These days, it seems we are at a point where getting a college degree seems almost necessary in order to succeed in life. Just don’t ask Mark Zuckerburg, Bill Gates or Steve Jobs to back me up on that one. But is the job market so competitive right now that a mere bachelor’s degree is not enough to set you apart from everyone else?
The general consensus here at The Outlook was that it really depends on what field you are looking to work in. For example, those looking to teach at all levels would be significantly better off with a master’s degree. But where does that leave the rest of us?
There are two streams of thought on the topic. The first being that more education, grad-school, can only make you smarter and better you in the long run. Much like college, graduate school is something we as students make a choice to go to in order to get an education. A deeper understanding within your field will make you that much more of an asset to perspective job opportunities.
One factor which comes into play, one we face with many things in life, including college, is money. Is paying for school for another two years or so even doable for most students already deep into student loan debt?
Some of us at The Outlook feel that if you are a hard enough worker and skilled enough in your field then ultimately you will find a job.
Experience in your field is thought by many to be better than more schooling. Nothing can h elp prepare you more for your field of study than actually participating in it. more in your field other than hands on work actually doing it. Perhaps we can hope those hiring feel the same way and will look more into a student’s resume, aside from focusing all their attention on whether or not the applicant has a master’s or not.
Others felt that a time and money investment right out of college into a field that we have yet to even officially work in isn’t the greatest idea, either. What if it turns out that the field you intended to work in isn’t for you after all? That would probably be worth finding out before investing another two years into more schooling. It’s never too late to go back to graduate school for further education. It is also worth noting that there are some jobs out there that will pay for you to further your education in graduate school.
In the end, masters or no masters, we will be competing with hundreds of other people for jobs in our fields. Anything that can set you apart from the pack and make you stand out is worth doing. If graduate school is something that you can afford, in the sense of time and money, then it’s worth doing. If not right out of college, then perhaps you can do it somewhere down the line. Never rule out the idea of furthering your education.
