On 6/20/08, Uday Gajendar <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > > And can we please stop referring to a graduate degree as "a piece of > paper"? I find that personally offensive and downright insulting. I didn't > spend $100K for a piece of paper. I spend 100K for a launchpad to a career > and all that it comprises. If graduate education is not for you, then please > don't trash it with dismissive terms.
I'm not trashing degrees... in fact I said I really wished I were in a situation that allowed me to attain one. But what you just said above, that your degree was a launchpad to your career, that's exactly what I'm talking about... when you're just starting out, a degree is much more valuable than it is when you have 10+ years' experience. It has tangible benefits. For someone without such a degree but with significant experience, the benefits aren't as tangible. And at some point, "tangibility" becomes very, very important. One situation in which advanced degrees *can* have tangible benefits for advanced practitioners is when those degrees are in something *other than* design. For example an MBA. While the idea of suffering through an accounting class makes my insides all knotty, the idea of creating business success *through* design makes me giddy. Your typical MBA costs between $20-50k and offers some accommodation for working professionals. On top of this, an MBA would qualify an experienced designer for positions they wouldn't have qualified for before, leading to let's say a $10-20k per year bump in salary. At that rate, even the most expensive MBA pays for itself and then some in three years. Yes, I realize the horror of what I'm doing, analyzing education based on the numbers. But really, some degree of this is necessary *once you've got an established career.* Just something to think about... F. ________________________________________________________________ Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ....... [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe ................ http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines ............ http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .................. http://www.ixda.org/help
