Master's Degree?

Anyone have any advice/thoughts about getting a Master's degree in something like Information Management?

Would this be a good thing? Over getting more certifications? I was thinking one day I might get burnt out on all the tech side of things and manage tech people or something. Would a Master's degree be worth the $$$?

Hi skepticals,

I actually finished my MSc in Information Systems Management degree last year. If you are interested in management and see yourself in a career with more consulting and using your "soft" skills rather than your "hard" skills, then I would definetely recommend going down that path.

On the other hand, such an MSc cannot be compared to any certifications. It's like comparing apples to oranges

Hope this helps...

Do you think the Master's degree is only helpful if I switch to management and get away from network admin/support? Would there be any financial gain?

I have been told that the IT managers actually make more than the tech people. Is this so? Management doesn't seem as hard

Not necessarily. A master's degree will help you understand some underlying issues when for example implementing new systems and technologies.

Usually there is a financial gain when you get into management, but be careful it's not as easy as it looks. Technical jobs require "hard skills", which could be engineering, programming etc. Managerial jobs greatly depend on your soft skills, you need to be able to lead a team, understand culture, politics, communicate problems effectively etc.

It really depends on what drives your interest. If you enjoy solving technical problems, and installing new systems, I would recommend sticking to it for now. On the other hand, if you enjoy managing people and resources, then management is for you

Hope it is clearer now.

Thank you for the information. I am trying to look into my future plans. I would think that it would be easier for me to work on my soft skills in the long run. IT has a great deal of learning and I think I might get burnt. I thought maybe in the long run I could switch to IT management.

Are there any better alternatives? Do people stay as Techs forever?

Managerial jobs greatly depend on your soft skills, you need to be able to lead a team, understand culture, politics, communicate problems effectively etc.

Many of the managers I know are demonstrably useless at this stuff but still command large salaries. What's the secret?