You get a masters degree after you get a job in your chosen field, otherwise, you may price yourself out of the market. Employers who require degrees can hire entry level employees with a bachelors for less money, if they pay a bonus for higher degrees. airbob61@verizon.net Â· 8 years ago.
As of 2011, the highest-paying state for corrections officers was New Jersey, where the average salary was $69,840 a year. California ranked second at $66,540, followed by Massachusetts at $57,450, New York at $56,900 and Alaska at $55,380.
As shown in the table, with an annual salary of $75,250, California is the highest paying state for correctional officers and jailers. It is followed by New Jersey (average annual salary $73,240). Please note that some states are missing from this table because the median salary statistics for correctional officers and jailers is not available at this time. The salary and employment information is computed from data published by U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics in May 2015 [1] .