University degrees are thought of as the beginning of the height of education. The next big step is a Masters degree. However, with all the debt, many people see an average degree as a waste of money. And a masters degree is seen by many as even more money thrown down an educational bin!
Which makes many students confused about their next steps and what they s1hould do with their future. They’ll ask themselves: But is it a waste of money? Could a masters degree be proper? Are we being conned by educational centres around the world?
Today I’m providing some pros and cons of Masters degree’s so you can work out if going for a Masters degree could work for you.
Pros of a Masters degree
Expanded look
If you study for a Masters Degree, you will expand on the depth of learning. Don’t get me wrong, with a typical degree, the knowledge you gain is more focused and more extensive. But the master’s degree takes it from 100 to a thousand.
Opens more doors
Although there have been many worries about overqualification for some, it opens more doors. For example, if you do a MA in journalism, you can be a qualified journalist and get an extra year to work on a side project when you find the time between studying.
More time
When at university, many people don’t know what they are doing with their lives and struggle to figure out their next steps. Doing an MA, even if it’s in a field you don’t like, gives you an extra year to figure things out. (And prolong the inevitable.) Whilst doing a degree in something you hate isn’t recommended! It might be helpful to do a masters degree in something you like to buy yourself more time before having to become a fully-fledged adult.
Networking
Have you ever heard the phrase ‘It’s who you know, not what you know.’? Then you are probably aware that to get on a high career ladder, you need to know equally successful people. Going on a Masters degree course can help you network and gain more contacts. Both with your fellow students who you may partner with on future projects and other professionals in the field who may offer you jobs.
Another uni
When you study for your graduate degree, you might be feeling fed up with your uni for many reasons. Or feel like going somewhere new. Studying for a Masters Degree allows you to go to a new university and explore a new area you wouldn’t have the opportunity to usually.
Cons of Masters degrees
Expensive
With a Masters degree, you are paying for yourself throughout the course. And yes, you can get a fee to pay for the tuition, but you still have to put 10% into it. Then you have to pay your bills and stuff like that. And for some, with the cost of rent and other things. You might need a full-time job that is very difficult to do with masters or a PGCE equivalent. Plus, you’ll have to get a job (which is never guaranteed!) And so, you don’t want to add to your current debt for no reason.
Overqualified
I’ve seen many people complain about the struggle for employment once they’ve received their masters. Many people I know have said that whenever they’ve applied for a job, a master’s degree made them seem ‘overqualified.’ obviously, this will be different for different sectors and job types. For example, if you are a doctor, you are going to need more than a MA. So before you do go for the master’s degree, double-check your employment options, especially with the extra debt. Because as much as a Masters degree can help your future employment, it can hinder it too!
Social interaction
Yes, above, I mentioned how you could network and gain valuable contacts. However, just because your networking doesn’t mean you are always socially fulfilled. For example, you might want to go to the pub with mates and down five pitchers, twenty jagger bombs and two Bacardi Breezers. And ask your mates how their holiday was. However, because of the workload of a Masters degree, you’ll mostly end up working at your desk or in the library by yourself, trying to keep up. There’s no more partying at 2 am with a Masters degree.
Living in accommodation
When you are an undergraduate, finding accommodation is easy as you can live in university accommodation. However, when you go on to a Masters degree, you are less likely to get accommodation on-site. And so have to go to private or regular priced rented properties, which can be expensive and difficult to find.
With these pros and cons in mind, you can now decide whether a Masters degree and going off to study for it is worth it for you, your career and your financial situation.
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