Higher ed degrees... worth it?

When I first decided I wanted to get a teaching license back in 2008, I already had a bachelor's degree in a non-education field, so it made sense for me to get my master's degree while pursuing my teaching license. I was in the state of Virginia at the time and they were also pushing people who wanted to get their teaching license to get their master's degree because it allowed them to be considered "highly qualified". To be honest, I don't feel like the master's degree made me any more qualified than those who get their teacher degrees at the bachelor's level. In Virginia and Maryland (where I taught after Virginia) both compensated teachers for receiving higher degrees. However, now that I am in North Carolina, I am learning that they do not compensate for a degree higher than bachelor's, unless you received it before a certain date. (Luckily mine was earned before this date!)

So this made me think... why do we continue to push teachers to spend money out of their own pockets to pursue a higher degree. Do "master" level courses really make you any more knowledgeable than "regular" courses that can be taken to continue learning? I have taken many different courses throughout my career and honestly, some of the better ones have been the quick, more specific, professional development courses taken through a local online college for MUCH less than a masters-level course.

I saw numerous colleagues in Maryland continue to pursue higher degrees so that they could move up to a different pay scale and make more money, but is it truly worth it? The time, effort, and money that go into completing a degree is A LOT. You know what would help, if states/counties would compensate teachers like the professionals that we are. Teachers should not have to work multiple jobs, have roommates, or rely on a significant other's income in order to survive day-to-day living.

Let's go back to this idea of "highly qualified". Why do we feel a master's degree makes one highly qualified? Are you trying to tell me, that me, a brand new teacher that just so happens to have a master's degree, is more qualified at teaching than someone who has been there 3-5 or more years?? I feel like there are WAY more other ways that we could determine if a teacher is highly qualified than pushing them into debt to get a degree that may or may not enhance their teaching.

Now, some may disagree with this, but I do feel like National Board Certification is a great way to achieve the highly qualified status. I know that some states compensate for this certification as well and it cost WAY less than getting an additional degree. It allows you to showcase the great things you are doing in the classroom along with the knowledge of education (shown on a test in component 1).

I'm starting to ramble, so let's wrap this up. Teachers, before you go for that higher degree, please make sure that it is going to truly help you in your education career!