5 Reasons Pursuing a Master’s Degree is Worth It
It seems all too common these days to hear someone complain that college isn’t worth it anymore, and while it certainly seems that way at times, pursuing a master’s degree still has a lot of benefits.
Naturally, some of these benefits are practical, but others are more personal and have a lot to do with making memories and growing as an individual. So, what are all of these supposed advantages? Read on to find out.
1. Pursuing A Master’s Degree is Becoming More Essential
Let’s face it, the world changes, and the last decade or so is definitely proof of that. In response to the Great Recession, or perhaps just the passage of time, certain jobs are becoming more elite.
Some jobs now require a Master’s Degree that didn’t before. It’s a lot like what happened to the medical field in the past fifty years or so. It seems odd to have, or even see a general practitioner because the trend is to specialize in one particular field.
Most academic fields are going in the same direction, and so are entry-level positions, because the results have shown that workers with a college education tend to bring more to the job in terms of abilities. Another big reason has to do with the job market, with employers suddenly having the opportunity to hire college graduates for entry-level jobs simply because said graduates will apply for and take them.
2. Becoming an Expert in a Field You Love
Since employment is such an experts’ market, an eager mind and a passion to learn more are an advantage. The best way to ensure this is to pursue a degree in something you care about because despite what you may have heard, it’s not a great idea to go where the money is or where the jobs are.
Money is somewhat overrated, because ultimately the joy of wealth doesn’t last long, and eventually you’re doing a job you hate to maintain a lifestyle that no longer satisfies you.
Going where the jobs are is a horrible idea, because trends, even in the job market, are by definition temporary. Let’s run through a scenario, a bit unrealistic, but please hear me out.
Let’s say you’re about to enter college, and the year is 1938. Since the Depression is still in full swing, and a lot of the jobs out there involve landscaping, you decide to pursue a degree in botany or agriculture.
You go through college for four years in preparation for a landscaping job, and, halfway through your Senior year, news spreads through the campus that the Japanese have attacked Pearl Harbor, and the country is at war.
Suddenly, most of the landscaping jobs are gone, because they aren’t as important anymore. The majority of work is now in factories, making supplies for the military. The competitive edge you had yesterday is now far smaller. Sure, things will be better by sheer virtue of having a degree, but your major is largely useless.
3. Social Networking
Not only does pursuing a Master’s degree allow you to discover more about your chosen field, but it also allows you to make new friends and potential study partners. However, the real benefit to this comes when you’re out of school.
These people with whom you’ve lived and studied the past few years have now become your potential references and resources. Since they’re in the same field as you, they will probably be looking for the same type of jobs as you, so if there’s anything they think you’d be interested in they might send it your way if you ask.
4. Gaining Skills
College is a time when we are hugely tested, made to research and type longer papers with far more sources to cite. The good news is that what you’re tested on in college will probably be useful after college.
Pursuing a Master’s degree means those skills are practiced all the more, so by the time you start applying for jobs, they will be second nature.
5. Credibility
One of the big benefits of a Master’s degree is that it adds more weight to your name and ideas. Because you have those initials beside your name, people assume you’re smarter than most. Whether or not you are smarter is another issue entirely.
The big benefit to credibility is attention. All people, scholars included, make mistakes, but they also have really good days, and the difference is that when you have a Master’s degree, people pay more attention to you, and thus the world is louder. Your mistakes are more known, more disputed, but so are your triumphs.
Mastering the Art of Master’s Degrees
Though it might not seem like it in this economy, pursuing a Master’s degree is still quite useful. They open up more career opportunities and give more weight to your ideas.
They help you to learn and practice the skills to become an expert in your chosen field, and they’re a great place to meet friends, and maybe future leads or references.
If you would like any other advice, say on starting a business in a certain niche, or maybe you already have a job but need to get better at negotiating with your boss. We can help with that, too and plenty of other things besides.