Going back to Uni to study for a Masters

SweetPea

SweetPea

Goalkeeper
I’m almost 28 now and graduated from uni nearly 5 years ago. I’ve had a few jobs since then and kind of feel I’ve been floating along without much direction, so it’s time I took some initiative and came up with a plan to improve my lot otherwise before I know it another 5 years will have passed and I’ll be no further forward, which is a scary thought.

One thing I’ve been giving a lot of thought to is applying to do a Masters. It wouldn’t be in the field I did my bachelor’s in - no interest in that - but has anybody else gone back later on to do a masters? Any advice, things to look out for or consider before applying etc?

Thanks in advance:)
 


It’s on my to-do list and if workload allows, maybe as soon as September this year.

I’m not going to do the same subject as my degree. If anything, I’m struggling to find a uni I’m happy with that does the course I’m looking at part time.
 
SweetPea said:
I’m almost 28 now and graduated from uni nearly 5 years ago. I’ve had a few jobs since then and kind of feel I’ve been floating along without much direction, so it’s time I took some initiative and came up with a plan to improve my lot otherwise before I know it another 5 years will have passed and I’ll be no further forward, which is a scary thought.

One thing I’ve been giving a lot of thought to is applying to do a Masters. It wouldn’t be in the field I did my bachelor’s in - no interest in that - but has anybody else gone back later on to do a masters? Any advice, things to look out for or consider before applying etc?

Thanks in advance:)
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Haway then give us a laugh.
 
joemcdokes said:
Haway then give us a laugh.
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Haha I did Law, just realised quite quickly I didn’t want to make a career of it. It never really crossed my mind to defer for a year and change course at the time so I stuck it out thinking any degree would be better than no degree.
AndrewP said:
Look into fees, often your original undergraduate university will offer a fees discount.
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One of the courses I’m looking at would be at my original undergrad Uni, didn’t realise they might offer discount so that’s something I’ll definitely look into, cheers mate.
 
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SweetPea said:
Haha I did Law, just realised quite quickly I didn’t want to make a career of it. It never really crossed my mind to defer for a year and change course at the time so I stuck it out thinking any degree would be better than no degree.


One of the courses I’m looking at would be at my original undergrad Uni, didn’t realise they might offer discount so that’s something I’ll definitely look into, cheers mate.
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It is if you get on a graduate placement, most of them haven't got a clue what they're doing either. ;) 👍
 
I did one in social policy. It hasn't helped me get a job but I enjoyed it. My first degree was only loosely related so I had a bit of catching up to do but managed okay. The workload is higher than undergraduate, you won't get a gap between working on assignments and be thinking about your final project from the start.
 
SweetPea said:
One of the courses I’m looking at would be at my original undergrad Uni, didn’t realise they might offer discount so that’s something I’ll definitely look into, cheers mate.
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It tends to be about 20 percent so a decent saving. Which masters are you considering? I'd think law might give you a pretty decent foundation.
 
I went back to do my MBA in my mid-thirties (I'm now 40) and throughly enjoyed it. I knew exactly what I wanted to get out of it (change of career) so structured my modules accordingly and, unlike in my undergraduate degree and professional qualifications, i studied to learn applicable knowledge, rather than to simply pass. As a result it was a great process, and I managed to land a good job out the other side in a area I was interested in.

As long as you pursue a qualification in a field your genuinely interested in, then i'd encourage you to try and make it work. I'm not sure how other masters work, but I managed to win a scholarship for my MBA that paid a good chunk of my course fees, which helped a lot, so also make sure to investigate scholarships and grants etc.
 
AndrewP said:
It tends to be about 20 percent so a decent saving. Which masters are you considering? I'd think law might give you a pretty decent foundation.
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Either Project Management or Business Analysis. I’ve just checked the website and they offer a 20% alumni discount so that’s a good starting point!
Yankee Mackem said:
Advice depends on your course mate. What's the field? I went back at about the same age and had a great time.
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I’m looking at Project Management or Business Analysis. I’m really trying to find something of interest that can give me realistic career prospects afterwards.
SuperGerryHarrison said:
I went back to do my MBA in my mid-thirties (I'm now 40) and throughly enjoyed it. I knew exactly what I wanted to get out of it (change of career) so structured my modules accordingly and, unlike in my undergraduate degree and professional qualifications, i studied to learn applicable knowledge, rather than to simply pass. As a result it was a great process, and I managed to land a good job out the other side in a area I was interested in.

As long as you pursue a qualification in a field your genuinely interested in, then i'd encourage you to try and make it work. I'm not sure how other masters work, but I managed to win a scholarship for my MBA that paid a good chunk of my course fees, which helped a lot, so also make sure to investigate scholarships and grants etc.
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What did you go back to study?

I think I’m in a similar boat, I want to go back because I want a career change and when I did my bachelors I was just trying to pass without much thought as to where it would lead.

There’s postgrad loans available but scholarships and bursaries are something I’ll definitely have to look in to.
 
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First thoughts are that project management and business analysis are two very different things, if you are shooting a bit randomly there’s every chance you will end up in the same situation as you did with your undergrad but taking time out resulting in no income and more debt. I’d do what Andy says and do a Prince qualification part time and get a feel for it at low cost, part time. Get on the ladder at the bottom and get some experience. I can’t speak for the public sector but in the private I can’t imagine a masters in project management counting for much at all unless you have some significant transferable skills in the same line of business. If you want progression you need to get a track record behind you and pieces of paper on their own don’t do that. What line of work are you in now?
 
I did my Masters five years after my first degree and have worked in a related field ever since. Never regretted it for a minute. Met the wife as a result of doing the course, but still don't regret it.
 
SweetPea said:
Either Project Management or Business Analysis. I’ve just checked the website and they offer a 20% alumni discount so that’s a good starting point!


I’m looking at Project Management or Business Analysis. I’m really trying to find something of interest that can give me realistic career prospects afterwards.


What did you go back to study?

I think I’m in a similar boat, I want to go back because I want a career change and when I did my bachelors I was just trying to pass without much thought as to where it would lead.

There’s postgrad loans available but scholarships and bursaries are something I’ll definitely have to look in to.
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As others have said, professional qualifications rather than academic might suit you better, particularly in project management. Look at stuff like Prince, Agile, Six Sigma etc.
 
Go to a postgraduate open evening with all the questions you need an answer to. This should help you suss out if your money will be well spent and your background suitable for the course.
 
If you are in interested in the subject you will enjoy it. If you see it as a means to an end then you might resent it and the effort involved. That goes for professional qualifications as well.

However, if this is about repositioning for the future, then if you do a masters you might want to think about going the whole way and doing a doctorate or PhD. I did one in my 50s and wish I'd done it in my thirties. It opened loads of doors for me, you are never short of academic opportunities, and it gave me several years of self-employment before gradually easing off into retirement.

Just a thought, but I certainly didn't regret it, and I would imagine you wouldn't regret doing a masters.
 

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