Opting for a second bite of the education cherry can be a difficult decision.
It’s a big dilemma – enter the disastrous world of work for some feverious experience, or escape reality just for a small chunk of time, to feel like a student again.
It can be especially difficult if the arts degree you’ve developed has not really allowed you flourish, as it were, and you’re stuck in a job you don’t want to be stuck in.
It can be especially difficult if you cannot choose the masters’ you want to educate yourself in. Is it a worthy decision, essentially delaying your work experience for a leg-up or is it not worth it, considering the expenses, associated risk-factor and no actual guarantee of you being better out of it.
Choosing a masters can often feel like that. I think I’ve entered a situation, where my job is somewhat within the sector I wish to be in – music industry – but with a masters strapped to my belt, will I be able to go further? Can I escape the clutches of post-university depression from work full-time, to picking up the traits of a student again?
Nonetheless, it can also seem that you are taking a step backwards in a sense, where you have graduated in September, selected a graduate job and still feel like something is missing. It almost seems that the time where you have spent learning on the job, could have been a good time to do a masters. At the same time, though, if it doesn’t necessarily work out, the masters degree is an option there, almost to act as a buffer – another start, if you will, to attempt to find something far greater.
But if you go down that road, you may never get off it. You may never find something greater than what you are doing now, at this very moment. Would it be wise to drop everything, pick up another “student part-time” job, and jump into higher education again? You need to always look at both sides, it seems.
In the grand scheme of things, it may not look like it is worth it. It gives you further knowledge and research into your chosen topic, potentially opening up more doors to cater into, and so it may be important to choose a masters’ that is specific as possible to your career aims. But is it more important than work experience?
For instance, with my Music Degree, I can fasten into a masters around marketing, events and even creative advertising, which are all potential areas I wish to fall in.
Like anything, it comes down to if the University you are choosing to go to is good – whether that be good industry connection and even good past student experience where they have landed into exciting jobs with good employers, who actually see your worth and there is a potential career within the workplace.
Not only does a masters degree require a further year in education, but it seems to require a lot of self-motivation and discipline.
Above all, it seems that you should only look at doing a Masters degree if you don’t do particualrly well at your undergraduate degree and still want to go on to the field.
Or, better yet, if you get a good undergraduate degree but want to go in to an extremely specialised and niche market that requires a skill set that only a Masters can provide. It definitely comes down to if you want to broaden your skill set and enhance your learning in that field. It also comes down to if you’re motivated enough to have a go at University again. We can all appreciate sometimes how tough an undergraduate degree can be. Would you want to do that again for a year?
It seems that full-time, working-age postgraduates have the opportunity to earn up to more than £7,000 a year compared to that of a fully working undergraduate. Of course, the statistics only show you the usual; the higher your degree level, the greater a chance for you to earn more money. This is only representative if you have the drive, determination to do so.
To be certain that a Masters study will meet your expectations it is important to note that you may have to be somewhat passionate about your subject, to actively browse, research and learn everything you possibly can about it. It may also be plausible to browse relevant job advertisements about what employers value most, as industry certifications are more important than most depending on the role.
SOME QUESTIONS TO ASK YOURSELF – I KNOW I DID …
Am I prepared to study harder and have the determination to see through it?
Am I prepared to accrue further debt for the cost of achieving a greater skill set?
Is the intended qualification rated highly with my industry employers?
Am I genuinely passionated about the chosen subject?
Above all, are you ready to take the plunge?
mvm. 
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