OPINION: Thinking about getting a Master's Degree in Marketing? Don't.

This is an introspective journey meant to give insight for those who are considering getting a Master's Degree in Marketing.

In the modern world of marketing, where digital strategies evolve at breakneck speed and consumer behaviors constantly shift, the pursuit of higher education often appears as a beacon of knowledge and career advancement.

After eight years entrenched in the industry, I had found myself questioning the value of the Master's Degree in Marketing and whether I should get one (I've since graduated and continued working during this time). At the time, my company was willing to pay for my education - up to $10,000, half the cost of my Master's - so I took the plunge. Six months later, I left said company and had to pay back everything they already paid, and took on the rest of the financial burden to finish my degree. While I am ultimately glad I received a Master's Degree, personally I don't feel like the ROI for the education is there. Keep reading to learn why I think why.

The Allure of Advanced Education

As a Millennial, I grew up with the older generations telling me that having degrees will earn me more money and open more doors for my career. While I got my Bachelor's Degree in Communications, after having worked in Marketing for eight years I felt like a formal education would support my career by not only giving me new tools and insights, but also making my resume more appealing to potential employers and justify a higher salary. For extra emphasis on the former, I made my concentration in Research and Analytics - a historically weak point of mine - just to ensure I learned something.

My Master's Degree did none of that. For starters, the curriculum was all about following instructions and nothing about actually learning or applying concepts to what I was doing on a day-to-day basis. When I did do something that applied to my job, I was marked down. Similarly, the curriculum was all paper writing and no testing or certification-building - except for Google Analytics, who upgraded to GA-4 about six months after my getting certified, making my new certification now useless.

The job I left to after starting my Master's Degree didn't care about my getting a degree at all (rather, found it a nuisance because I had to not work 16 hours a day so I could get homework done), and the job I left after that, while incredibly supportive, also didn't really care about my Degree since it was my experience they were after.

The Pursuit and Promise

Enrolling in a Master's program was not a decision made lightly. It entailed significant financial investment (roughly $24,000), countless hours of study (really, just homework - I already knew the course material from having been in the field for so long the reading wasn't telling me anything I didn't already know), and sacrifices in personal and professional life (like I said, the job I left for did NOT like that I wasn't able to devote my life to them. Also probably why I started applying for new jobs about four weeks in). Yet, buoyed by the promise of greater opportunities and enhanced credibility, I plunged headfirst into the pursuit of academic excellence. The curriculum wasn't exactly rigorous, but it did take a lot of time because, well, five page papers don't write themselves.

The promise from my University, according to the landing page for their MS in Marketing programs, are (accurate as of today's date):

• Relevant and timely course content (it wasn't)

• Stakeholder negotiation (literally not in a single course I took)

• A business degree is worth it if it helps you reach your professional and personal goals (but it didn't)

The Evolving Nature of Marketing

Moreover, the landscape of marketing itself has undergone a seismic shift in the past few years alone. The rise of digital platforms (like TikTok, Bluesky, and the mass exodus of Twitter/X), the advent of big data analytics, and the democratization of information have rendered traditional paradigms obsolete. In this ever-changing landscape, adaptability and agility reign supreme—qualities that are cultivated not through formal education alone but through a willingness to embrace change and continually learn and unlearn.

The Real World vs. the Ivory Tower

I finished my newly minted Master's Degree, while working at the same place I am at now. While I didn't have any lofty expectations for having graduated from my company, I did kind of expect my 'working to attain' a Master's Degree to have some sort of value while interviewing, or even now as I put out resume feelers. However, what awaited me was a stark dichotomy between the theoretical constructs of academia and the gritty realities of the marketing battlefield. While my academic training equipped me with frameworks and theories, it fell short in preparing me for the rapid pace and ambiguity inherent in real-world marketing challenges. The nuanced nuances of human behavior, the complexities of organizational dynamics, and the ever-evolving digital landscape defied the neat categorizations of my textbooks.

The Cost-Benefit Conundrum

Navigating through the maze of my career, I find myself grappling with a nagging question: was the investment in a Master's Degree truly worth it?

As previously mentioned, my Degree cost roughly $24,000. Furthermore, it was all online, making it much more flexible than the traditional degree. About 1/4 of my degree I paid for out of pocket (having to pay back the company that promised to pay for half of my degree, so long as I stayed two years after graduation), and the rest I'm still paying off via student loans (but am hoping to complete this year, two years after graduating).

Ultimately, while I find my online degree affordable for those looking to get a Master's Degree while at home, I do not find the ROI for this degree to be a worthwhile pursuit. As previously mentioned, I didn't learn anything new, and any certifications I gained became obsolete months after gaining the certification. Any jobs I apply to now do not require a Master's Degree, and quite frankly I'm lucky if I even get a rejection letter from these companies because the job market is so saturated by individuals looking for new careers. In short, my Master's Degree has done nothing for me except decorate my office wall.

The Value of Experience

In hindsight, I've come to appreciate the invaluable lessons gleaned not from lecture halls or textbooks, but from the trenches of marketing campaigns gone awry and triumphs hard-won. Experience truly is the ultimate teacher (and what jobs are actually looking for), offering insights that transcend the confines of academia. It's in the moments of uncertainty, the pivot points, and the failures that true growth occurs—not in the sterile confines of a classroom.

If you're a soon-to-be graduate deciding on whether you should pursue a Master's Degree or join the workforce, do the latter: your future self will thank you for it.

If I Could Do It Again

It was a personal goal of mine to get an advanced degree, because I do value education and want to set a good example for my children. With that being said, a MS in Marketing was a complete waste of my time. If I could do my degree all over again, I would have gotten an MBA - which companies actually look for when hiring leadership, or is beneficial to those who are looking to make a career switch (like my friend, who went from Fashion design into Marketing Project Management per my guidance). An MBA would not only have actually taught me things I didn't know, but would have been a better fit for my resume as I look to gain more senior roles as I move forward in my career.

In the final analysis, the journey from idealistic graduate to seasoned marketer has been a winding road fraught with challenges and epiphanies. While my Master's Degree in Marketing may not have yielded the tangible returns I envisioned, as I gaze back at the path I've traversed, I'm reminded that true mastery in marketing, like in any field, is not conferred by degrees or credentials but earned through a relentless pursuit of excellence and a willingness to embrace the unknown. And perhaps, therein lies the ultimate paradox: the very pursuit of knowledge is its own reward, irrespective of the accolades it brings.