A master’s degree is a specialization post-graduate course enabling you to become an expert in your field of study. You can do a master’s course related to you undergraduate degree but not necessarily, you can still diverge to other fields you want or if a career change is the reason you are pursuing the post-graduate degree in the first place.
While a master’s degree is not considered an essential academic qualification is most jobs, there are some careers in which a master’s degree pays off and leads to career growth and higher earnings. There are many other reasons besides money why you should pursue a master’s degree.
Become an expert
A master’s degree equips you with more in-depth knowledge about a particular subject especially if it is related to the course you did for your bachelor’s degree. Instead of the general approach that is often taken in undergraduate studies, graduate school focuses on a singular subject and explores extensively and intensively over a period of 2-3 years.
In a master’s program, you are expected to conduct a research on a particular issue and come up with solutions that could help humanity overcome the challenges it faces every day. This does not only improve your self-discipline but also inculcates in you the level of scholarly mettle that can only be offered at graduate school level.
By the time you graduate with your master’s degree you are an expert in your field of study and can even provide consultancy work on the same.
Career requirement
There are some professional fields that require the level of specialization that a master’s program offers. Medicine is one such career. To go into specializations like paediatrics, obstetrics and gynaecology, internal medicine, etc., you need to have a master’s degree or even a PhD.
This is also necessitated by the opportunities and earning potential in the field. For example, a Dermatologist Income is much more lucrative than what a general practitioner takes home plus dermatologists have more opportunities since they are not as many. The same perks are enjoyed by other specialists.
Career growth
Unless your goal is to go into university teaching, it is often advisable to get some work experience before going away for your master’s degree. Acquiring a master’s degree and having some working experience looks good on any resume and could be the boost that your career needs.
A master’s degree sharpens your skills and puts you in good stead for a promotion or having a discussion with the boss about better remuneration. Also, a post-graduate qualification opens up many opportunity that were otherwise inaccessible with a bachelor’s degree alone.
One Church of Customer reader, Tim Chaves of ZipBooks, also found that this is true for entrepreneurs. He says “after getting my master’s degree, doors opened to networks I previously had no access to. I was able to start my company immediately after graduation with plenty of funding, which gave me much-needed breathing room to get something going.”
Career change
Acquiring a master’s degree in a field you want to go into is one of the better ways of effecting a career change. You acquire the skills you need for the job market as well as graduate with an advanced degree.
This makes getting a job in your new career much easier since you already have the qualifications needed.
