by Junar M. Diguel
Fifty years ago, you could get by professionally with just a bachelor’s degree. Not anymore. For the world is changing and the competition is becoming tougher every time. As the world continues to change, new competence requirements are being imposed on workers, from those doing menial labor to those in the highest echelons of private or government organizations who have to have several professional letters after their names such as LlB, MA, MS, MBM, MBA, MPA, PhD, MD, etcetera.
And the competition for positions is steeper every time. It used to be that only one or two would be applying for a position. But now, try announcing a teaching position vacancy and chances are, you will get hundreds of applications, if not thousands. Naturally, the employer will get the best qualified—those who earned the highest if not the most number of academic degrees from the most respected institutions, or those with the best experience.
So for those aspiring to become teachers, having a bachelor’s degree and passing the teacher’s exam might be enough to get you to the lowest ranking teaching position but this might not be true several years from now. The only way to be assured of a good position if not security of tenure is to keep on improving on your qualifications. Go to graduate school and earned an advanced degree after office hours or during weekends or the summer months, and please do so while you are still young and have the time and energy for it. Once you have a master’s degree or a PhD (doctorate), you cannot be easily kicked around. Instead, you might be doing the kicking around.
And the more qualifications you have, your chances of being promoted are proportionately better. Which means that your pay would be higher or above the subsistence level.
With these realities, our educational system has adapted. Thus, nowadays, universities are replacing bachelor’s degrees to master’s degrees as minimum requirements for instructors in compliance with CHED Memorandum No. 46 series of 2012, for them to maintain their autonomous status. In addition, section 35 of article VIII of the Manual of Regulation for Private Education of 2008 prevents college teachers from teaching major subjects unless they have master’s degrees.
What are we saying here? While most of us don’t relish spending sleepless nights to satisfy graduate or postgraduate degree requirements, and our spare time for family and other concerns to be taken away, it will be well worth the sacrifice. Take also the expenses required (usually quite substantial) to be an investment for a life time of benefits, financial or otherwise. You will have a better salary and a comfortable life which would be the envy of neighbors.
And the more academic degree letters after your name, the more prestige or respect you and your family members will be accorded in the community.
But most of all, you will become a better person which will rub off to your kids and to those you will be relating with. **
