Why pursue a master’s degree?
YOUNG PROFESSIONALS AND MILLENNIALS REALIZE IT IS EASIER TO FINISH A MASTER’S DEGREE BEFORE SETTLING DOWN AND PRIORITIZING A LITTLE BABY.
EDUCATION is a life-long process, and for some folks, graduating from college doesn’t quench the thirst for learning inside the university. Students express widely varying reasons as to why they pursue a master’s degree, all echoing the need for personal or professional growth.
In most cases, students taking up a master’s degree are juggling studies with an 8–5 job and family time, not to mention social life. Unlike a bachelor’s, postgraduate studies require rigorous discipline, thus some few years of employment experience is necessary before aspirants can apply for admission. A professor once said that a master’s degree is a master’s degree, so you have to expect difficult course requirements. Aside from advanced coursework, a master’s degree enhances critical and analytical thinking, the ability to work well with others, and maturity in challenging environments.
Depending on your stamina and study habits; workload both in school and in your workplace; distance between your home, workplace and university; and other criteria, you can opt for distance education or online learning. Started in mid1990s in the Philippines, the outsidethe-classroom setup is similar to homeschooling, the latter catering to children up to high school.
A regular semester in the University of the Philippines Open University includes two courses/subjects or six units of workload. If you find the semester overwhelming, you can drop a subject for a while, or file a leave of absence, for a maximum of two semesters or one year in a single filing. However, keep in mind the Maximum Residence Rules, which only allow seven years to finish a two-and-a-halfyear course.
Pushing through a difficult semester ends with a sense of personal achievement, though, and it prevents students from further delay and chronic laziness. It can also make you more efficient at work as you find time to squeeze in answering your midterm exams. After all the hardship, a master’s degree can earn you recognition and credibility.
TO IMPROVE CAPACITY IN PRESENT PROFESSION
It is called “master’s” essentially because you want to master a specific field of specialization, or you want to acquire a certain expertise that would benefit your present work.
Say, you enjoy writing about home and property. You may want to earn a graduate diploma in Interior Design, if not a master’s degree that has a prerequisite course. Afterward, you can start a part-time career in design, earning additional skills and income while being able to explore richer ideas for your write-ups.
If you are in the lucrative IT profession, you may take up Master of Information Technology to amp up your current knowledge and skills, and eventually land a higherpaying post. You may also combine unconventional but effective fields like your BA in Mass Communication with an MBA. Check also if your company offers scholarships and incentives to employees interested in postgraduate studies.
In some universities, a master’s degree is required for faculty employees to get regularized, in the same way as getting promoted. In fact, some oblige the candidates to publish their works in international peer-reviewed journals, in which case an exhaustive graduate thesis makes a good submission.
Needless to say, you need a master’s degree to step up to a doctoral degree in the future, which will give you the highfalutin “Ph.D.” behind your name.
ESTABLISH A CAREER IN A CHOSEN FIELD
Whether or not you are experiencing the seventh-year “pivoting,” which uncovers a deeper version of yourself, you may suddenly be searching for something else to do, like going back to the university.
Probably you are getting bored with your life or work, looking for a fresh challenge, or simply wanting to reach your ultimate dream job. Instead of spending all your disposable money traveling abroad, you may want to invest in your education while you are young — although seniors are common in the classroom setting, especially in online universities. Young professionals and millennials realize it is easier to finish a master’s degree before settling down and prioritizing a little baby.
Today’s global mindset also helps people dream of becoming international learners, whether as a pathway for a permanent and stable job abroad, or simply gaining a global perspective. Free-service educational counseling companies, such as AUG (AusEd UniEd Group), place students in educational institutions in Australia, the UK, the US, and the rest of the world.
For some, a master’s degree helps them gain access to professional resources only available in world-class research universities. Not only does the coursework allow you to grow, you will also become part of a chain of knowledge and contribute out of the classroom.
In a highly competitive marketplace, a master’s degree separates you from other job hopefuls. But whether or not or current work description needs your latest diploma, the learning experience is never wasted. The satisfaction in gaining wisdom every day is a
masterpiece in itself.