If you’re trying to decide whether a master’s degree is right for you, here are 7 reasons why a master’s degree is better than a bachelor’s.
When you’re growing up and in high school, everyone talks about going to college and obtaining your bachelor’s degree.
As soon as you reach college, however, everyone is telling you to continue your education and obtain a master’s degree or even a doctorate.
So, the question remains, is it worth it?
While college can be a fun and rewarding experience, you may not feel like continuing your education after four years of intense classes and studying sessions.
However, a master’s degree can often deliver even greater rewards then just a bachelor’s degree.
Take a look at all the reasons why a master’s degree might be the best step forward for you.
7 Reasons Why A Master’s Degree is Better Than A Bachelor’s
1. Better Job Qualifications
Optimally, one of the primary goals of an education is to qualify for a job.
You should take as many opportunities as you can to create a better resumé than your competition.
Listing a master’s degree, as opposed to only a bachelor’s degree, will likely move your resume to the top of the stacks in some departments.
Additionally, some positions specifically require you to have a master’s.
In the process of getting your master’s degree, you’re going to be building up and enhancing your skillset.
Highlighting these skillsets on your resumé makes you a more appealing hire to employers sifting through dozens if not hundreds and thousands of applications.
These qualifications also better equip you to adjust to and excel at your job, making you a valuable addition to your employer.
The higher degree opens the doors to better positions and better pay!
2. Higher Pay for Master’s Degree
Over the course of time, people who have higher degrees generally earn more money than those who do not in any one field.
With your master’s degree, you have the opportunity to land better paying job opportunities, but also to move through the ranks more quickly than someone who has only a bachelor’s.
The more advanced skills that you possess thanks to the process of obtaining your master’s degree, the more employers are willing to pay for those advanced skillsets.
It also gives you a running start, compared to just having a bachelor’s degree.
You may be hired for a job that only requires a bachelor’s degree, but since you have your master’s, you may be paid more for your higher qualifications and expertise.
3. Your Job Might Sponsor Your Master’s
Unless you have a full scholarship to college, you are going to have to pay for your undergraduate career or take out loans to fund it.
While a graduate program can be the same, the possibility exists that your employer will pay for the degree.
If the company wants you to rise in the ranks and to go on to higher positions in the business, then this possibility might be open.
Your company will be investing in you, with the goal of you bringing back your improved knowledge and skills to benefit the business.
Talk to your boss about this possible opportunity or research company programs sponsoring further study programs for their employees.
If the financial burden is your main roadblock to getting a master’s degree, this can be the perfect solution.
4. Stronger Networking Experiences with a Graduate Program
During your undergraduate years, you take classes with people in your field, but you also have courses with plenty of individuals outside of it.
When working toward a master’s degree, everyone is going to be focused on the same program and on similar jobs.
Through networking with your fellow students and your professors, the right job opportunity may turn up.
You may develop lasting connections with people during master’s that may come in handy when you’re building up your career.
Relationships with your mentors and professors change while attending graduate school.
Instead of being one of hundreds of students in a class, you are only one of a handful.
Because of this, you are seen more as an equal to people you respect and admire.
5. Enhancing Your Knowledge and Appreciation
Opting for a master’s degree isn’t all about how much money you can make.
You’ll also learn more about a field you love, whether you’re obtaining an Engineering Management, Mathematics or American Literature degree.
As a person immersed in the field, you can better your understanding and broaden your horizons.
If you are passionate about your field, a master’s degree might be the perfect step forward to build your expertise in it.
It allows you to further create opportunities to build a career truly focused in this field by specializing in it.
6. The Ability to Teach
Sometimes, jobs don’t work out exactly the way you planned them.
Having a master’s degree gives you an automatic back-up job.
If you are unsatisfied with the position you originally planned to obtain, you could look into adjunct jobs at a local college or university.
A master’s degree also prepares you for the possibility to join academia by pursuing a PhD.
You might even discover that you have a passion for research and teaching while getting your master’s degree, so you can make the decision for further studies knowing what you’re signing up for.
7. You’re Naturally More Prepared for Master’s
Remember that you’re not the same person fresh out of high school starting their first year of a bachelor’s degree.
You’ve grown and matured through those years of getting your bachelor’s, and if you have been working.
You’re a whole new person joining your master’s program.
You have the knowledge base you accumulated during your bachelor’s and/or at work, and you have developed skills that helped you get through both.
You’re better aware of your strengths and weaknesses, and through trial and error have developed strategies for everything from studying to time management, which areas you might find challenging and which might be a breeze.
As a result, going into master’s, you’ll find you’re better prepared to take full advantage of the opportunities while making sure you don’t make the slip-ups you made while getting your bachelor’s degree.
Master’s programs tend to be more enjoyable and beneficial than your undergraduate program.
If the opportunity presents itself to you, seriously consider going for the higher degree.
Have these 7 reasons why a master’s degree is better than a bachelor’s convinced you to try out an advanced degree?
Write in and let me know!
Kara Masterson is a freelance writer from West Jordan, Utah. She graduated from the University of Utah and enjoys writing and spending time with her dog, Max. Information credited to Ohio University, Engineering Management Master’s Degree.
[ Updated – October 21, 2020 ]
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