I just read an article in the May 15, 2007 edition of The Tyee, and I strongly recommend it for all you, faithful readers and friends, who are currently in grad school, or are currently contemplating grad school. Heck, I even recommend it for those of you who have finished grad school and, like myself, are left wondering, "was it worth it? Am I better off now, with an MA/PhD than I was with a BA?"
Now, I know that a large part of deciding to go to grad school is based upon the actual field you are in, or planning on being in. For example, a future doctor must go to grad/medical school, a future lawyer must go to law school, and a future archaeologist must go to...?
Most aspiring archaeologists will find themselves up &%$# creek without a graduate degree. It really is that simple. Without an MA, unfortunately, you are not qualified to teach, you can't hold permits for ocntract work and consulting (at least in BC, though I know that most of the US and parts of Europe have the same regualtions), and you are left vitrually without any chance to specialize.
Unlike the MDs and lawyers of the world, however, an MA in archaeology is still not nearly as specific as other fields requiring "higher degrees of learning." I can honestly say that most of what I learned of archaeology came from working in, and making mistakes in, the field. Truly. I don't think doctors get that type of grace period.
So, what does it mean? Why get the degree? I was speaking to a couple of friends of mine today, telling them about my usual lofty plans, and discussing the possibility of beginning a PhD next year. At this point, my friends (including these two I was speaking with) know that I love what I do, and do what I do solely because I love it, said, "well, you may as well just keep on going." To which I agreed and replied, "it's kind of like McDonald's: I've already got three of them, why don't I just keep on going and get the whole set?"
The reason for continuing, besides having the academic equivalent of a complete set of "Shrek the Third" collector glasses/tumblers? It allows me the relative freedom to be able to pursue my own line of research (hopefully) with a slight bit more credibility. And, I do love to teach. And, I must admit, though I won't be saving any lifes with the type of doctorate I'll have one day, I will get a kick out of being called "Doctor" while doing something stupid at a party..."hey doctor, get off that bloody table and quit stealing my gin...!" Not that I would or have done that type of thing.
On anther, slightly related note: if you want all the glory and none of the work, check out this website: http://www.fakedegrees.com/fakedegrees/samples.asp I was absolutely astounded to come across this site for creating fake degrees and diplomas. I suspected a site like this existed but, for some reason, I thought it would be harder to find.
And no, I don't condone this site and, no, I am not going to use it myself. For shame!
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