I've come across some threads that mention people earning a second bachelor's degree. I'd like to work in Human Resources but I lack the work experience and my undergraduate degree major is Marketing/Management. Would a second undergraduate DL degree help me get my foot in the door or would an MBA with an HR concentration open a few doors? Thanks for your input. Trish
I would recommend an MBA but you might want to consider a certificate related to Human Resources Management as an interm step while pursuing your MBA. Your previous education and experience in marketing/management would be a good fit careerwise for a move into human resources. Good luck!
Horne's advice is good; a certificate program--especially one that earns credit towards a graduate degree--might be the way to go. Or you could launch into a graduate program. But don't do a second bachelor's. You'll take as many classes (or more), and employers won't respond anywhere near as well to a second bachelor's like they will to a master's. Don't limit yourself to the MBA, however. Twenty years ago, I would have said MBA or no way. But these days there are many good, specialized programs. Degrees in management with an HR emphasis, for example, might fit your goals. And while some would say an MBA gives you more flexibility (there's some truth to that, IMHO), an M.A. or M.S. might give you more depth in your desired field. If your committed to a particular career path, the degree designation won't make much difference, but what you actually study will. Good luck!
RE: Second BS/MBA? Thanks for your help, Stock, Horne, and Rich. I will definitely look at certificate programs in addition to the MBA HR concentrations. Trish
The best way to get your foot in the door is to pass the PHR exam. The PHR (see http://www.hrci.org/) is the most recognized certification and you can self-study to take the exam. The best and cheapest exam-prep I found was the HRCP system at http://www.hrcp.com/. It's no frills and to the point. In addition to passing the exam you need at least 3 years work experience in HR to get certified. However even by just passing the exam you make yourself a lot more attractive to employers, even more so than having an MBA. Then after working in HR a while,think about doing an MBA. You may find (like I did) that working in HR isn't all that it is cracked up to be and decide a different degree would suit you better.
PHR Exam Edowave, Thanks for telling me about the PHR exam. I will also look into it. You mentioned HR was not cracked up to what you thought it would be. If you don't mind sharing, what changed your mind? Trish
Just from my experience I didn't like how HR people were treated by others in the company. HR people are treated like secretaries. Doesn't matter if you have an MBA, DBA, or PhD; any ideas that come from HR about how to improve the business are usually ignored. Also after you've been working in HR for a while, it's hard to move out if it if you want to do something else. That's why I decided after finishing my MBA to continue on with my PhD in something else. I didn't want to be forever stuck in the HR role. Of course it's not like this everywhere and many people enjoy HR. It just wasn't for me.
Edowave, It's too bad you had a negative experience in your company's HR department. One of the fears I have in pursuing HR work is that of being pigeonholed. Thanks for sharing your experience. Trish
