Master Degree Is It Worth Or Not?
Let's start with the basic question of ''What a Master Degree is?''
Well a Master degree is a second academic degree provided by universities and colleges and it's usually after you have finished a Bachelor degree. The duration is smaller and is about 1-2 years but the economic aspect can be gruesome with many Masters (1-2 years) being more expensive from a Bachelor of 4 years.Masters can be categorized by their title for example Msc is Master of Science while MBA is Master of Business Administration or by Research and Taught Master degrees. Research as it clear by the name is primarily research oriented and it is a way to be prepared for a Phd ( the highest form degree) while the Taught ones have taught modules and even internships.
Nowadays Master Degrees are so spread out that most of the employers ask for them in order to hire you and most of the employees try to obtain them for the same reason. Basically what happens today is that when someone earns their Bachelor Degree they will try to enroll for a Master but is it really worth to do that or at that time of your life?
The big difference between a Master and a Bachelor is that the Master is more Specialized in the field you wanna study. For Example let's say you have a Bachelor on Business Administration, the modules you had for 4 years there where everything you can imagine close to ''Business'' from work ethics to laws and from Marketing to Finance. Every module can be described as a different job so in those 4 years another goal you have is to actually see what do you like and have a ''natural'' for and that is your Master Degree. Another Example to that is that if you like Digital Marketing as lesson, there many well known Masters in Digital Marketing that can provide you all the useful stuff you need.
Masters are a specialization on a particular subject you wanna involve into and learn more
So is it worth or not?
From my perspective the Master Degree is worth if:
1) You want to learn more about a specific field and become a specialist
2) You want to follow the path of a professor, then the Research Masters are the best for your case
3) If you wanna move to a country with better economy then you better have something to increase your chances of finding a job
4) If you are abroad and wanna go back in your roots creating something on your own. For example if you have a farm back in your country and you are abroad a master can help you go back and make the farm a powerhouse!
5) When you want to switch careers or enchant different attributes to your career and knowledge for example if you have a degree in Marketing and want a Master in Computer science and programming that will enchant your skills in Digital Marketing and make you understand better how the whole system works.
The Master degree isn't worth if:
1) It's not from an accredited institute. Don't get me wrong i don't mean to say that if it's not Harvard or MIT then is crap, but if you have done your Bachelor in low-University and you are disappointed stay out of their Master, or if the Master is very cheap don't let that be the decision maker factor, you can find better Masters even for free.
2) You already work. if you have landed a job that you like try at first to be good at it and give everything you got. You have to think that if at the same time you enroll for Master how you will balance the time needed for both. Above everything is your health. It's up to you ofc to choose!
3) Certifications... A couple of corporations deem Certification more important than a Master, Certifications like Cisco, Citrix, PMP,CPA,CFA,HRM can prove more beneficial of a Master
4) You try to find a job first. That may seems nonsense to just search for a job while you may have more chances with the Master, but the truth is that if you find one in a corporation write after you finish your Bachelor either as full time one or as a trainee, there is a high chance that through Companies programs to offer you some money to do a Master. If it sounds suspicious it isnt as the corporations invest in you with the thought of staying more to them and providing with better work. If this happens we can go back to 2
Conclusion
As you can see A Master can be both worth and don't, it depends on the case and above all in what state of mind are you and what you want to achieve. Luck is crucial too but who knows? bottom line is make your own choices and take risks having a clear mind and trying not to have regrets later. What i would suggested would be when you come to a dilemma like that to take your time, see the pros and cons and make the decision thinking above else if you like what you are about to do!
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I've been thinking about getting a masters degree mainly for the learning that I'll get out of it. Your post puts things in perspective and actually encouraged me to take action. I'm new to Steemet, only 7 days old, and I'm looking forward to increase my connections here especially with people like you. Thanks @filotasriza3
yes in your case it's worth mostly for some learning tips or if you want to study something different than the one you are doing right now! if you decide on a master degree in your field after all these years you are out there i don't think it gonna help you a lot as far as it concerns the learning process but instead it will give you a bit more of credibility.
If you need any tips for me just send me in steemit chat, i use the same name!
This is indeed a very interesting post @filotasriza, coming at a point where some of your words are already thoughts of mine.
I mostly agree with you, but I believe that even if someone already has a job, a (good) master in their field is a must.
Especially at times when more candidates already have a bachelor, a master (or even a phd in the future) will give an edge and most of all will become more qualified in a specific field.
The good thing is that even if someone cannot afford a higher education, it is very easy to study any topic and even get certified in it. (hands on in some cases)
(Referring to e-classes, online courses etc)
Thank you again for the very interesting post :)
thanks a lot for the comment i really appreciate it! If we get to the point to have a job then it maybe a matter or what you set as priorities at that time. If it's a position that many can acquire then the master is a must even if that year you may stressed a lot and especially if your company pays a portion of it :p but if there is no demand or you are too good that you are irreplaceable ( in a way :P ) then you can instead as you said get certified or watch an online course.
As someone with a masters I can agree with everything you said :)
thanks a lot @trumpman it's nice to hear it from a person with master you provide a prestige :p
Lol
You make some interesting points here. I have a masters in Chemical Engineering. While I don't really use my masters for my profession (programming), I can say that it has definitely opened a bunch of doors that would have been otherwise closed to me professionally.
Also, the rigorous curriculum that I had to follow taught me more then just chemical engineering. Having to go through the entire process of working as a TA and going through the politics of academia was difficult and it prepared me for "Real life" in a way that my dual bachelors degrees never could have.
In academics at least, people start to listen to your opinions (though maybe only slightly) and it really does change the overall dynamic of the teacher student relationship in a way that needs to be experienced to understand. Though I am a firm believer that the more you put into your education the more you will get out of it and so like you said, getting a masters is mainly about the usecase.
I also think it is really about the student as well. If you took a mediocre student and let them go to Harvard; there is no guarantee that they will find more success at such a prestigious school when compared to an average college. The same thinking can be applied to masters degrees.
i really appreciate you took the time to read it. *Though I am a firm believer that the more you put into your education the more you will get out of * this is the meaning of life you couldn't be more accurate. Wherever you put more efforts it will surely give you back, it may not be the exact thing you wished for but it will be something from experiences to knowledge and at last everything comes back to us, as a student and as humans. If you don't put an effort even if you go the best company the next week you will be out ( except if your fathers has it :P )
I couldn't agree more. It is definitely a rule that applies to everything in life and not just to education.
i feel that a master degree is necessary especially in Nigeria.
back in the days when companies wanted to lay off staffs, they would drop those without SSCE, these days a masters is the benchmark.
yes you probably wright, i don't quite know how the economy in Nigeria works but a master there can help you even finding a job at USA,Europe,UK. How are the universities here? is the lvl and the learning process good enough?
Yes, we are the definition of the sentence "WORK IN PROGRESS"
haha!
I agree completely. I felt some of my friends went to master program because they wanted to change their career path. One of my friends found out she wanted to be a computer scientist after four years studying political science and one year working for Clinton's campaign. Another one changed from a piano major to bioengineering. All of them went for mater degree instead of phd.
and that's the power of master, you can change easily to whatever you want. Phd is if you wanna become a professor or a devoted scientist in my view
this is very well explained! great info.
most educational systems are also slow to adapt to changes.
some industries change so fast that after spending years getting a degree, what you learned might already be outdated.
but like it says some are worth it some are not. it's a decision that requires a lot of planning and forethought.
thanks a lot for you comments. every comment you make shows that you at least checked my post, i really appreciate that!
( my internet connection is so slow that when i try check your vlogs it lags after 10 sec for 4-5 :P but this time i try and watch your last one! from the title maybe i inspired you somehow!)
True. Masters are good for some people and not for others. I have considered getting mine over the years, but my only benefit would be learning new stuff. But not stuff in my specialized area, because I know more about my specialty than anyone in academia possibly could.
First of all thanks for the comment! so according to what you said the best thing you can do is to get certified or just enroll at e courses, seminars etc etc. You don't need to waste money on a Master
I don’t even need certificates. I am the SME on what I do. I do training sessions for others on my niche area of expertise.
Okay, seriously this article is VERY interesting !!! I found everyday interesting stuff on Steemit it's soo nice :)
thanks a lot! yea steemit is a paradise of information