Job Opportunities with Masters

ourtrail

Just wondering whether having a Masters Degree (Business/Management related in this case) would enhance employment opportunities by much? There is a small amount of work placement with small enterprises on the course. I have been offered a place on a course like this, finding it very difficult to get a solid job so am highly considering taking it and am wondering just how much of a benefit holding a Masters degree will be?

V480

I did a Masters Degree in UCD two years ago. It was something that I always wanted to do and pretty much everybody I spoke to advised me to go for it, even though I had been offered a years contract in a decent job at the time. Right now though it feels like the biggest mistake I ever made.

I always thought that having a Masters would be of great benefit when applying for jobs, even if the job in question was not necessarily directly related to the subject matter of my degree. However, I discovered pretty quickly that employers don't seem to rate taught masters very much, or at least that's the impression I got.

Especially if you are applying for low-skill jobs, some of the interviewers I met were particularly dismissive of my studies and in fact me having a Masters degree seemed to put them off more than anything.

My experience is tainted my the fact that I was turned down for a grant and was left in alot of debt after finishing with zero hopes of getting a job, hopefully that won't be an issue for yourself.

Amtmann

I recently completed a Masters. On the day that I submitted my thesis, I signed a contract for a permanent position with a company I really wanted to work for.

Representatives from that company spoke to my class last March, encouraging us to apply. A week later, representatives from a rival company came, saying exactly the same thing. Moral of the story: do your research and pick an MA programme from which employers regularly harvest graduates.

ourtrail

The Masters I have chosen is related to my degree and would be in my opinion attractive to employers because of the management, strategic and innovative skills it teaches. At the moment I haven't been offered any real job prospects so I wouldn't be giving up anything to do it, I was of the opinion that surely having a MA can't hurt but am a bit worried now after what V480 has said.

BTW I am eligible for a grant for this masters.

Amtmann

A little advance planning is essential. It's a bad idea to just do a Masters because you assume that employers will like it. Assume nothing. Instead, ask your prospective employers directly before you commit to a course. And ask the programme coordinator what their graduate stats are like.

For example, before I started my Masters, I identified the profession that I wanted to work in. Then, I used Google to find people who work in that profession. Next, I emailed them, introduced myself, told them that I was thinking of entering the profession, and requested that they join me for a cup of coffee some day so that I could put questions to them. If they agreed to meet me (and luckily, they all did), I asked them the following types of questions:

What's your typical day like?
What does the work involve?
What advice would you give to a novice [insert profession title]?
What courses, if any, would you recommend for me to do in order to qualify?
Is this qualification really beneficial and will it be taken into account when I apply for jobs?

etc.

The answers to the final two questions were always the same. All of the people that I met pointed me to one particular MA programme, which I then enrolled in.

You have to be proactive.

Amtmann

V480 wrote: »

My experience is tainted my the fact that I was turned down for a grant and was left in alot of debt after finishing with zero hopes of getting a job, hopefully that won't be an issue for yourself.

I took that risk too and it's pretty nerve-racking. I wasn't eligible for a grant or free fees, so I had to approach AIB and ask for a loan, and a fairly big one at that. I couldn't supplement my income because I couldn't find a part-time job. It was a horrendous year for me financially. I was elated when I got my job, because it felt like I'd gambled and won. It was risky. I can totally appreciate how you feel now, however. I'm a person who is always planning ahead and weighing various outcomes and possibilities and the possibility that I wouldn't find a job at the end of my MA kept me awake sometimes.

Separately, assuming the OP (or anyone) takes my advice about proactively contacting prospective employers before starting an MA, it's important not to lose sight of your goal (i.e. a job) while you are doing the MA itself. You should maintain contact with professionals and prospective employers (use email and LinkedIn; in the case of LinkedIn, add recruiters as contacts and follow your social network using the HootSuite dashboard).
If during the course you are given practical projects and assignments to do, email your contacts and ask them to suggest a topic with real-world relevance for the project. This will help you to develop a portfolio and will demonstrate that you have initiative.

The number of people who do none of this is quite startling and will give you a tremendous advantage when it comes to job-seeking.

ourtrail

Well I am eligible for a grant and getting my full fees covered and have a part-time job to supplement myself and no rent to pay as my home house is within minutes of the college.

I am in the process of contacting past graduates (its a relatively new course) to hear their views, all I have viewed on LinkedIn all went into permanent employment after it. I just think the Masters and the skills I would learn from it would help me stand out a little from the crowd a bit more, and is in line with the type of career I am pursuing. I had a lot on during my degree unfortunately and so only came out with a 2.2 overall grade so having the Masters may open further job opportunities what with graduate openings at big companies.

Thanks Tremelo for all that advice, I will definitely make sure to keep in touch with the working world and prospective employers.

Amtmann

ourtrail wrote: »

I am in the process of contacting past graduates (its a relatively new course) to hear their views, all I have viewed on LinkedIn all went into permanent employment after it. I just think the Masters and the skills I would learn from it would help me stand out a little from the crowd a bit more, and is in line with the type of career I am pursuing. I had a lot on during my degree unfortunately and so only came out with a 2.2 overall grade so having the Masters may open further job opportunities what with graduate openings at big companies.

Thanks Tremelo for all that advice, I will definitely make sure to keep in touch with the working world and prospective employers.

Sounds like you're off to a good start Best of luck with the venture - with a good attitude, a sound strategy, and a decent amount of networking, you've a great chance of doing well. Also, make use of the university careers service (the one at UL is marvellous for example) and, if you feel like it, approach your lecturers and ask them if they wouldn't mind inviting some guest speakers from industry to address your class during the academic year. Let us know how it works out for you