Boost your income by going back to school

Nancy Anderson
Posted by in Logistics & Transportation •



One of the benefits of working in logistics is that jobs in logistics tend to pay well. Especially as one rises through the ranks in the field, salaries in the high five and low six figures are very common, as annual salary surveys attest. This makes logistics a good career path for graduates of just about every educational level: even employees with only a high school education earn on average more than $83,000 annually, according to the annual readers' salary survey conducted by DC Velocity magazine.

Now imagine getting a raise of nearly $20,000 on top of that. That can happen in two ways: work hard, excel in one's work, and wait patiently for raises and promotions, or go back to school.

The latter gets you there faster. According to that same survey, college graduates earn a little over $102,000 a year. And advanced degree holders do just as well, or even better. A master's degree brings with it another $18,000 salary boost, and a doctorate tacks almost $46,000 onto that handsome figure.

Of course, getting a doctorate is itself a demanding job. Ph.D. programs typically require two years of coursework plus a lengthy dissertation that can take a year or more to write. If you love your work and are comfortable with your current earnings, you might prefer to skip the doctorate and simply work your way to a better salary. But if you aspire to upper management positions or jobs where the ability to manage complexity is key, getting that Ph.D. is worthwhile.

And at all other levels, there are clear advantages to furthering your education - and programs available that let you pursue your degree around your work schedule. A good place to start searching for undergraduate and graduate programs in logistics and supply chain management is the Education section of LogisticsJobsite.com.

By Sandy Smith

Sandy Smith is a veteran freelance writer, editor and public relations professional who lives in Philadelphia. Besides blogging for LogisticsJobsite.com, he has written for numerous publications and websites, would be happy to do your resume, and is himself actively seeking career opportunities on Nexxt. Check out his LinkedIn profile and read his other posts on LogisticsJobsiteBlog.com.
Comment

Become a member to take advantage of more features, like commenting and voting.

Register
Sign In
  • Amy J
    Amy J •
    I enjoyed this article.  I did not realize getting a higher degree could make such a big difference in salary in the Logistics area.  Going back to school is a big decision especially if you are an older student and have a family.  Family support is very important for you to succeed. Choosing a school that matched my goals, i.e., time spent at school, study time, location, tuition etc. was very important to me. Applyingtoschools.com  helped me figure out which school was best for me.  Good luck in your schooling…you’ll be glad you did it!

Jobs to Watch