What is the benefit of having a degree if it is not related to your career field?

[BMWGuinness]

The reason I ask this is because I see many people getting a degree in Liberal Studies. I know that the Liberal Studies degree would be much faster for me to obtain, but it does not correlate with my career field (Information Technology). I have since changed toward MIS (Management Information Systems) which is a Business Degree.

I was just wondering what the benefit of attaining a non-related degree would be. At first I thought that having a 4 year degree would fulfill position requirements just to get to the interview, but I see now that many IT based positions require degree in related field or equivalent experience, and the same with management positions.

The BIGGEST benefit I can see is for military purposes, enlisted vs officer.

[ShotoJuku]

Perhaps the biggest difference of all is just having a degree, one that you can not only list on your resume but one you can also use the press on once you figure out just what your career field will end up being. Then you can fine tune your degree by going after the specific content in another degree.

I am astounded by the number of B&M students who can't figure out what their major is until their junior year as most of them still haven't figured out what they want to be when they grow up.

Come to think of it, neither have I - !!!

[PatsGirl1]

In my opinion only (and I am by no means an expert):
Usually it's quicker, and if you are looking to go into grad programs such as Business or Law school where the major doesn't count, you can get a higher GPA and qualify for those options easier. Also, for some people (like me!) the subject matter(s) is/are easier. I love History, English, Psych, Poli Sci, and while I currently work with Business/IT, it's not as much fun for me to study for MicroEcon as it is American Lit

Military- you mentioned Officer, also to get quick points for E-3 vs. E-2, etc.
Grad School- Law school, medical School, some Business schools/majors do not care about your undergrad major
Government jobs- people just want to get *a* degree to qualify for the job, especially for a government job.

All of the above, except for the military reasons, are why I am doing it. Also, flexibility. Agreed, General Business is flexible, but what if down the road I wanted to do something in non-profit or work for a university, or decide I want to teach adult ed classes? Liberal Arts/Studies is more flexible than Business. Downside to it is it usually requires further study/training down the road (i.e. teaching cert, business core classes, computer classes, etc.), whereas a specific major you have your training.

I work in Marketing with IT (I do web support for a Big 3 auto company)- we require you have a Marketing or Advertising degree to do it. If you have a General Business degree, you need to get a certificate in Marketing. If you had a degree in Marketing, you can do this job and many others, but what if next year you want to do Finance? You'll have to go get additional training-sometimes a specific major can be a hindrance.

Then again, the way the economy is, having a degree is always better than not having one, period. Doesn't necessarily matter what it's in.

[highlanderburial]

Originally Posted by BMWGuinness

The BIGGEST benefit I can see is for military purposes, enlisted vs officer.

I would be lying if I didn't say I was expediting my degree just for the accomplishment of it. I have a promotion board coming up in Feb, and having a degree will put me over the top of the heap for sure.
As far as government jobs, the government REALLY doesn't care what your degree is in, as long as you have one. Points-wise, they only count an AS as a second high school diploma (no points). I met a supervisor in the DHS in the weapons detection development dept, and found out his degree was in archeology!
The biggest part of this is pride. I don't know of only a handful of enlisted guys on my base that have a degree. I spend some of my time during the day doing professional development with the lower enlisted, and have found it a little hard to stress education benefits when you don't have the coveted paper in hand.
Now it will be different story.
IMHO: Don't stress too much on the major, just get what you can. You can always transfer your credits if you find a better deal, or want to go a different direction.
-HB

[sandraeli]

My employer not only offers a slightly higher starting rate to degreed candidates, no matter what the position or field, but also increases the pay scale for those who have or earn degrees. A coworker in her early 50's has decided to complete her BA because she is topped out and can't retire but won't have any more pay increases unless she finishes the degree or gets promoted to a position with a higher pay grade. I'll top out in five years (probably less), and I don't want to get stuck for a year or two while I finish up.

[BMWGuinness]

I just thought of another one.

Sperm banks are very selective about their candidates, and I believe a 4 year degree is required to qualify.

Better to get a degree quicker to use the supplemental income to pay for more education.

I wonder if there is a reimbursement tier based on education.

[sandraeli]

All sarcasm aside, my employer also pays up to $35K for grad school after the aforementioned BA. Though my coworker won't take advantage of that, I certainly will.

Merry Christmas, everyone!

[cannoda]

Originally Posted by BMWGuinness

The reason I ask this is because I see many people getting a degree in Liberal Studies. I know that the Liberal Studies degree would be much faster for me to obtain, but it does not correlate with my career field (Information Technology). I have since changed toward MIS (Management Information Systems) which is a Business Degree.

I was just wondering what the benefit of attaining a non-related degree would be. At first I thought that having a 4 year degree would fulfill position requirements just to get to the interview, but I see now that many IT based positions require degree in related field or equivalent experience, and the same with management positions.

The BIGGEST benefit I can see is for military purposes, enlisted vs officer.

Generally, the earning of a 4-year college degree implies that one is an educated person. It is not unlike a brand, with which a consumer (employer, grad school, etc.) can identify. A college degree tells something about you in three seconds that might take a half-hour discussion to otherwise get across.

Some time ago, I spent years working in IT without a degree. In my experience, "equivalent experience" in lieu of a degree is acceptable to employers for either of two reasons:

One - they want to pay less than market for the position.
Two - there is a shortage of IT types with the skill sets they seek.

Either way, you are vulnerable when the market for IT labor shifts.

An IT-related degree is more valuable than an unrelated degree for those new to the IT field or that have limited experience.

An experienced IT pro that earns a degree in basket weaving later in their career gets a bump because the hr types can check off the degree box.

A potential employer is going to be far more impressed with the fact that someone has been paying the candidate to perform similar work for x years that they would be by the new IT degree.

[BMWGuinness]

Originally Posted by cannoda

Generally, the earning of a 4-year college degree implies that one is an educated person. It is not unlike a brand, with which a consumer (employer, grad school, etc.) can identify. A college degree tells something about you in three seconds that might take a half-hour discussion to otherwise get across.

Some time ago, I spent years working in IT without a degree. In my experience, "equivalent experience" in lieu of a degree is acceptable to employers for either of two reasons:

One - they want to pay less than market for the position.
Two - there is a shortage of IT types with the skill sets they seek.

Either way, you are vulnerable when the market for IT labor shifts.

An IT-related degree is more valuable than an unrelated degree for those new to the IT field or that have limited experience.

An experienced IT pro that earns a degree in basket weaving later in their career gets a bump because the hr types can check off the degree box.

A potential employer is going to be far more impressed with the fact that someone has been paying the candidate to perform similar work for x years that they would be by the new IT degree.

That is interesting. I recently did a study with several consulting firms in my area that placed IT Certifications above Degree in the IT field, and placed higher regard to the Degree when one was seeking management. I was told with my qualifications that I would be stuck in the $30/hr-$40/hr range unless I decided to pursue management.

Initially I thought BSBA MIS into an MBA program would be ideal.
Then I thought BSLS into an MBA program would be fine, since it might be much faster.
Now I'm back to thinking about BSBA MIS incase it takes a while to finish the MBA.
Now I'm wondering if BSLS to BSBA MIS to MBA would be a viable option.

[cannoda]

Originally Posted by BMWGuinness

That is interesting. I recently did a study with several consulting firms in my area that placed IT Certifications above Degree in the IT field, and placed higher regard to the Degree when one was seeking management. I was told with my qualifications that I would be stuck in the $30/hr-$40/hr range unless I decided to pursue management.

Initially I thought BSBA MIS into an MBA program would be ideal.
Then I thought BSLS into an MBA program would be fine, since it might be much faster.
Now I'm back to thinking about BSBA MIS incase it takes a while to finish the MBA.
Now I'm wondering if BSLS to BSBA MIS to MBA would be a viable option.

I got out of the IT consulting game just as certifications became a big deal. I never liked the proprietary certs - preferred being paid for my overall IT AND business knowledge rather than narrow technical areas.

If you already have a decent IT resume - do the BSLS and then an MBA with a MIS concentration. It's the fasted path. You can use CLEP and DANTES business and econ exams to knock out the preliminary (waivable) courses in the MBA program. Depending on where you're doing the BSLS, you can use these exams toward your BSLS.