Master‘s Degree: Do you want the piece of paper or are you after the knowledge?

How many of you feel like the inevitable next step in your career is a Master’s Degree? Many times when someone on my team brings me that topic for discussion, it seems it’s framed in the same manner: Minimal context, no vision and questionable motives. Most often, they’re the highly-motivated employees who love a challenge and are looking for the next hurdle. Some people, though, see that many leaders in their career path may have a Master’s Degree and have been told "it's just good to have”. In either case, I always ask a follow-up question: "Do you want the piece of paper or are you after the knowledge?"