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Postgraduate diploma - is it worth it?

  • 30-11-2008 10:11pm
    #1
    watna
    Closed Accounts Posts: 10,367 ✭✭✭✭


    I just wanted to get people’s opinions on this.

    I have an ordinary degree from Trinity. I didn’t like what I did at uni at all so got out of there as quick as I could while still getting some kind of qualification. The nz degree system is a bit different. Most people get an ordinary degree and a small percentage choose to stay on to do an honours year – so I’m not at a disadvantage there.

    I’m living in New Zealand at the moment and thinking about going back to uni at night to do a postgraduate diploma. I’ve been working in HR/recruitment since I left uni (about 3 years ago) and I’m looking to get a qualification in it as most roles that are a bit higher than the ones I have been doing require a qualification in HR.

    The course I am looking at is in Victoria University of Wellington which is a fairly good university. It is a postgraduate diploma in human resource management and is organised by the management school. Some courses from the diploma count towards an MBA. It seems to be a fairly high standard course. To get in to it you need to have a degree and have worked in the area for 2 years. In NZ, a postgrad diploma is a common thing to do if you want to move in to an area that your degree is not in.

    University education is not free in NZ and as it is a professional course I would have to pay fees (which are pretty hefty). NZ has a system where you can get a student loan and 10% of your wages are automatically deducted to pay it off.

    I’m really excited about the thought of studying something again that I would enjoy. My only concern is that I intend to move back to Ireland in a couple of years and I am just wondering will it be recognised at all ? Obviously I would have to do the CIPD qualification that most HR roles ask for, as you need to have a knowledge of Irish employment law etc but I intended to do that anyway on my return to Ireland. Will a course from an overseas university do me any good? Doing the course is mainly for me to use my brain again and study something I enjoy after not enjoying university but if I’m going to spend a bit of money on it I obviously want it to benefit me in work too.

    Hmm, this turned out a bit long. Sorry! Would love to hear some advice from people who have done a similar thing or if you have done an evening course in Ireland and how it benefited you at work.


Comments

  • #2
    AARRRGH
    Closed Accounts Posts: 12,382 ✭✭✭✭AARRRGH


    watna wrote: »
    Will a course from an overseas university do me any good?

    Absolutely! Not only will you have extra training, but the fact that you did it abroad while enjoying yourself in NZ shows you genuinely like HR.

    It would impress me if I were interviewing you.

    Also, it's not like NZ is some third world country :) so I'm sure employers would consider it a "proper" education.

    watna wrote: »
    Doing the course is mainly for me to use my brain again and study something I enjoy after not enjoying university but if I’m going to spend a bit of money on it I obviously want it to benefit me in work too.

    I'm with you on that. I did a post grad for the same reasons. I loved it and I'm really glad I went for it. Like you, I couldn't really afford the fees at the time.

    My advice is go for it!


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