So, I'm already a semester deep, but I've been hearing conflicting opinions about the choice I'm making as far as grad school and anthropology and I thought I'd try and get some advice here.
I'm getting a terminal MA in Environmental Anthropology, as well as a Graduate Certificate (four classes with the flexibility to choose a focus) in Geographic Information Systems. I'm interested in societal adaptation to climate change in North America.
I went in to this program because I have the idea that merging a social science with a technical skill would make me competitive for potential government / non-profit jobs, or, if I'm up for it, to continue on to a PhD somewhere else (the school I'm in doesn't have a doctoral program). The faculty of the school as well as my former employers in anthropological fields approve of this approach, as PhDs can make you overqualified for some positions and the combination of a theoretical discipline with a technical one would put me in an advantageous position. I'm already networking with other climate and environmental scientists to see how I can contribute to the university's overall research but it's too early to tell if that will amount to anything significant.
However recently I've been getting feedback that this degree is frivolous, and will hardly help my prospects. This kind of opinion has been coming from those in money-making fields like business or law, but nonetheless I've been hearing it frequently enough to get me a little rattled. Maybe they know something I don't?
I was wondering what you guys think. I'm not expecting a red carpet into a cozy job but at the very least I feel it should open a few more doors than I would have with just a BA.
Anyway, thanks in advance for any advice you guys have to offer.