Recession Proof

If you could a free degree from any college online, what you get to “recession proof” yourself? Another bachelors, masters, or even a doctorate?

Note you can’t actually recession proof yourself completely. Some of y’all are literal and not chill.

 

This needs to be moved to the general discussion. My stinking phone. Sorry.

 

As long it doesn't have to be entirely online, I would pick something in healthcare where face-to-face contact on the job is mandatory and the demand is always high like being a CNA or an HHA. There will always be a need for CNAs and HHAs since someone has to look after the elderly and disabled.

 

Depends on your goal.

Recession proof in my current job?

Recession proof in general?

The two are different. Another Masters or a doctorate would not do anything for most employees. If layoffs hit, how valuable you are to the organization is what can save your skin barring some collective bargaining agreement that weighs seniority more heavily than the current private sector. There is no sensible company using degree level to determine layoffs. It just doesn't happen. And before someone jumps in with some malarkey about being a "tie breaker" between "two otherwise equal employees" those conditions never exist and degree level is never used as a tie breaker unless that degree has a direct effect on the job. An example of that would be when a nursing home I once did staffing for was scaling back due to a merger they laid off the non-BSN nurses when they needed to reduce the nursing staff. Even then, if you were a crappy BSN you got terminated. If you were an exceptional ADN you made the cut.

When hitting the job market, more degrees do not necessarily make you look more attractive. In fact, if you cater your resume to focusing on education it often detracts. For a bachelors required position the ideal candidate will have a strong resume that demonstrates why they are qualified. As in, they've done hte work. They've done similar work. Their career progression shows that they are ready to step up and handle this job. If your resume can show that, you're good to go. I would not waste my time on another degree. I would use that time to take on higher priority projects or maybe earn another certification. That's it.

If you're talking about a career move or initial entry, healthcare is the go-to. If healthcare isn't your thing I would say that anything tied to basic infrastructure is pretty safe. You'll notice that this upended everything. Yet, Amazon is making out like a bandit on the crisis. Amazon, UPS and Fedex collectively maintain a massive logistical network that, if that failed, we have bigger problems than unemployment.

If you're using degrees to recession proof yourself you're likely doing it wrong.

 

I do not believe in being "bulletproof", "recession-proof", etc. I believe that I am pursuing exactly what I want beginning in September with the Master of Science in Quantitative Management at Duke University's Fuqua School of Business. That said, I do not believe a degree of any kind from any where, with the exception of the healthcare industry, is a sure-fire ticket to a well paid position that allows one to maintain permanent employment through a health, and economic, crisis like we are currently facing.

I am, however, a believer that these types of events generate a wave of individuals who decide to go back to school to finish a bachelors or pursue a masters and/or doctorate to make themselves stand out more against other applicants when things start to be on the mend.

 

I've been trying to recession proof my job skills for a long, long time - LOL.

IMO A bachelor's degree is still handy - I didn't get mine until I was 35 and it just took a barrier out of my way when it came to job interviews. In my 20's and early 30's it seemed that I couldn't even INTERVIEW for jobs I was interested in without a Bachelor's degree - so if nothing else, it was the "price of admission" for even being considered for most work I was interested in. Even in perennial "good job" fields like IT - a lot of positions want you to have a Bachelor's, even if you learned to code well or do other jobs with an Associate's. In more "creative" jobs, like graphic design, web design, copywriting, etc. You will probably be hired on the strength of your portfolio and demonstrated performance rather than your degree...maybe.

So, if you don't have any degree - maybe a Bachelor's in some kind of healthcare and / or business program seems to be something you could leverage in a wide range of settings. If you already have a degree, maybe something that bolsters your management and leadership skills? At least that's where I'm going...