Bachelor's degree important??

P

patricia024

Cathlete
Hi everyone,
Does anyone here work in human resources or do the hiring? I ask because I found out that I have 13 credits to complete yet to get a
"Bachelor in General Education" degree. I have heard numerous times that people will get a bachelor degree in one area but work in another area. They were able to do this because they have a bachelor's degree. How true is this??? Does having a "Bachelor's Degree" really help that much??

I currently work as a Special Education aide at the local public school working with 4-5 year olds. I absolutely love it but the pay is not the best plus this year, the school dropped us down to an hour short of full-time so they don't have to pay any benefits. I went for an interview recently but I don't have enough experience for the position I hired for. That's why I wonder about getting a bachelor's degree.

Thanks for reading and hope to read some good advice from all of you!
Patti
 
I don't work in Human Resources but in my past job experience having a Bachelor's degree helped me get a better job. Alot of places (for instance the psych field) likes having people in diverse backgrounds (degrees) in order to give their clients more views on the world and how they relate to their problems. So if you are that close I would say go for it, that is only 1 semester.

Hope that helps you some!:)

Of course I am not currently using my degree (which is in biology) but am home raising and homeschooling my boys.:D
 
My neighbor is in Human Resources. In order to get further in the company and get a better paying job, she needed to get her degree. She did this while working for her company. She does the hiring and firing, payroll and also the company benefit plans.

I was hired for my first job because I had a Bachelors degree to back me up. My job was in a specialized feild and the skills required were learned on the job. My boss would not hire a person without a bachelors degree, even though it really wasn't in any way needed.
 
Having a degree certainly helped me when I was hired even though the field I am in is different from the degree itself. And my raises have been much larger over the years because of the degree. I think having a college degree shows a potential employer that you have some motivation and it proves you can start and finish something. I'd say go ahead and work through the 13 credits and get the degree. Better to have it than not to have it because it can eventually open doors to other areas as well.
T. :)
 
HI Patti,

Just wiped out my long response to you - So here are the highlights of wisdom I was trying to give:

13 credits - 4 classes or so - go for it!! you will never regret getting a bachelor but may regret not getting it someday.

I have a bachelor or accountancy and a CPA. The CPA kicked open more doors that just the bachelor.

what are your career goals - is it teaching? will a school hire you with out a degree?

Make the time to do it and live meagerly if you have to. It will be worth it. If there are 20 people applying for the same job as you will and they can only interview 5. Will they weed out the applicants that do not have a degree? I don't know but something to think about.

Good luck with your decision.
Winter
 
I'm not in human resouces either, but I am a teacher, and I can tell you that you will never get beyond an aide position without a bachlors degree. I'd also like to say that it stinks that they cut your hours back like that. Aide pay in never good to begin with. How can they expect to get good people to do those jobs without paying them decent! The insanity makes me sick. "We're all about the kids." I've heard it a thousand times, but that is only until the almight dollar comes along.

I also read in our NEA paper a few years ago an article about how a bachlors degree increases your earning power. I can't remember exact numbers, but it was considerable. Good luck in your decision making.

Hopefull
 
Hi Patti,

I have been in Human Resources for almost 10 years. YES, it is important to finish your degree. As others have said, it will open other doors for you in the future. You may decide that you your dream job requires a Masters degree, however you will need to complete your Bachelors degree first. In order to remain competitive in today's market, in most fields you will need a minimum of a 4 year degree.

From a HR standpoint, it shows me that you have the ability and willingness to learn and that you are not afraid of hard work.

It may not be easy, but you can do it. ;-)

Valerie
 
I had my son during my last semester at college before graduation (5 classes). Everyone thought I was nuts to not take that semester off. I knew I had to finish! It was rough because he was born in Februrary and the sememster wasn't over until May. I missed 3 weeks of school but all of my professors were very understanding and gave me extra credit things to work on. I spent a lot of nights up at 3:00 a.m. working on papers and studying. I'm so glad I did because it has really helped me. My salary has more than doubled since I started my job 8 yrs. ago.
 
I don't know what a bachelor in general education degree is, but my SIL is a special ed teacher and just loves it. She has a masters degree in it. What a wonderful career! She works with 2-3 year olds who have problems and it's one of the most rewarding careers I've ever heard of. She forms close relationships with each of the families, and it's a joy to launch the tiny tots into better lives. Requires tons of patience though, and the pay is not great.
 
Thanks for all of your encouraging words and advice. I did sign up for classes and will be starting next Thursday. Aquinas College offers 8 week Quadmester classes so I am able to get 2 classes in a semester! So 2 semesters and maybe 1 activity class in early summer and I'll have my Bachelor of Arts in General Education! I have many classes already leading towards teaching so maybe I'll finish it after I get my bachelor's.
Thanks again,
Patti
 
Patti!

Good luck! I was going to suggest taking 2 classes for the next 2 semesters. This way it wouldn't be so shocking to the wallet! :) You can do it!

Angie
 
13 credits from a Bachelors. If you don't finish, future employers may get the impression that you do not follow through. That's the biggie right there. By completing your Bachelors, you let potential employers know that you have drive, ambition and that you are a winner because you finish what you start. That's why people with their degrees get promoted and the others stay behind.

Stay in school and finish it!!! You'll be so glad down the line that you did.
 
A degree makes a HUGE difference in the field of education. Pay, retirement, state and federal quotas, etc. Go for it! I don't know about your state but in my state, if you have a degree, the district can give you a classroom and if you don't, they can't. Even if your degree is not in Education, you can teach when you have your Bach. Degree and you can work on your teaching certification while you are teaching.
I have a BSE and my husband has a post MSEd. and we hire ed. degree people in our business of authoring DVDs for corporate education.
 
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