Is A Marketing Degree Worth It? Weighing the Pros & Cons

Recently, I’ve been getting lots of questions from friends and others in my professional network on whether or not they should pursue a postgraduate marketing degree.  Of course they figured the best person to help them weigh their options was a 23-year-old postgrad graduate, who had received her M.B.A. in Marketing just 6 months prior. Although I had my own great experiences, I still had to wonder is a degree in Marketing worth it?

This article is not meant to dwell on personal experiences, but it is intended to address the issue many individuals around the world are asking themselves.  Is it worth it to further your education in a field that is changing so fast, schools barely have enough time or resources to change up the curriculum, let alone hire an educator well versed in the newest marketing developments enough to teach it to young, budding, marketing professionals of tomorrow.

But in an industry increasingly in a state of flux, it is more important now than ever to weigh the pros and cons of the pursuing a masters degree in Marketing.  First up let’s start up on a good foot….lets start with the pros.

Pros of Pursuing An Advanced Degree

Networking - One of the best things you can experience in life is being around people who are in the same boat as you.  When in school and pursuing a degree in marketing, you are going to be able to network with the people who are connected to professionals and businesses in the industry.  

Knowledge - choose to pursue a my master’s in business, but I had no general concentration until I was at least almost a year into my degree.  Even with after completing my creative marketing degree just 3 months prior, I still was not convinced whether or not marketing was the field for me.  It wasn’t until I took my first course on marketing that I fell deeply and completely in love with marketing.  Long story long, if it wasn’t for my chance (curriculum required) encounter with that marketing course, I would never have been where I am today.  Taking a course allows you to be able to explore whether or not the course is a good fit for you.  

Cons of Pursuing An Advanced Degree

Knowledge vs Experience - As the saying goes, knowledge is power.  But experience in king.  You can collect as many undergraduate, master’s, and ph.ds your heart desires.  You will never be an expert until you dip your hand in the dirt.  Experience, is the key to the golden door of the future.  Without experience, whether an internship or entry level position, businesses and companies are less likely to want to hire you.  Companies do not want to spend their time or resources training someone to learn the basics when they could hire someone who is already competent in the field as well as pre-qualified for the required job requirements. Getting the experience for a position can overshadow degree and the completion of your education.

Competitivity - There are many individuals jumping into the growing digital marketing bubble right now.  Many experts do not even have a degree but they have aquired  years upon years of experience since the beginning of the dot.com bubble boom at the turn of the century.  Marketing, with its many influencers, i.e. the economy, slow-job growth,  is truly becoming a competitive industry where experience and result-producing individuals rise quickly through the ranks while other may get left behind if not seriously invested.  

Cost - Nothing is guaranteed. Therefore, with the rising cost of tuition and the growing nationwide student debt average for both undergrad and graduate degrees, prospective students are forced to seriously examine whether or not they can afford a post marketing degree, let alone whether or not it’s actually a necessary evil for professional and financial success in the future.  

At the end of the day, whether or not you are considering pursuing an advanced degree, whether you know what you want to do or not, it is important to make your own  list weighing all the pros and cons.  In today’s society, it is crucial more now than ever to carefully plan for the future. Just like in business, when making any personal investments you must make sure there will be a beneficial return on investment.