[Rain Man]

I tend to think of a master's degree as a focusing force. Ideally, you get your undergraduate degree and go out and work and figure out what you like and what you don't like and who has the cool jobs that you really want. Then you get a master's degree that will help you move into that area by giving you a foot in the door.

In real life, I think people get a master's degree for one of the following reasons:

1. The reason above.
2. To move up at their current job (usually more for qualifications than for skills, but hopefully both happen).
3. Because they don't know what else to do.

The third reason is not great. You can argue that it's better than working a dead-end job, and maybe that's true, but probably only for broad degrees. Getting a specialized master's may not be worth the cost if you're not really thinking about a specific career.