Does Masters Play a Significant Role After Graduation or After Gaining Experience for a Successful Future?
- March 29, 2023
- 6:37 am
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When your Bachelor’s degree program draws to a close, you are confronted with a crucial decision: Should you pursue a Master’s degree? And if so, should you immediately enroll in a Master’s program or wait till you have gained some job experience?
Work or Study?
Making a career choice is rarely simple. One important decision is whether to pursue a master’s degree immediately after receiving your bachelor’s degree or to wait and begin working first. Here are the points to consider for both options:
Reasons to do Masters Before Working
- A Master's degree makes it considerably simpler to meet the requirements for the positions you seek and ultimately improves job stability. This is particularly true during a recession since, first, it is simpler to compete with candidates who lack a master's degree and, second, those with merely bachelor's degrees may be among the first fired during hard times.
- A Master's degree will boost your income. You can anticipate a greater compensation than you would with just an undergraduate degree because of the extra certification and the increased responsibilities.
- It will be more difficult to get back into the "habit" of studying after a prolonged absence from school. However, some more selective colleges favor students with less job experience, notably in continental Europe (as opposed to the UK or Ireland). (Yes, I realize that this goes against common sense; after all, more is usually better. The justification is that academic learning differs greatly from most typical jobs, and it may be challenging to get back into the "rhythm" of attending lectures, writing essays, and studying if you've been away from campus for an extended period of time.
- Consider a 1-year Master’s program if you don't want to take a 2-year gap! These are occasionally insufficient to get accepted into PhD programs, but employers often don't notice a significant difference and evaluate them equally.
- Some scholarships are exclusively accessible to students who are under a specific age or who have no prior job experience. You risk being disqualified if you postpone your master's in favor of job.
- In order to develop in some professions past a certain point, professionals will in reality need a Master's degree.
- A Master’s degree is a logical (and frequently required) step following earning an undergraduate degree if your long-term objective is to pursue a PhD. Even if you were able to complete your PhD without a Masters, it would be far more challenging.
Reasons to Work and Postpone Your Master’s Degree
- Having a job can help you decide what to study: Choose a job that is related to your field of study or go for an internship if you aren't sure what to study for your master's. You'll be better able to choose later on thanks to the experience you gather. This is especially true of entry-level positions that need a variety of skills, such as graduate or trainee programs where you rotate through several departments or a position in consulting where you would deal with numerous customers from various sectors.
- You may put money away and use it later on when you pursue a master's degree. It is far wiser to pay for your own education than to take out a student loan. In most cases, that is wiser than taking out a student loan.
- Your learning experience while pursuing a master's degree will be enhanced by prior job experience in a relevant sector. This might be a full-time entry-level job, but one or two internships can also be highly instructive. (For instance, before to beginning my own Masters in Finance, I had completed internships where I learned a lot about subjects I would later study in greater detail.) Much better: Consider taking a job overseas!
- Relevant job experience will aid you later on if you didn't complete your undergraduate degree with a decent grade or if you lack formal knowledge in a certain field.
How Long Should You Work Before Doing Masters?
When is the ideal moment to quit your career and return to school? While this can vary greatly depending on you, think about working between 18 months and 3 years before returning to school. Here are some things to think about:
- You may save more money if you work longer hours. It is a strong case for working more hours. The only danger is that, with a nice wage, you can become accustomed to amenities that you won't be able to afford when you return to school.
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But, if you only have a year before your chosen Master's program begins, think about completing two internships (and maybe taking some time off). Fewer than 18 months is only advised if the program has a specified duration, such as a graduate trainee program that lasts for a specific period of time.
This is why: Due of the expense and time involved in recruitment, employers like to be able to plan ahead. Your chances of being recruited will diminish if your resume contains too many indications that you frequently shift employment, such as quitting your first position after a year.
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