Graduate Degrees With the Best Return On Investment

Graduate Degrees With the Best Return On InvestmentGraduate Degrees With the Best Return On InvestmentSo youve graduated high school and made it through undergraduate school with a degree and have come out the other end with a job that pays the bills but is less than fulfilling. A few internet searches and several dozen pamphlets later and youve decided that a graduate degree may be just the higher education ticket you need to land that career of your dreams. Upon further research, however, the cost of tuition hits you like a load of bricks. It doesnt help that everywhere you turn talking heads on tv and in print are questioning the usefulness and cost effectiveness of higher education. Maybe you even begin to doubt your newly chosen educational path. While its true that rising costs of tuition and a changing job market have come together to modernize how employers view advanced or graduate degrees, that doesnt mean adding anotlageher feather to your graduate cap is off the table. Wh ether you should consider seeking a graduate degree all comes down to your return on investment, or ROI. In many fields, spending that extra time and money wont have much of a payoff in the long wrong. In others, it can be your golden ticket to career success. Not sure which category your profession falls into? Read on for some of the top fields in which having a graduate degree still makes good financial sense.The STEM FieldsSTEM fields, a handy acronym for careers in the genres of science, technology, engineering or math, are great examples of positions that have significant lifetime earning potential and require advanced education. If you ever wore a lab coat as a child or dreamt of building complex structures out of metal and glass, this could be the gig for you.Careers in the STEM field space arent numerous, however, and they certainly arent phone it in type of 9-5 jobs. Expect to be using your feet and brains a good portion of your day. Thats if you can land a career making op portunity in one of these highly competitive positions to being with. If you do end up in a STEM profession, heres some salary stats you can look forward tooEngineers and Scientists have quite the salary range. As an entry level position you can expect to make somewhere in the neighborhood of $50k per year. With experience and a little bit of luck in the right sub-field, over the years a solid six figure salary of $150k isnt unheard of.Nationwide, the average salary of a mathematician is around 83k per year. Thats not too shabby of a number if you like crunching figures and calculating geometric angles for a living. Top salaries average $130k per year. Any way you do the numbers, that equals a pretty decent living.Science Jobs, Technology Jobs, Engineering Jobs, Math JobsSave the World with a Degree in Humanities and Social SciencesIts a broad category, but an equally rewarding one. Graduate degrees in the humanities and social sciences fields prep you for a variety of careers. From teaching to politics to counselors, people with degrees in this area do good and get a lot accomplished in the process. And when it comes to salaries, well thats not too shabby either. Some quick stats includeA political science career will average you around $58k, with an upwards limit of about $112k. Government salaries can range depending on specific field and federal or state, but generally expect to earn anywhere from $33k to $123k.Help people and your financial self with a career as a therapist where compensation can range from $20k to $60kTake the counseling up a notch with a career as a psychologist and you can expect to make up to $117k in your fieldCant go Wrong with a Degree in HealthIts a fact of life that we all get sick, age or get ourselves into mishaps that will require the care and attention of qualified medical staff. From doctors to nurses to occupational rehab professionals, the health field is one thats in demand and provides a great deal of job security. But d oes an advanced degree in the health field make good financial sense. We have some numbers to answer just thatIf theres any career more rewarding than caring for people as a nurse, we certainly havent heard of it. And with salaries that range from $35k to $87k, its not too bad on the pocketbook either.If you want to take things up a notch, go for an advanced medical degree that will land you a career as a doctor, audiologist, physical therapist or other medical professional and youll be looking at a maximum average salary of $123k or beyond.Nursing Jobs, Physical Therapist Jobs, Audiologist JobsGeneral Thoughts on Advanced DegreesWhether undergraduate, trade or graduate school, youll have a host of points to consider before deciding whether to platzdeckchen your sights on higher education. Consider the overall cost of the program in addition to your earning potential in a given career field before signing on the dotted line.Keep in mind the short and long term outlooks of a field fo r job stability and growth. You should also take into consideration the location of jobs the degree would qualify for and make sure cost of living makes sense given total compensation. Finally, consider whether your degree offers you flexibility in employment options if your first career choice doesnt come through.Obtaining a degree, advanced or otherwise, is a big life choice and one that shouldnt be entered into lightly. You should also remember that careers arent exclusively about the financial bottom line. Happiness and fulfillment may often come in a variety of packages and your love of a chosen career path should factor into any monetary analysis. Think things through clearly and rationally with an eye to the future and youll be well on your way to a lifetime of personal and professional happiness. This article was updated from the original on July 28, 2017