Age old Masters question

I have the conception that

a)everyone's done an undergraduate
b)better career growth if you've done a masters
c)I like being around smarter people so masters peers will be intellectually stimulating

therefore i've applied to an MSc in International Business Management straight after finishing my BA in Business Management.

its not like i have no experience, I have ~2 years of IT administration, Marketing directing, operations management experience.

Agree disagree on my conceptions? Am I screwed for the rest of my life?

Reply 1

poohat

18

Everyone's done an undergrad, therefore employers put high weight on the quality of institution rather than just the degree. Doing a masters at some low ranked place won't help your career prospects much. If you can get into a significantly better university than you were at undergrad for (which is common) then its a different story.

Reply 2

albertoeinstein

OP

Original post by J_W-x

A) so?
B) depends
c) that's the stupidest reason I've ever heard for doing a Master's, ever.

if you're seriously considering spending thousands to do a course so you can be around smarter people then you're an idiot. One of your reasons wasn't even saying you enjoy it?!

course I enjoy it, thats the fundamental reason Im doing it, I love learning!

Reply 3

Ellim

11

Original post by poohat

Everyone's done an undergrad, therefore employers put high weight on the quality of institution rather than just the degree. Doing a masters at some low ranked place won't help your career prospects much. If you can get into a significantly better university than you were at undergrad for (which is common) then its a different story.

Yes, and further to this having a Master's isn't going to 'override' less-than-fantastic undergraduate marks. If you've got, for example, a 2.2 at undergrad and you go for graduate positions that require a 2.1 it's pretty likely (but not in every case, obviously) that your application will still go into the 'not qualified' pile. This really only is a consideration if the kind of job you want to have will require you to go though a graduate-employment process.

I know some pretty dumb people with Master's degrees. I know some pretty dumb people with PhDs too. Being intelligent and being smart and/or intellectually stimulating aren't the same thing. What I mean to say is, I think, just be wary of the idea that everyone is going to be super smart and intellectually stimulating, and also interested in sitting around having smart, intellectually stimulating conversations over a tipple. Just as likely they are going to want to talk footy over eight too many pints.

Reply 4

1024796

3

Original post by albertoeinstein

I have the conception that

a)everyone's done an undergraduate
b)better career growth if you've done a masters
c)I like being around smarter people so masters peers will be intellectually stimulating

therefore i've applied to an MSc in International Business Management straight after finishing my BA in Business Management.

its not like i have no experience, I have ~2 years of IT administration, Marketing directing, operations management experience.

Agree disagree on my conceptions? Am I screwed for the rest of my life?

a) not everyone, but enough that a BA by itself no longer constitutes a guarantee of good career prospects
b) this depends on the chosen career - for some, a Masters is totally unnecessary
c) totally untrue - people do a Masters for all sorts of reasons, and in my cohort I counted a tiny minority who genuinely gave a damn about the intellectual side. Also, smartness is not the same as academic ability - there are plenty of smart people outside of universities. Or, put another way, there are plenty of 'fools' with Masters.

I don't believe you're screwed at all, though. I just think you could have made your decision based on slightly more important criteria. I think there are three questions, in order of importance, you should ask yourself before engaging in higher education.

1) Can I afford it?

2) Does my chosen career path need it? (Base this on concrete research into the sector and the requirements for the ideal job).

3) Am I interested in the subject?

If yes to all three, go for it. If no to any one of them, think more carefully about it. Because you are investing time/money/blood/sweat/tears into this. In some cases, there is more than one route to the job you want, and in most cases, work experience is more vital than a Masters.

(edited 10 years ago)

Reply 5

Klix88

17

Original post by albertoeinstein

a)everyone's done an undergraduate
b)better career growth if you've done a masters
c)I like being around smarter people so masters peers will be intellectually stimulating

a) Many but not all
b) Depends on the field. Mine views anything above an undergrad degree with deep suspicion. They prefer practical professional experience over bits of paper proving you can spout academic theory.
c) Er... they'll be the same people you studied with at undergrad. Unless you spurned the company of anyone who ended up with less than a 2:1, then you already know them. What would you now conclude?

Age old Masters question

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