Dcu MSC in Finance or DIT postgrad DIP

pedroj

posted this on askaboutmoney.com but thought id get u guys input
- Been offered two courses both with pluses and minuses:

1)Postgraduate Diploma in finance in Dit (cost approx €4k), easy to get to as its in middle of city centre,and as its a post grad diploma would be suited for me as im comin from management degree. But brand new course so may not be as recognised by employers, and could be mess in its first year

2) MSC in finance and cap markets in DCU cost approx €7k and a further €4k for accomm if decide not to commute(ie €11k before take into account food, bills, books, etc). Much more difficult course, would need alot of effort and burning midnight oil (to catch up to finance degree holders) and probably would need to get accom out there as its bit far from where live on southside. But its 3yrs old (and based and the respected part time DCU course in Investment and treasury) so prob more organised, and better job prospects after finnish.

What you guys think? Need to decide in next 3-4 days to get deposit in..or would i be better to get exper first and then come back to masters?

Tom Dunne

My initial reaction is don't bother with the MSc. I did one a few years back and it hasn't benefited me in my career at all.

Having said that, I am in IT, not finance, so it may not be as applicable.

You can always do the Diploma and then go on to do the MSc at a time that suits.

pedroj

thanks tom...but r post grad diplomas seen as benefical/respected in terms of lookin for jobs?

Tom Dunne

I think going from one field to another (as in your case), they should in theory be benificial.

Maybe somebody who actually hires people would be better able to answer your question.

ixus

Pedroj - the more I think about your dilemma (from askaboutmoney) the more I would encourage you to go for the M.Sc.

I have comp eng degree, two years finance experience and feel I need to upgrade my skills to progress at a rate I want. Am going back for the full-time rather than part time.

My mate had comp eng degree, 1 year experience in IT and went back full -time into that course. He said it was tough, cut back on the boozing at weekends and sport, but he's making up for it now!He's on an internship as a trader. This is something he would never have got with the DIT course or a couple of years experience in fund accounting. He spent a lot of time travelling to London for interviews which curtailed his study a fair bit. You don't need to get a 1st in the course. What you'll need is a decent result with a sound working knowledge of the industries from reading the FT/ Irish Times etc.

If you do the M.Sc. you'll be finished in June, that's just 10 months away. As soon as you put that deposit down, get out there and learn about every possible role in finance and whose recruiting.

I know 3 guys who did the part time course in DCU. They are now CTO, CFO and Head of Sales trading in the company I work for ( a huge US Investment bank). Course doesn't guarantee you these roles but it obviously gives you some serious exposure to these type of roles.

For me, it's a no brainer, DCU all the way....and this is after I said I'd never go back to college two years ago!

Best of luck!