layoffs is the high cost of energy. Employers cannot afford these skyrocketing prices, which forces them to cut back on hiring and even let go of current employees. I am in this problematic situation myself, having to let go of talented young professionals because our clients are unwilling to cover the energy costs associated with the models we build, primarily due to data center electrical bills.

One piece of advice I would like to offer to anyone who will listen is that we need individuals in office who understand our energy requirements and can develop practical solutions. Reducing energy costs is crucial; otherwise, we risk becoming an unemployed and unproductive nation. So, this election year, pick the person or party with the best approach to reducing the cost of energy because your job depends on it.

[kristinapaxton]

I'm thinking about doing a masters degree in art psychotherapy. I think it will be worth it, because I will be converting my arts degree into something that serves better mental health to the community that doesn't find talking therapy suitable, and will probably survive AI as a career.

[yowaikemen]

A Master's degree should be viewed as an enhancement of knowledge, not a cheat sheet for employment. The whole employment culture is broken.