Human Resources – Is A Degree Worth Pursuing?

It's all about 'Human'!

This means you should be compassionate, empathetic, and interested in solving other humans problems.

In today's world of technology, people are interacting more with gadgets than humans, however, human resources personnel cannot follow the suit.

A career in HR will require you to interact and stay in touch with humans pretty much all the time. If you are an extrovert then you are suitable for a career in human resources.

It may sound as if human resource management is all about humans only. But that is far from the truth. Along with the human aspects, you will be working in a corporate environment.

Human resource professionals help the business satisfy their various needs such as recruiting, disputes, legal issues, and such.

Additionally, each industry and business have their own requirements and culture. Each department within the corporate business will have their unique requirements and you need to be ready to learn and adapt to these environments.

It is unusual to see a need for creativity and judgemental skills together. HR Management will require both of these skills at the same time.

You will be dealing with finding out ways to find candidates for employment, You will find different ways people learn and how to train them, etc.

You also need to be judgemental, unbiased, and aware of legal aspects because there are various governance to be followed in employment. There are state and federal laws that need to be followed. There will be situations when disputes need to be resolved.

All of these will require you be provide creative and unbiased solutions.

Advantages of Having a degree in Human Resources Management:

 

Job satisfaction:

A degree in HRM will get you a job in the human resource department. Many surveys reveal that most of the workforce in the United States are not satisfied with their jobs. This is because in most cases they have gone after just financial rewards and they do not consider what their passion is about.

If you qualified yourself with the traits we discussed above, you are on the right track to consider a career in HRM.

Job opportunities in Human Resources Management :

Almost all major corporations around the world need an HR department. This opens up a plethora of opportunities in the HR field.

Rewarding Career:

Besides job satisfaction, a degree in HRM will be rewarding financially.

The median pay for a Human Resource Specialist is $60,880 according to BLS. This position has a bachelor's degree as a typical entry-level education.

Now that we know it is a satisfying and rewarding career in HR, let's consider the available job types and its descriptions.

Various types of Human Resources Jobs:

 

Human Resources Specialist

As an entry-level job, this job has typical duties as listed below:

• Identify employer needs for recruitment
• Search, and screen the candidates for further interview by the business department with the specific needs
• Help with the hiring process, keep a record for the employment
• Keep a record of hours worked and payroll-related activities

Human Resources Manager

According to BLS, After about 5 years of experience, an HR specialist can be considered for a Human Resource Manager position.

Typical duties of an HR Manager involve:

• Talent management:  Planning and organizing workforce talent
• Administer employee benefits program
• Consult and advise other hiring managers for their hiring needs as well as compliance needs
• Handle, mediate, and take necessary disciplinary actions for human resource issues

HR Training and Development personnel

Besides hiring employees, the next major need for corporations is to train the new hires. HR department typically takes care of on-boarding and initial training to get the new hires settled.

The HR department also partners with other departments for their training needs on a continuous basis.

For example, in technical fields, due to constant changes in technologies, it is helpful to train the workforce with the new technologies. Human Resource will have training specialists who will help arrange onsite, offsite, or online training programs.

If you love to teach, this is another area when as human resource personnel you have a chance to use your skills shine.

 

Should you consider a Degree in Human Resources?

 

Bachelor's degree in HR

Considering a career in human resource management is the right one for you, a Bachelor's degree in Human Resource, will get you an entry-level job.

As mentioned above, you can become a human resource manager after getting additional experience. However, there is a little fast track way to become a human resource manager, get a Master's Degree in Human Resources!

The Master's degree will put you on the fast track of the HR ladder. Not only that, but it will get better financial rewards also.

Is a Master's degree in HR worth investing in?

As much as the master's degree in HR will help you get ahead of the pack in the race of getting into the HR job market, it does have a cost associated with it.

First of all, a Master's degree requires a time commitment. It requires a more in-depth study of the human resource subjects and thereby a commitment for more focused time to study

Another important aspect of getting a Master's degree is a monetary cost. The tuition for the Master's degree human resources can certainly be overlooked.

Is there an affordable Degree program?

If you are worried about the cost of the degree programs in human resources, do not worry as there is hope.

Many universities offer financial aid and assistance to make the tuition affordable. programs are easily available.

With the advent of the online tuition programs, universities and colleges are now more affordable than ever.

OnlineU reports that (as of February 2020) an online degree from Columbia Southern University will cost about $,3700 while Purdue University Global would cost between $8,500 and $11,00

Initially, it may look odd to learn online when all we have been taught is education is bound in a brick and mortar classroom, the world is changing.

Besides, a lower cost of tuition, there are other advantages of online learning such as saving time and money of the commute or residence on the campus.

Learning online may also allow working at your own pace. There are various online degree programs offered by many universities that are accredited and accepted by the corporation. Please do your due diligence and find out the best suitable degree programs.

All the best to your Human Resources career!

 

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