JOB vs MS: WHY IS A FOREIGN MASTER’s DEGREE WORTH IT?

When you complete your degree at a foreign university in a developed country, you don’t have to struggle as much in landing a job as in a developing or an under-developed country. In addition, the average salary that graduates get from their first job is usually around 5 to 8 lacs (lower and upper averages) in Pakistani Rupees. Of course, you have to pay taxes too, but even after that, it is very easy to start reaping the return on your investment (i.e return a loan, and/or save the amount).

Whereas, in Pakistan, an entry-level job gets you anywhere between 25 and 45 thousand PKR, with an annual raise of 5% (in good circumstances).

Doing a Job after Degree

Doing a job after degree might sometimes be the only option for you, but you really need to think, is it really?

Some benefits of doing a job first are mentioned below, followed by the demerits of doing a job instead of MS abroad

Why Do a Job First?

• It might sometimes be the best among the worse options

It might sometimes be your only option to take on a job when your family is in extreme financial difficulty, and you work toward the point when you can arrange resources to get higher education and land a better job.

• You get surety about the field you want to pursue

Many seniors answering the question “Job or MS after the degree?” have this as their very first supporting point when they are in favour of doing a job after the degree: you find out what you really wish to pursue

While others insist that taking an online course and doing a small project is a better way to assess if you like the area than spending a year finding out that you do not like the job; switching to another job at this point means another year or half a year with the new job role. Who knows if this newer role appears interesting or not?

My personal observation says that a short analysis of your interests can give you a reason to pursue a field. If you have even a slight feeling about an area appearing interesting to you, just start reading about the relevant job descriptions and the tool-set used; if you find it interesting, you’d most likely love to pursue it as a field. In addition, if you really want to see what a workplace feels like, a 6 months internship serves the purpose very well; and alongside, you can work on your master’s applications too.

What Do You Lose Not Doing a Master’s Degree Right Away?

Sure enough, for some people who wish to make their way to fully funded scholarships, getting an experience of 2 years is a great choice; since most scholarships have either a requirement of work experience in the relevant area, or they prefer people with experience.

Other than that, in cases when you apply with the experience and do not succeed in getting the fully funded scholarship, or when you simply not prepared enough to apply for a fully-funded scholarship, here are the implications:

• You end-up saving very little

Suppose your salary was the upper average of 45K PKR after the degree. You saved 20K each month, and end up saving roughly 5 lacs in two years. In comparison, if you opted for a master’s degree abroad, you’d now have completed the degree and would be seeking a job (while bearing your living expenses from easy-to-get part-time jobs during the job search period). When you land a job, you can save the same amount in two months’ time.

• You Are Likely to Get Entrapped in a Cycle

I hear every one in three seniors who have still not done masters that they want to pursue a master’s degree and are procrastinating for no reason.

My Observation:

When you start doing a job, you get the money freedom and you feel you’re mentally more powerful than before. Also, you start to find the 9 to 5 as your destiny, and you feel like you simply do not have the power to get into books again.

The result?

Your master’s degree might be delayed by 10 years. I would assume that you already know this fact that higher qualifications have you equipped with more knowledge and hence faster career growth.

• Your Golden Years May Not be Utilized Optimally

The age of 25 to 32 is the age when your brain is the most productive and creative. Companies look for creative solutions because they wish to get the job done with minimum resources used.

• You are Most Likely Married at this Point or Are About to

Let’s be realistic.

Doing a master’s degree is not a super-easy task, and once you’re married, it becomes more challenging. It definitely is not impossible, but you’d have to give yourself an extra push to perform well during the master’s degree. Also, during the degree, you’re not getting paid so financial problems in married life may appear too.

TAKEAWAY

If you have dependents in your family who need your presence, doing a job might be a sacrifice worth giving.

However, if that’s not the case, and you know your area of interest or have at least an idea about it, there’s absolutely no point in delaying your master’s degree, even if you have to take a loan or sell a property.

As I’ve discussed in detail the possibilities and investment required for an MS in another blog titled “General MS Scenario In Various Countries“, it certainly is very doable, but prepare yourself to be self-challenged and work toward your goals during your degree because sitting idle and doing nothing would certainly land you nowhere. I’ll discuss more on how you learn to challenge yourself when doing a master’s degree abroad in another blog.

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What is FAQ Blog Series?

I wanted to give the information I received from my seniors and the lessons learned from my experiences to the juniors, hence started the FAQ Blog Series, where I shall be addressing the most commonly asked questions which I picked from the career guidance sessions carried out by the NUST Alumni Association in the past.

Source of Featured Image: SO Journeys