Concerns about going back for a masters program - help!

snowwhite016 · 20 June 2017 at 2:42PM

Hello, I hope this is the right place to post this as I wasn't quite sure where to post it.
I'm considering going back for a postgraduate degree. I'm currently in a good place financially with no debt and a good savings. My undergrad degree is in Comms and I work in that field, but I keep thinking I should try something else. I am 30 and a part of me feels a bit nervous going back now as I might be the oldest in my course. I also worry about throwing money into a degree and having it be a waste as well as the fact that time that would be required to complete the degree takes away from time I could be earning money and working.

I can afford to fund the master's fully myself and won't need any loans, BUT I am concerned about the return on investment of these degrees. I'm not in the mindset of just studying something because it's interesting to me. I'm not in it ONLY for the money, but to better my life.

I don't want to go back only to come out and have a difficult time finding a job, but I know that may be the case. Now I know I am a bit all over the place in terms of different things I am thinking about applying to study for, but please don't judge. I could see myself doing any of these.

Can anyone give me any advice regarding any of the following? I am really having a hard time with this. Thanks in advance.

All of these except the last one will take me 1 year full time, 2 years part time.
The last one (Speech and Lang Therapy) will take 2-3 years.

Public Health - interests me, but I've heard that it's hard to find work in this field.
Special Needs and Inclusion - Would love to do this, but the degree doesn't actually prepare you to be a teacher. My mum was a special needs teacher and says there's a high rate of burnout.
Conservation/International Wildlife Trade - I have a massive interest in helping animals. My degree that I currently have was actually in hopes to work in comms for an organization that helps animals, but no such luck as loads of people want these roles. I thought maybe this master's degree would help me, but I sort of doubt it.
Human Resources - I have no experience in this field, but I love interviewing people and could see myself in a role like this.
Speech and Language Therapy - I have always wanted to be a speech therapist and I have experience volunteering with special needs/shadowing a SLT. This will take me the longest of all these options. (2-3 years)

Rivers3000 · 20 June 2017 at 3:47PM

Do you specifically want a Masters or are you looking at other options? Looking at those interests (except the wildlife conservation one!) it might be worth you taking a look at the NHS Management graduate scheme? They have Human Resources and public health specialisms and all sorts of others. You take exams for your specific qualifications throughout and they pay you a salary during the scheme. So no hefty masters fees:)

snowwhite016 · 20 June 2017 at 6:07PM

Thank you for your reply. I would love to do something like that, but wouldn't qualify as I'm not yet a UK citizen.

Rivers3000 · 20 June 2017 at 6:27PM

Oh I see, that's why it has to be study I assume. Well if you do go back to do postgrad study don't worry about the age. I did a MSc and the age in my intake ranged from 22 to 49.

jobbingmusician · 20 June 2017 at 6:36PM

Isn't it still true that SLT have their arms bitten off at the shoulder by employers desperate to employ them? (Or rather, that employers chew off their own arms to tempt the SLT in, or whatever this mixed metaphor actually means....

)

Normally I would go away and Google a question like this, but Google gets so over-excited, and I can't bear the thought of SLT spam for the next 6 months.

snowwhite016 · 20 June 2017 at 6:51PM

Yes, that's why it has to be study, Rivers. And thank you for the encouragement.

jobbing, yes, from everything I have read, there is a high demand for SLTs! It takes a lot of time to get qualified though and the postgraduate admissions are very competitive.

atw_uss · 20 June 2017 at 9:22PM

Great that you are thinking about going back to study and also that you can afford to. I guess SALT is the only one that puts you pretty much straight into a profession at the end of it, but you should go with where your interests are strongest. Going back to uni can be a great experience and very different from being an undergraduate.

I wouldn't worry about the age thing too much either ... I did a Master's and then PhD in my early/mid 40s and haven't looked back. It did take me 9 years to overtake my salary before that though, because I effectively started again.

snowwhite016 · 21 June 2017 at 9:18AM

Hi Judith, thank you for your reply.

Yes, I guess in some ways I feel that my undergrad degree is a bit of a crapshoot. I really have struggled to find work at times. The thing is, I can see myself being interested in any of these areas. My biggest interest is to work for an org that helps animals in their communication department, but I don't think I could get a job in that even if I got a masters in communication because those jobs are so hard to come by.

And thanks for the encouragement. What did you study out of curiosity?

atw_uss · 21 June 2017 at 10:08PM

I 'converted' to Psychology after many years of interest. Not a qualification that leads to anything specific on its own, but thankfully it has worked out thanks to my previous work experience. I hope your search goes well!

beluga · 22 June 2017 at 8:45AM

You won't be the oldest on the course, I'm 35 and studying Public Health MSc, and am not the oldest by quite a way. I haven't graduated so can't advise on employability, but you seem to have quite a range of interests. Go along to open days etc and speak to the universities about the different courses to see which might be the right one for you. I don't know what exactly comms entails, but a lot of public health interventions are utilising social media and finding newer ways to communicate, would this be something you could do?
You could study part time and work alongside, so you still have an income. Check for scholarships and bursaries, some unis have them for specific subjects.
Good luck with whatever you decide

Wyndham · 22 June 2017 at 10:40PM

I should introduce myself before I comment. First of all I did an MA when I was 30, so several years after my first degree. Second of all, I worked as a University Postgraduate Admissions Office for several years, and am still working in a related field.

So.... my advice would be to do your research. This may involve things like google, but also get in touch with Universities you're interested in studying at. Talk to them about options, and courses, and get a better understanding of what you would actually study. This will help your thinking, and hopefully give you clarity on what you actually want to study. And, sorry to say this, but until you've decided that, it's going to be difficult to get any further.

I also think you need to work out why you want to do the degree. Are you sure it's the best way to get to where you want to get to? There may be other ways to do what you want to do - but again, you need to know what you actually want to do.

Any University will give you time to have some discussion in this area. There will be a limit to that, so use it wisely, but please do some exploring before you commit.

Finally, you mention about not being a UK citizen? Not sure of your status here, but keep an eye on the fees - you may have to pay the overseas rate depending on your circumstances, and that can be higher. This is a really, really, really complicated area, so please be sure and take care.

Concerns about going back for a masters program - help!

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