Riding out the recession - travelling or a masters?

whitfreak

jivequeen_emma wrote: »

I am a Sociology finalist dreading the impending rush for graduate jobs.

Impending? I'm still getting tons of milkround emails about grad jobs with application deadlines soon for grad jobs staring in September..... The rush as started.

Nichelette

I graduated in July, and trying to find a job of any description isn't easy at the moment, let alone a good one. I'm considering doing a masters over two years and possibly working part time to fund it (I'm in the process of restarting the small business that I had whilst at uni, so I need to find out how much income I'll get from that before I decide exactly what to do).

I'd say do a masters as it will make you more attractive to an employer once we come out of the recession, if you're better able to finance it over two years that might be an idea as even then we'll probably still be feeling the tail end of it.

Voyager2002

Question for a careers adviser.

In general I doubt whether a master's degree makes people that much more employable, but a lot will depend on the discipline Travel and finding work abroad would give you an opportunity to demonstrate personal qualities that would be valuable in many employment contexts.

ames100

im in the same boat too, but my situation is a bit different
i took a year out before uni and so am already a year behind hence im keen to get on with earning some moolaaa!!!
doing a law degree and my choices are a masters (7k) legal practice course (11k) and bvc (barristers course 13k)

so not only are they all extortionate but i dont have funding for them, these costs are without accomodation and living etc. The idea is to obtain sponsering from a company firstly to pay for it but obviously now they are all tightening up and if you do fund it yourself it is doubtful that you will get employment after as when you are sponsered they give you 2yrs employment after the course after which you become fully qualified! ahhhhhhhhh

And law is one of those things that you either stop after a degree and use it just like every other degree or you go all the way through 6+ years of education. travelling isnt really a logical option for me as law has a limited time span before embarking on the next stages

even waiting a year and getting a bog standard minimun wage is gonna be difficult as they are thin on the ground as well.
in short i think we are screeeeeeeewed! lol

gotta love the uk

mark1234567890

ames100 wrote: »

im in the same boat too, but my situation is a bit different
i took a year out before uni and so am already a year behind hence im keen to get on with earning some moolaaa!!!
doing a law degree and my choices are a masters (7k) legal practice course (11k) and bvc (barristers course 13k)

so not only are they all extortionate but i dont have funding for them, these costs are without accomodation and living etc. The idea is to obtain sponsering from a company firstly to pay for it but obviously now they are all tightening up and if you do fund it yourself it is doubtful that you will get employment after as when you are sponsered they give you 2yrs employment after the course after which you become fully qualified! ahhhhhhhhh

And law is one of those things that you either stop after a degree and use it just like every other degree or you go all the way through 6+ years of education. travelling isnt really a logical option for me as law has a limited time span before embarking on the next stages

even waiting a year and getting a bog standard minimun wage is gonna be difficult as they are thin on the ground as well.
in short i think we are screeeeeeeewed! lol

gotta love the uk

Thanks for your reply.

That does sound like a very difficult decision to make. I wish you the best of luck.

I am glad that my situation is not as serious as that.

456789

Think about a masters course very carefully - about whether it will bring tangible benefits to your career and about the costs which will be quite high

A lot of graduate jobs require a certain level of degree but aren't that bothered if you have a masters or not (unfortunate but true)

A Masters may be more useful when you move up the career level but as lots of people don't have them experience is a substitute

My tutor at uni recommended to me to get a job and then later in life if I still wanted to do a Masters to do it in the field I was most interested in at the time and would assist with my career rather than just carrying on my degree

Adasta

Alx_B wrote: »

Yeah, it seems like Masters are a bit of a space filler degree. A PhD seems to be a definite step up from an undergrad degree, but a masters doesn't seem to sit half way between a BSc/BA and a PhD, at least not from an employers point of view. They don't seem to count for an awful lot unless they're directly related to the job that you're going for, or competition for the job is really tight. *shrug*

I've heard the opposite.

One of my tutors has just completed his PhD and is teaching whilst looking for a full-time post. He told me that, after he had finished his MA (in English), he applied for a job as a business consultant. His employers told him that his MA was a significant factor in their decision to employ him because it differentiated him from all those who only had a BA (and there are a lot).

I wouldn't write off an MA as useless, or a time-filler. Plus, it's essential if you want to do a PhD. I'm thinking of doing one so that I have the option of doing a PhD after I've finished. I think it's better to do that then to wait for 5 years and then realise that's what you wanted to do all along. Other things might get in the way, like a career, or a marriage, or a family.

It's a personal choice, of course. Just don't think that's it's 'worthless' because I'm not sure that it is. £4k is a lot to pay though, that's the annoying part...