Hi all!!

I'm probably going to open up a big can 'o worms here but there's something
that's been bugging me as I plow through all these job announcements.

Why are advanced degrees required?

I'm curious about the recent trend for more education.  It used to be that
one got a bachelor's in a field, worked for several years and then
considered getting a master's, unless one was in a research/academic field
like the hard sciences where one just went straight through and got a Ph.D.
 But now it seems like to be competitive, a master's is the norm with extra
certificates and qualifications tacked on.  Instead of working between
degrees, people are going straight through and getting advanced degrees
which produce a whole lot of highly educated people without experience who
still can't get jobs.

 I also get grumbly when I see education positions requiring an advanced
degree in the subject matter (like art or science) but coursework in
education not being required.  I personally think that a master's in art
history does not qualify one to teach art to school groups.  A master's in
art education would however.  The reasoning behind this is that education
is the key skill in education jobs, not subject matter, which a good
educator can pick up pretty quickly in most cases.

Comments from the peanut gallery would be appreciated.

Deb, just shy of an M.Ed.  :)

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