With your bachelor’s degree in the bag, you will be faced with yet another big life decision: should you pursue a Masters full-time program or head into the labor market? There are many different reasons why individuals choose to study for a Masters. For the most part, though, the hope is that it improves your career prospects, and ultimately your wage premium.
Whatever your motivations may be, you might be torn at the prospect of halting your career hunt to pursue yet another degree. While there are certainly more than a few considerations that should go into this decision, we’ve provided some of the advantages of deciding in its favor.
Employability:
One of the most important reasons why you might choose to consider studying a full-time Masters is to improve your employability. If you are gunning for an academic role, a Masters degree is an important next step. A Masters is also an important step if you are looking to switch career paths or accelerate your career progress.
Wage Premium:
Higher educational qualifications generally necessitate higher wage premiums in different career environments. With a Master’s degree comes added qualification and skill set, positioning you for even more responsibilities in your work environment. It is important to note that some Master Degree holders enjoy parity with holders of bachelor’s degrees in higher-paying fields. However, your focus should be on your career of choice.
Deeper Knowledge:
Postgraduate programs, such as full-time masters programs, are mostly specialized in nature. If you have a genuine interest in your field and desire to gain even more theoretical and practical knowledge in this course of study, a master’s program will be beneficial. Specialization also improves your chances of career progression and improved wage premium.
Real World Knowledge and Networking:
One of the more specific advantages of pursuing a full-time Master’s program, not just a Master’s program, is the real world scenarios it prepares you for. Many schools send their postgraduate students out into the field for studies and invaluable work experience, exposing them to the real world work environment. This allows students at this level to gain practical skills applicable to the real world environment, while also providing you with a chance to build your network for the future.
Program Speed:
Yet another benefit of a full-time program is the speed of completion. Going part-time, whether in a physical institution or through an online course, may allow you to pursue the program according to your pace, but it also does well to ensure the program lingers and drags on. A full-time study for masters is usually completed between 1 – 2 years, accelerating your goal to acquire relevant knowledge and certification.
The question of whether you should pursue a master’s program is a very personal one. It is generally a cost-intensive venture, which means that you may be short on budget. Otherwise, you might be skeptical of committing such amounts without any assurances. However, programs like the BBS full-time master’s program ensure that you ultimately get great value for your financial, material and time commitments.
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