The Changing Values of the Master's Degree in the US

This posting is inspired from my recent attendance of my Grand Daughter's Graduation from George Washington University and readings on higher education in America

The Changing Value of Master’s Degrees in America

A Reflection During Graduation Season

As graduation ceremonies unfold across the United States this May, millions of young Americans walk proudly across stages to receive their Bachelor’s, Master’s, and Ph.D. degrees. Families celebrate years of sacrifice, hard work, and dreams fulfilled. For many immigrant parents and grandparents, especially those of us who came to America believing deeply in the power of education, these moments are emotional milestones.

Yet behind the smiles and diplomas lies a growing uncertainty about the future of higher education itself.

A recent article in The Wall Street Journal reported a troubling trend: Master’s degrees may be losing some of their economic value in today’s job market. Even more concerning, younger holders of graduate degrees are experiencing rising unemployment and underemployment despite years of advanced education.

This development would have been almost unimaginable a generation ago.

For decades, a Master’s degree symbolized upward mobility, professional stability, and intellectual achievement. In many professions, it almost guaranteed career advancement and higher income. Millions of students borrowed heavily and devoted additional years of study believing that advanced education would secure a better future.

Today, however, the reality appears far more complicated.

The United States now produces more college graduates than at any time in its history. Each year, American universities award over two million Bachelor’s degrees, nearly one million Master’s degrees, and hundreds of thousands of doctoral and professional degrees. Higher education has expanded enormously since the 1970s and 1980s.

But the labor market has not expanded at the same pace.

In some fields, especially business, international affairs, communications, humanities, and social sciences, there are now far more graduates than available high-paying professional positions. Many graduates discover that a Master’s degree no longer automatically distinguishes them from the competition because so many applicants possess similar credentials.

This phenomenon is sometimes called “degree inflation.”

Jobs that once required only a Bachelor’s degree now often list a Master’s degree as “preferred.” Yet salaries have not necessarily risen accordingly. Some young professionals spend years earning graduate degrees only to compete for jobs paying modest wages or requiring skills unrelated to their academic training.

Recent surveys show that many new graduates struggle to find stable employment immediately after graduation. Others accept temporary work, internships, freelance employment, or positions below their qualifications. Even highly respected universities are seeing graduates face delayed career starts.

The psychological effects can be profound.

Young adults today face a world of rising housing costs, student debt, economic uncertainty, and rapid technological change. Many entered graduate school during or shortly after the COVID pandemic, hoping additional education would protect them from an unstable economy. Instead, they now face another source of uncertainty: artificial intelligence and automation.

AI is rapidly transforming white-collar professions once considered secure. Tasks involving writing, research, analysis, coding, customer support, and even legal or financial work can increasingly be assisted by advanced software systems. Employers are becoming more cautious about hiring large numbers of entry-level workers when technology can perform part of the same work faster and cheaper.

Ironically, the very professions that once encouraged advanced education are now being reshaped by the technologies emerging from highly educated societies.

This does not mean education has become worthless. Far from it.

Over a lifetime, individuals with college and graduate degrees still generally earn more and experience lower unemployment than those without higher education. Advanced education continues to provide intellectual growth, critical thinking skills, scientific knowledge, and cultural understanding that remain essential in modern societies.

But the assumptions surrounding education are changing.

A diploma alone no longer guarantees economic security. Increasingly, employers seek practical experience, adaptability, technological literacy, communication skills, and the ability to work alongside rapidly evolving AI systems. Internships, networking, and real-world experience often matter as much as academic credentials.

For immigrant families like many Filipino-Americans, this transition can feel especially painful. Education has long been viewed not merely as personal achievement, but as the pathway to family advancement and generational stability. Many parents sacrificed enormously so their children could obtain advanced degrees in America.

Now, many graduates discover that success requires more than diplomas alone.

Yet perhaps this moment also offers an important lesson.

Education should not be viewed only as a financial transaction or employment credential. Its deeper purpose is to develop informed citizens, thoughtful leaders, compassionate human beings, and adaptable minds capable of navigating uncertainty.

The world economy is changing rapidly. Entire industries are evolving before our eyes. Young graduates today face challenges very different from those encountered by previous generations. Their future may involve multiple careers, lifelong learning, and constant adaptation.

This graduation season, therefore, is both a celebration and a moment of reflection.

America continues to produce some of the brightest and most educated young people in the world. The challenge now is ensuring that society, government, industry, and educational institutions evolve quickly enough to provide meaningful opportunities worthy of their talent, effort, and hopes for the future.

AI Overview:

The master’s degree is no longer a universal guarantee of career advancement. While median weekly earnings for master’s degree holders remain about 16% higher than those for bachelor’s degrees, specialized credentials in certain fields now carry a negative return on investment due to rising tuition and diluted program value. 

A master's degree is primarily a defensive strategy, as a basic undergraduate degree can sometimes fall short in a heavily digitized labor market. However, navigating this credential requires careful calculation. 

The Shifting Economic Return

Historically, a graduate degree accelerated career trajectories, but the explosion of specialized master's programs and online degrees has created an oversupply of credentialed job-seekers. 

• High-ROI Fields: Master’s programs in health sciences, engineering, and computer science still generally boast strong financial returns. 
• Low-ROI Fields: Conversely, master’s degrees in arts, humanities, and clinical psychology frequently produce a negative return on investment. Students in these fields may find themselves burdened with high debt and lower starting salaries. 

Rising Costs and Debt

Graduate education remains highly expensive. While graduate students make up roughly 21% of all higher-education students, they account for nearly 47% of all federal student loans disbursed. The median debt for graduate borrowers sits at approximately 

 to 

, compared to roughly 

 in the early 2000s. 

Unintended Employment Hurdles

The job market dynamics for master’s holders under 35 have tightened. According to labor-market research, the unemployment rate for young workers with master's degrees is nearing its highest level in two decades. Employers are increasingly placing a stronger emphasis on demonstrable skills and practical experience, rather than relying purely on academic credentials as AI transforms workflows across various industries

According to projections from the National Center for Education Statistics and recent higher-education reports, U.S. colleges and universities are expected to award approximately:

Degree Type	Estimated Number of Graduates (2025–26 school year)
Bachelor’s Degrees	about 2.0–2.2 million
Master’s Degrees	about 900,000–980,000
Doctoral/Professional Degrees	about 200,000
Associate Degrees	about 1.0–1.3 million

So altogether, the United States is producing well over 4 million college graduates per year.

For Ph.D. degrees alone, the U.S. now produces roughly 55,000–60,000 research doctorates annually, a dramatic increase compared with previous decades. 

The more difficult question is: How many already have jobs?

There is no exact nationwide count because employment outcomes vary by major, school, and region. However, recent surveys from the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) show:

• Employers initially expected to hire 7.3% more graduates from the Class of 2025.
• By spring 2025, those projections were cut sharply to only about 0.6% growth.
• Nearly 90% of employers said they would either maintain or slightly increase hiring, but many large companies reduced entry-level recruiting. 

The current employment picture for new graduates in 2026 is mixed:

Current Situation for New Graduates

• Recent college graduate unemployment is now around 5.5%–5.8%, higher than pre-pandemic years. 
• Many graduates are “underemployed,” meaning they work in jobs that do not require a college degree.
• Technology, finance, media, and consulting firms have slowed hiring.
• Health care, engineering, education, government service, and skilled technical work remain stronger sectors. 

Several studies and employer surveys suggest that only a minority of graduates have firm job offers before graduation day. In some majors, especially humanities and social sciences, students often graduate first and continue job searching afterward. Your granddaughter’s observation at George Washington University-where only about 25 of 60 International Affairs graduates had clear post-graduation plans is unfortunately becoming common nationwide.

Another major factor is the rapid growth of AI and automation. Companies are becoming more cautious about hiring large numbers of entry-level workers because many routine tasks can now be assisted by AI software. At the same time, employers increasingly want graduates who already have practical experience, internships, and AI-related skills. 

This has created a strange paradox in America today:

• The U.S. has one of the most educated young populations in history.
• Yet many graduates face delayed careers, uncertain employment, and rising anxiety about the future.

For many older Americans-especially those who graduated in the 1960s, 70s, or 80s-the contrast is striking. In earlier decades, a college degree often guaranteed a stable middle-class career. Today, even highly educated graduates frequently face months of applications, internships, temporary work, or graduate school before finding stability.

At the same time, higher education still matters. Over a lifetime, college graduates continue to earn significantly more and experience lower unemployment than non-graduates overall. The challenge is that the transition from graduation to first career job has become much harder and slower than it was for previous generations.

Filipino Cuisines Deserve a Place in the Global Table

Filipino Cuisine Deserves a Place at the Global Table

I disagree with above ratings. As a Filipino-American, I will rate Filipino Cuisine at least in the top 5. Here are the reasons why. 

I recently came across a ranking titled “20 Countries with the Best Cuisines in the World,” where Italian, Greek, and Peruvian cuisines occupied the top spots, while Filipino cuisine was nowhere to be found in the top twenty. As a Filipino-American who has lived in both the Philippines and the United States, I respectfully disagree. In my personal ranking, Filipino cuisine belongs comfortably within the world’s top five.

Perhaps my opinion is shaped not only by taste, but by memory, migration, family, and history. Food is never simply food for Filipinos. It is identity. It is storytelling. It is survival. It is celebration.

For more than fifteen years since I started blogging in 2009, I have written about Filipino culture, immigration, family gatherings, Asian traditions, and the emotional connection between food and memory. Time and again, one truth emerges: no matter how far Filipinos travel around the world, they carry their cuisine with them.

A Cuisine Born From Many Worlds

Filipino cuisine is unlike any other Asian cuisine because it reflects centuries of cultural blending. Indigenous Malay roots mixed with Chinese traders, Spanish colonization, Mexican influences from the Manila-Acapulco galleon trade, and later American influence. The result is a cuisine that is both Asian and uniquely Filipino.

A bowl of adobo tells a colonial story. Pancit reflects Chinese migration. Lechon reminds us of Spanish fiestas. Halo-halo captures the tropical creativity of island life. Sinigang represents the Filipino love of sour flavors, while kare-kare reflects the richness of peanut-based stews found nowhere else in Asia.

Unlike cuisines that focus on uniformity and precision, Filipino food is deeply regional and family-centered. Every province has its own specialty. Every grandmother has her own recipe. Even among siblings, arguments erupt over which family member makes the best lumpia.

Why Filipino Food Is Underrated

For many decades, Filipino cuisine lived quietly in the shadow of more internationally recognized Asian cuisines such as Chinese, Japanese, Thai, and Korean food. There are several reasons for this.

First, Filipinos historically migrated for work, not for culinary expansion. Unlike other cultures that aggressively exported restaurants globally, Filipino immigrants often worked in healthcare, shipping, engineering, and domestic services.

Second, Filipino food is humble food. It was never designed for elegant presentation. It was designed for feeding large families, fiestas, and communities. A pot of menudo or a tray of pancit may not look refined beside French cuisine, but its emotional power is enormous.

Third, Filipino cuisine does not easily fit modern food categories. It can be sweet, sour, salty, and savory all at once. Foreigners sometimes need time to appreciate dishes like bagoong, dinuguan, or balut. Yet once people understand the culture behind the food, appreciation often follows.

Today, however, the world is finally beginning to notice.

The Rise of Filipino Cuisine Worldwide

In recent years, Filipino food has gained global recognition. Filipino restaurants are appearing in New York, Los Angeles, Washington DC, London, Toronto, Sydney, and Dubai. Young Filipino-American chefs are proudly redefining their culinary heritage.

Ube has become an international sensation. Filipino desserts now appear in trendy cafes. Jollibee lines stretch around city blocks in America and Canada. Even mainstream supermarkets increasingly carry Filipino products.

The younger generation of Filipino-Americans is also rediscovering its roots through food. Children and grandchildren of immigrants who once preferred hamburgers and pizza are now proudly eating adobo, tocino, longganisa, and bibingka.

Food has become a bridge between generations.

Filipino Food and My Blogging Journey

Since beginning my blogging journey in 2009, many of my most meaningful memories involve food. I have written about family reunions, travels back to the Philippines, retirement reflections, and the immigrant experience in America. Again and again, Filipino cuisine appears at the center of these stories.

At birthday parties, there is pancit for long life. During Christmas gatherings, there is leche flan, hamon, queso de bola, and bibingka. At funerals and memorials, families still gather around shared meals. Food becomes comfort during grief and celebration during joy.

Even during difficult periods of my life, including my health struggles, Filipino food has remained emotionally significant. Certain flavors instantly reconnect me to childhood memories, to my parents, and to simpler times in the Philippines.

That is the true power of cuisine. It nourishes not only the body, but memory itself.

Why Filipino Cuisine Belongs in the Top Five

If world cuisine rankings are based only on Michelin stars and luxury dining, then perhaps Filipino cuisine will continue to be overlooked. But if rankings are based on emotional connection, diversity, family tradition, comfort, resilience, and cultural storytelling, Filipino cuisine deserves a place among the world’s greatest.

Italian cuisine gave the world pasta and pizza. Japanese cuisine gave elegance and precision. French cuisine elevated culinary artistry. But Filipino cuisine offers something equally valuable: warmth, hospitality, and humanity.

Filipino food does not try to impress you immediately. Instead, it invites you to sit down, stay longer, eat more, and become family.

And perhaps that is why so many Filipinos abroad continue searching for the taste of home no matter where life takes them.

For me, Filipino cuisine is not merely among the best cuisines in the world. It is home.

AI Overview:

Filipino cuisine is undergoing a historic global awakening, firmly securing its long-overdue seat at the international culinary table. Long categorized as an underrated or misunderstood culinary tradition, the rich food heritage of the Philippines has stepped directly into the global spotlight. Landmark milestones-such as the debut of the Michelin Guide Philippines and top-tier rankings in global food indices like TasteAtlas have validated what its community has always known: Filipino food is a world-class culinary art. 

Why the World is Falling in Love with Pinoy Flavors

The initial hesitation of global palates has transformed into obsession, driven by the cuisine's layered depth and community-centric philosophy. 

• The Symphony of Sweet, Sour, and Salty: Unlike many neighboring Southeast Asian cuisines that rely heavily on fiery chiles or fragrant herbs, Filipino flavor profiles masterfully balance asim (sourness), tamis (sweetness), and alat (saltiness). 
• A Masterclass in Fusion: Centuries of indigenous traditions mixed with Spanish, Chinese, Malay, and American colonial histories have created an incredibly diverse post-colonial culinary landscape. 
• Radical Hospitality: In Filipino culture, food is inseparable from community. The world is actively embracing traditions like Kamayan—a communal feast laid out on banana leaves eaten with bare hands—redefining what luxury dining can feel like. 

Core Dishes Breaking Geopolitical Boundaries

While the country boasts vast regional variations, a few foundational dishes have captured global attention: 

• Adobo
  : The unofficial national dish of meat braised slowly in vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, and peppercorns.
• Sinigang
  : A deeply comforting, sour soup typically clarified and sharpened with tamarind or calamansi.
• Lechon
  : Whole-roasted pig with shatteringly crisp skin, famously praised by global culinary icons.
• Sisig
  : A sizzling, savory, and tangy chopped pork dish that perfectly pairs with drinks and gatherings.
• Ube-Infused Delicacies: The vibrant, naturally purple yam has taken the global pastry scene by storm, headlining dedicated cultural gatherings like the annual Ube Festival. 

The Evolution: From Home Kitchens to Fine Dining

For decades, the global expansion of Filipino food was fueled almost entirely by a passionate diaspora building independent networks without institutional funding. Today, a new wave of visionary chefs is moving the needle further: 

1. Michelin Recognition: Restaurants like Hapag in Manila have earned Michelin stars by reinterpreting regional ingredients with sophisticated, modern techniques. 
2. Regional Representation: Culinary figures such as Chef Miguel Cabel Moreno are pushing underrepresented regional traditions, specifically from the Mindanao and ZamBaSulTa regions onto global menus. 
3. Cross-Cultural Collaborations: Contemporary pop-ups and concepts are constantly bridging gaps, including unique Peruvian-Filipino tasting menus that showcase shared historical roots. 

Filipino food never needed external validation to be great, but the world is finally waking up to its complexity, soul, and brilliance. 

Meanwhile, Here's My Photo of the Day: Great Grandson, Beau Joseph-Memorial Day Photo Shoot