I sometimes get asked “what should I major in” to which my reply is universally “well, what do you want to do?” Usually a conversation follows where they are looking for a degree that has utility in their current profession but that will cross over to other careers, public and private if necessary. It’s very rare that I get someone who is firm in what they intend on doing for the next 20 to 40 years. So I decided that I would post on the differences between vocation specific degrees versus interdisciplinary degrees.
Firs a couple of definitions. By vocationally specific degree I mean those degrees that are specific to a career. A good example of this would be a Master of Science in Finance, which while excellent in working in finance would not necessarily be a good choice for someone who then wants to work in IT 5 years later.
By interdisciplinary degree I mean those degrees that can be transposed a little more seamlessly over a wide variety of career choices. A good example of this would be the MBA which as most people know is a business generalist degree. This would be handy to anyone working in finance, banking, IT or even criminal justice as the skills and competencies taught are those that are sought pretty much universally more or less.
To further break things down I consider the pros and cons to a vocational specific degree:
Pros to a vocationally specific degree are:
<!--[if !supportLists]-->1.) <!--[endif]-->It shows that you have committed to a career and are growing within that industry.
<!--[if !supportLists]-->2.) <!--[endif]-->You may become a subject matter expert in your career choice.
<!--[if !supportLists]-->3.) <!--[endif]-->It may allow for licensure, such as a Certified Public Accountant which generally requires a set amount of accounting credit hours before sitting for the exam. Often a specific credential is required as well. Another example is in practicing law, you will need a Juris Doctorate degree and pretty much little else will do.
<!--[if !supportLists]-->4.) <!--[endif]-->Often a vocationally specific degree will provide for the hard skills necessary to an industry. For example all the MBAs in the world mean nothing in IT if someone cannot fix and configure a computer. In which case an MSIT would be the better hire.
<!--[if !supportLists]-->5.) <!--[endif]-->When it comes to vocationally specific degree holders versus interdisciplinary degree holders for a job the vocationally specific degree will more often than not be the better or more logical choice. Unless the vocationally specific degree is in an unrelated discipline.
Cons to a vocationally specific degree:
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<!--[if !supportLists]-->1.) <!--[endif]-->Little interchangeability. For example a MS in Accounting is not likely to transition smoothly into a career change into Information Systems for example.
<!--[if !supportLists]-->2.) <!--[endif]-->Some people may find that they get pigeon holed if found to be in possession of a certain credential. For example a friend of mine has a Master of Science in Accounting and she is a CPA, however every time she applies for a job they always try and sell her into coming on board as part of their accounting and finance team rather than her chosen profession of human resources. Her belief is that she has done accounting for years and she’s tired of it, she wants to do something else for a while and though she has spent the last 7 years working in human resources yet she gets about 2 calls a month from other personnel within her company and other companies asking her to come to the accounting and finance department or to their company as a CPA. Of course she doesn’t have to list her MS in Accounting or CPA on her resume, but then the years she spent in accounting and finance wouldn’t make too much sense. She feels she is pigeon holed and is constantly fighting pressure to take a job she does not want to do.
Pros of an interdisciplinary degree:
<!--[if !supportLists]-->1.) <!--[endif]-->Lots of flexibility. Or at least some, depending upon what degree you actually get.
<!--[if !supportLists]-->2.) <!--[endif]-->Some of these degrees command a great deal of respect in certain circles. Such as the MBA at the board room table or the MPA in the city manager’s office. Though these degrees are management and administrative degrees, make no mistake, they are not vocationally specific.
<!--[if !supportLists]-->3.) <!--[endif]-->You are less likely to be pigeon holed into a career you don’t want.
<!--[if !supportLists]-->4.) <!--[endif]-->Easily augmented or enhanced with hard skill or vocationally specific certificates, industry certifications or even a degree emphasis.
Cons of an interdisciplinary degree:
<!--[if !supportLists]-->1.) <!--[endif]-->Don’t count on being the “expert” in a hard skilled or vocationally specific area unless you extend your professional knowledge beyond your MBA/MPA/MSM, etc. education. As such you may not be the logical choice for many professions.
<!--[if !supportLists]-->2.) <!--[endif]-->Most of these degrees are management oriented. If you don’t want to work in management you may be out of luck unless majoring in Liberal Arts, Humanities, etc.
<!--[if !supportLists]-->3.) <!--[endif]-->These degrees often do not qualify one for licensure.
So as you can see there is some tradeoff no matter which way you go. Some examples of a vocationally specific degree would be a Master of Science or Master of Arts in, Accounting, Finance, Human Resources, Information Technology, Information Systems, Programming, Criminal Justice, Marketing, Engineering, etc.
Some examples of an interdisciplinary degree would be: MBA, MPA, Master of Science or Master of Arts in Management, Leadership, etc.
There are some hybrids that do not fit nicely into either category, such as the Master of Science or Master of Arts in Communications (communications may also be considered interdisciplinary) or Human Services. Even a Masters in Education can be something of a hybrid. The reason for this is that some of these degrees are industry specific but provide skills that are universally or at least commonly sought after across multiple types of jobs. For example a Masters in Education may be a great choice for a human resources department looking for an instructor.
By the way it is worth noting that many people who go on to get an interdisciplinary degree already have a vocationally specific undergraduate degree, but then many do not. The same rule applies for undergrad degrees. For example a BS in Accounting is a vocationally specific degree whereas a BS in Business Administration is more interdisciplinary.
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Of course this blog post, as are all my blog posts, is strictly my opinion and may not be agreeable to one and all but I hope I could at least shed some light on the topic.