With the economy still in a slump and students finding it more and more difficult to find a job, some of the collegiate unemployed are now wondering if they should be in pursuit of their master's degree.
The M.A. program does seem like a good idea; however more students are using the opportunity to earn a master's not for the purpose of seeking more knowledge and feeding their brains, but as a scapegoat for not having to pay back their student loans.
Regardless of whether or not you pursue your masters, the loans will eventually have to be paid back. Prolonging them in hopes of the economy getting better once you have graduated is not a good practice.
According to Mark C. Taylor, chairman of the religion department at Columbia University, "Colleges are on the prowl for new sources of income. And one place they invariably turn is to new customers, i.e., students."
According to research by Taylor, some graduate degree programs can be very helpful for certain careers but many are not. What is most interesting is not always most practical. Consider your motives and goals carefully. Do not simply assume that another degree after your name is going to open doors.
Although earning a master's degree can sometimes feel like the right road to take based off of the prestige of having one, sometimes, experience can outweigh a master's degree in a certain field.
Learning another language and spending time in another culture is educational and enriching and inclusive and expansive than traditional Post Graduate work.
According to Richard Vedder, director of the Center of College Affordability and Productivity at Ohio University, "Not all degrees are equal - a master's in anthropology or art probably has less incremental earning power than a M.B.A. or advanced engineering degree. If graduate enrollments soar as more decide to stay in school, the newly minted master's graduates may find the job market not all that much better in a couple of years than at the present, and end up taking a relatively low paid job - and facing much larger student loan debts than otherwise."
Another factor in determining whether or not to pursue a master's degree is to decide what exactly it is that you would like to study. Researching a specific degree and the hiring market for that field will give someone a better understanding of their chances of finding a career after completing their degree program. Hopefully, this method would prevent someone from choosing a degree program that has very little marketability upon completion.
Lastly, a potential grad school applicant has to ask themselves is this really what I want to do? Getting a masters requires lots of hard work and long nights. If your heart is not into what it is you are studying, chances are you will not perform well.
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