Many people question the value of various college degrees. Here are my thoughts.

Associate Degrees

Associate degrees are useful for transferring to other institutions.

For example, the California TAG (Transfer Admission Guarantee) program allows you to transfer from a California community college to the University of California system.

Bachelor Degrees

Bachelor degrees are valuable for building life-long connections, regardless of your major.

They are a great career foundation.

Master Degrees

Master degrees are valuable for helping you break into specific roles.

For example:

  • If you want to break into industry research positions or a future doctorate program, a master’s thesis program will help you.
  • If you want to break into a different career path (e.g. BA Biology to MS Computer Science, or MEng Computer Science to an MBA), a relevant master’s program can help you.

Master degrees are particularly useful for switching careers or diving deeper into a domain. They also typically qualify for employer tuition assistance.

Doctorates

Doctorates are always valuable for their instant credibility and high barrier to entry.

If given the chance, you should probably get one, unless:

  • You are NOT planning to use your doctorate in any way as part of academia/education, industry research, or a practice (Law/Medicine).
  • You are NOT interested in dedicating your life to a very specific domain or problem.
  • You are researching something unethical, conducting unethical experiments, or planning to use your doctorate unethically (tricking/harming others).

If you’re going to commit to a doctorate, consider doing it early.

Which degrees should I get and why?

You should get as high a degree as you need for your specific career.

For example, you don’t need a bachelor’s if:

  • You are already “successful” or have a great career path.
  • You have a unique opportunity that will fast-track your earnings or success.
  • You need to start your career as young/early as possible to be successful, e.g. you are an aspiring athlete, young actor, k-pop idol, etc.
  • You are unlikely to pay off any loans taken for the program after completion.

The same can be applied to master degrees and doctorates.

Does school prestige matter?

Yes, and also no.

Yes, there are people who use school prestige as a marketing differentiator.

But also no, school prestige is not required for career success. Ask LeBron James, Steve Jobs, Jan Koum, Jack Ma, etc.