You’re approaching your final year of university. It won’t be long until you’re due to enter the “real world” of full-time work. You have no idea what you’re going to do upon graduation. All your friends have plans – one wants to go into law, another is going to become a teacher and another ~ somehow ~ landed a graduate position at a corporate company amongst thousands of other candidates – but you don’t. You have an inkling about what you want to do, though; “I kind of like the sound of HR,” “I think I want to go into speech and language therapy,” “I could go into events,” but what should you do to get there? Do you complete a year of unpaid work experience? Do you spend hours, days or even weeks on end sending out job applications, only to receive declinations from most? Do you study for a master’s degree related to the industry you’re interested in? This battle when approaching the end of your degree is one of the hardest to overcome; I know because I’ve been there. I’ve already written a blog about how I changed my career prospects after completing a PR & Marketing Internship for a luxury brand in the summer of 2017, but this blog is for those who are considering postgraduate study upon completion of their bachelor’s. In response to interview-style questions as asked by me (lol), here’s my master’s degree experience.

What did you study your master’s degree in?

I studied my master’s degree in Global Marketing. I chose this course because, upon completing said internship, I began to develop a passion for marketing. Of course, I researched the course’s content before I came to the conclusion that it was the course for me (needless to say, I also considered – inspired by my bachelor’s degree in English Language and Linguistics – Forensic Psychology, Audiovisual Translation and Computer Science, thanks to my modules in Forensic Linguistics, Bilingual Language Use and Syntax). The course offered 7 content modules covering the likes of e-marketing, brand management and performance management and required us to complete either a dissertation of at least 16,000 words or a “consultancy project,” a report based on an organisation with which you would need to partner for fieldwork access. I opted for the dissertation for which I explored the extent to which TfL respond to consumer complaints on Twitter in line with linguistic theories of politeness (because I had to incorporate my passion for linguistics into it to make the completion process somewhat easier), as well as the advice of marketing professionals on handling social media complaints.

Did you enjoy your master’s degree?

Hell yeah! I know some of my friends didn’t enjoy it so much either because it covered content they’d already studied in their business-related bachelor’s degrees or because it required so much research and writing (which, to be fair, they’re right about; 6 modules required a presentation and a 3,500-word report, 1 module required a group presentation, a podcast and a 1,500-word report and our dissertation proposal required approximately 4,000 words; along with our dissertation, that’s a total of 42,500 words, for crying out loud!), but I loved it. I didn’t mind the number of reports not only because writing is a hobby of mine, but because it allowed me to gain a greater understanding of the content we covered in each module. I enjoyed every module because all the content was entirely new to me and the nerd in me loves to learn something new. I learned how to be an effective marketing manager and how to thrive in such a career. Hence, I think it’s safe to say that I got as much out of my master’s degree as I could.

Do you think doing a master’s degree has helped you to get where you want to be?

Definitely. That’s not to say that you need a master’s (or a bachelor’s, for that matter) in your desired field to enter such, but – as the question asks – it’s definitely helped. Just like creating this blog, my retail experience and my internship all helped. Since graduating in 2020, I’ve had many an interview – and a few successful ones at that (it’s not all been sunshine and rainbows, though!) – and, from my experience, it’s all about how you can relate your experience to the job at hand; qualifications included. For instance, in response to the typical “tell me about a time when…” questions, if you don’t have any professional experiences under your belt (yet), you can draw from your educational ones. (Not to mention the qualification is still largely respected, even if the narrative around the ‘need’ for a degree is changing.)

Should I do a master’s degree?

That’s the real question. If you’re not entirely sure about what you want to do upon finishing your bachelor’s degree, should you do a master’s or pursue one of the other avenues, like unpaid work experience or the never-ending job hunt for the ‘ideal’ position? In my honest opinion, you’ll just know whether a master’s degree is the right path for you. If, like me, you’re academically driven and you’ve not studied the subject before, then it probably is. I’d never *properly* studied business or marketing before – not at GCSE, not at A level, not ever – for which reason I decided that studying the subject in a university environment, which I was already used to, was the best course of action. The truth is: all your options have their benefits. In some ways, gaining unpaid work experience (whether you agree with it ethically or not) – is similar to completing a year-long master’s degree, only but without taking out another hefty loan (wait, now it sounds better…) because you’re there to learn; the main downfall is that you might have to juggle another paid job on the side to get by (but, hey, I did that alongside uni too – so are we even-stevens now?). Likewise, job searching after university isn’t a bad idea; hell, it sounds pretty standard, right? As an unemployed graduate, however, it can be extremely tedious and, if you’re seeking a position in an industry unrelated to your degree, you might find that you need x amount of work experience or a degree in a ‘relevant field’ in such. But, you never know: you could be one of the lucky ones.

How should I prepare if I want to do a master’s degree?

If you decide to pursue a master’s degree, I recommend preparing in the following ways:

• Do some prior research. It’s important to be certain about the course you wish to study. Research the course’s content and modules on the university’s website, compare it to other universities’ courses in the same field and research the subject in general on Google or via any contacts you may have. This will provide you with a greater insight into the subject and whether the course is right for you. My course even offered an introductory module when I signed up on the university’s online portal which yours might do, too.
• Be organised. It’s even more important to be organised throughout your master’s degree. Remember, it’s postgraduate level for a reason. In some aspects, it’s going to be even harder than your bachelor’s degree; you might find that you have more deadlines in closer proximities, the requirements for assignments more difficult and the further independence from your professors slightly unusual. If you’re in need of some organisation tips, I’ve written a blog all about how to be more organised at university as both a bachelor’s and a master’s student.
• Enjoy it! The most important way to prepare is to ensure that you enjoy the subject. A master’s degree is a commitment much like your bachelor’s degree. There is no point in committing to another one to two years at university if you’re not going to enjoy the subject. Once you’ve done your research into it and decided that it’s right for you, try to commit to your lectures, deadlines and meetings with your dissertation supervisor as much as possible, all while making the most of it!

All in all, I really enjoyed my master’s experience. Like I said: I learnt so much about a subject I had very little knowledge of beforehand, I was lucky enough to make some wonderful friends with whom I could enjoy postgraduate life (I’ve also written a blog about how to enjoy university as an off-campus student if you’re living at home throughout your master’s degree) and I think it has enabled me the ability to progress more quickly. If you enjoy studying and are considering a career prospect in a field new to you, then a master’s degree might just be the way forward.

As usual, I hope this helps and I welcome all questions in the comment section below or via social media or email (you can find my contact details here).

Graduating students, I wish you the best of luck and, if you’re going to do a master’s degree, have fun!

Love,

Soph, Little Pav ♡