Is a Masters worth it?/being a research assistant?

anewman

Hmm now I have the CDL loan agreement form in my hands I am unsure about the whole idea of doing a Masters, in terms of the financial implications - which would start as soon as I sign the agreement and register on my place at university. Argh if only everything was so much easier and there were guarantees it would get me the job I haven't got in the past year (or there were no University fees).

Horasio

I am thinking of doing a Psychology degree

What type of work is out there using this degree?

anewman

CCStar wrote:

I am thinking of doing a Psychology degree

What type of work is out there using this degree?

I wish I knew lol. I feel I would have been better off doing something where the employment outcome to the degree would be more certain. For example a degree in Software Development - I would join an IT company as a Software Developer.

Well one possibility from a Psychology Degree is what I am looking into. Being a research assistant. This basically involves carrying out a research project. Generally some doctor/professor comes up with a research proposal with rationale and you design the research and carry it out, do literature reviews, do the statistics/analyze the data and write up the report for publication in a journal - and attending meetings etc etc. (That may not cover all eventualities and all jobs are different etc).

The Link Below has a few other ideas. Hope this helps.

http://www.prospects.ac.uk/cms/ShowPage/Home_page/Options_with_your_subject/Your_degree_in_psychology/Job_options/p!eaLfdfj

Edit: Also the following *may* be a useful read. Dial-up warning it's over 1mb and you need Adobe Acrobat reader.

http://www.psychology.heacademy.ac.uk/docs/pdf/p20050412_EnhancingEmployability.pdf

missejackson

"Although I have noticed most Masters courses in reputable universities expect a degree in the subject or closely related subject."



Not necessarily - with a conversion degree like Town Planning from a reputable university (Liverpool university) I had to demonstrate an interest in town planning e.g. I enjoyed studying geography at school, i studied a module of urban history and i volunteered with the national trust (town planning is urban and rural). I had studied History at degree level and hadn't studied geography (a closely related subject) since GCSE.

Hope that helps someone...

melancholly

CCStar wrote:

I am thinking of doing a Psychology degree

What type of work is out there using this degree?

to be honest, i've known psychology graduates go into accounting, banking, consulting, nhs management training schemes, retail, law, admin work or charity work. it's not very vocational but then so many courses aren't either. the best starting point for a career is a good degree, so picking something that you're interested in and will be keen to work at and get a good grade is often the best way to think about it!

cupid_s

is there no help you can get with fees?
when I did my masters I was given £9500 tax free for the year.
There is no way I would have done one if i'd had to pay the fees.
I loved my masters but when applying for my PhD after it seemed a problem that I had it. I was actually told that in my field it went against me! I had done ok in it (got 71%) so i didn't really see how that could be the case.

However if you need a masters to get a good job after your degree you don't really have much choice. Find out about help towards fees and bursaries you can get though. There might be something

wickychoo

I'm a research assistant at Oxford, have been since I graduated in 2002 (from Liverpool), but since I changed research groups I have started doing an MSc bt research concurrently with my job. Because I'm staff I get a discount on my university fees, but not on my college fees (that's a different rant however!)

Though money's quite tight and I've had a parental loan to cover my first year I know the sacrifice I am making is worth it. The combination of practical skills gained from the RA position and the dedication to your studies at the same time counts for a hell of a lot, so I have been told by people here at least. I know its not a PhD which put the Post-doccing option of of the window, but when you're competing with other RAs for posts every few years (as is the case sadly) an MSc or better still, a research MSc is well worth it. At least that's my story and I'm sticking to it! :rotfl:

And I also got a graduate mortgage from HSBC last year despite only being on a 3 year contract.

And on the subject of Psychology degrees, I have just been told by my boss (a Psychology professor and graduate studies director) that the competition of psychology is very very high at the moment, just FYI. Hope some of this helps someone

missejackson

oh thanks for letting us know about the HSBC mortgage - I have been given a 2 year research contract (with PhD registration) and wondered where I stood re applying for a mortgage. at least there's a vague hope!

anewman

A thanks from me too. Now I know where to go if I actually start getting somewhere in life

Sent off my CDL loan agreement form so looks like I'm going to give it a try :eek: