Greetings YMF followers, Mrs. Money here. It’s not often that Young Money recruits me to write a post so when he does, I always say yes!

I recently completed my Masters of Education degree from Penn State. I completed my degree fully online while working a full time job. And just for fun while working on my degree we moved twice and welcomed our first born into the world. To say it was a busy time is an understatement, but I couldn’t be more proud of completing my degree and I definitely think all of the time I put in was well worth the investment.

How I managed it all

It was honestly quite a struggle to figure out how to balance everything when I finally took the plunge to start grad school. I didn’t really want to give up any of the things I was already doing such as CrossFit, spending time with friends, and social commitments I had. However, I didn’t want to let that stop me from taking on the challenge. I worked out a bit less, saw friends a bit less, and learned to balance everything. I did most of my school work on weekends while Mr. Money did fun things with his friends, or after work before going home for the evening. I really tried to protect time with Mr. Money as best as I could.

Financially, I was really lucky that my employer helped pay for grad school through a reimbursement program. They paid the amount of in-state tuition of a local university, and would reimburse me at the end of each semester as long as my grades stayed about a B. This was motivating for me to keep on top of my work and have good grades, and really made grad school possible for me.

How my degree will help me

I got my Masters of Education in Curriculum and Instruction with a focus on Curriculum and Supervision. That’s a mouth full! I’m still not sure what I want to be when I grow up, but I’m already using my degree some in my current role. I support teachers to support students who are struggling. I also work with struggling students. My degree is helping me better support teachers and helping me as I serve on my schools’ leadership team. If I ever end up changing my path I hope to work as a Dean of Academics, as a teacher coach, or as a curriculum designer.

My degree will also increase my earning potential. As an educator, salary is typically tied to years of service and education. Working in a private school means that there is a bit more flexibility with salary, but that my pay is decided by the Board. My school gives out contracts in March of every year and since I didn’t graduate until August, I will not get a raise related to my degree until next year. That’s a bummer, but I recognize the value of my degree now, even without a pay raise yet.

Do I recommend seeking a higher degree?

The short answer is yes. Continuing your education will never hurt you (although some of those late night paper-writing sessions felt pretty painful). Arming yourself with knowledge is one of the most powerful ways to make you better at your job, after all, knowledge is power. However, I will also say that a degree isn’t everything. I have three siblings, and of the four of us, only one sibling hasn’t gotten a higher degree. He out earns all of us by a lot. Some of where you end up in your career will be luck and will be more related to your personality and how hard you work than what degrees you have.

You know yourself, your career, and what will set you up for success best. You can always ask others in the field what they recommend if you are trying to decide if seeking another degree is something you are considering.