business degrees vs education degrees

Discussion in 'General Distance Learning Discussions' started by business, Jul 22, 2005.

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  1. business

    business New Member

    Many businesses in the U.S. are laying off corporate employees (accountants, finance experts, marketing specialists, etc...).
    Is it wiser (for job security purposes) to obtain a degree in education and teach in public/private schools/colleges rather than to obtain a business degree?
     
  2. Ted Heiks

    Ted Heiks Moderator and Distinguished Senior Member

    A business degree could get you a high-paying job in the private sector, but there would, as you duly noted, be little in the way of job security. An education degree could get you a teaching position and tenure, which (while not necessarily giving you total immunity from job loss) would represent pretty good job security, but the pay would be lower. Not to make fun of your situation, but it looks like the opportunity to make the big money comes with the bigger chance of job loss. If I remember Don Arsenovich's Intermediate Micro correctly, one of the factors in the determining of wages is that, on the supply side of the labor market, prospective employees will likely demand higher wages if there is a higher risk of job loss (or trade lower wages in exchange for job security). If you trust your job-hunting skills and can put aside enough money to go through new job hunts every once in awhile, by all means, take the business degree. On the other hand, if you value security above all, by all means, take the teaching career.
     
  3. Fortunato

    Fortunato Member

    It's a risk/reward thing.

    Jobs in corporate America are less stable than public sector jobs, on the whole. Public sector jobs also tend to pay less than corporate jobs. It depends on what sort of lifestyle you'll be most satisfied with.

    If you can live comfortably on modest means and value job security over all else, then teaching may be the career for you. If you prefer to have more opportunities for advancement and can tolerate more risk, then go for the corporate gig.

    (Note, I'm not saying that there are no opportunities for advancement in education, just as there are a lot of low-paying crappy McJobs in the the private sector. It's just that on average, there is more opportunity in the private sector, but there is correspondingly more risk.)
     
  4. Ted Heiks

    Ted Heiks Moderator and Distinguished Senior Member

    By the way about teaching in "public and private schools and colleges," you would need a degree in education only for high school teaching (unless you plan to teach education classes at the college level). Regardless of whether you plan to teach at the high school level or the college level, you will need a degree in the field in which you intend to teach (business, history, etc.).
     
  5. SteveFoerster

    SteveFoerster Resident Gadfly Staff Member

    Re: Re: business degrees vs education degrees

    Indeed, in fact I'm told by our online campus's dean that one of the hardest instructor positions to fill is that for Finance.

    -=Steve=-
     
  6. Ted Heiks

    Ted Heiks Moderator and Distinguished Senior Member

    Re: Re: Re: business degrees vs education degrees

    Could this be because working as a financier in private industry pays so much more than being a poor humble finance professor?
     
  7. SteveFoerster

    SteveFoerster Resident Gadfly Staff Member

    Re: Re: Re: Re: business degrees vs education degrees

    That and that evidently most people in business take an MBA instead of a Master's in a business field.

    -=Steve=-
     
  8. Jack Tracey

    Jack Tracey New Member

    I spend a substantial portion of my work week talking to school teachers and their administrators about kids and what they need. One thing kids don't need is one more teacher who has gotten into the business only because they're interested in job security. If that's your motivation, study something (anything) else. The kids deserve better.
    Jack
     

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