DON'T DO A MASTERS...YET!

If you have attended any of my classes particularly for final and penultimate year students, you would have heard me at one time or the other make this statement, even with mild threats (of course with clear explanations. The phrase is just for catch power!). While I did a master's degree (and will conclude my PhD soon), I have advised a lot of students not to take that route. It might look hypocritical, but I will explain it to you.

The problem largely stems from a lot of students not being able to decide on time what they want to do with their lives. Like I usually say, schooling is meant to mature you, and sadly, a lot of students spend 4/5 years in school without determining or charting a course for their lives or careers (I recently had to reprimand a small group who were more interested in bragging about the number of female genitalia they have mutilated with theirs, instead of focusing on their upcoming exams).

Fortunately, the government gives everyone a one year break from academic hustles to try and figure out what to do (in the form of the NYSC programme, and one reason why I don't want it scrapped). Interestingly, a larger group still do not decide what to do, they are interested more in match-making and conjugal coupling, leaving the critical till after the service year. One year usually is a fleeting moment and soon they realise all their dreams and goals for the year have been largely unaccomplished. They still face the same dilemma they had while leaving school and many result to quick fixes, accepting whatever comes, depression and the likes.

Sadly, so many resort to a masters degree and to my utmost chagrin, they end up spending two to four years in the programme (fundamentally extended for a lack of passion) and still, do not have a headway as to what they want from life. Mind you I am not talking about a job or employment (although this could be used as a metric, it is fallible in some points). One of the marks of maturity is you knowing what you want to do with your life. It doesn't have to be a 28 sheet power point presentation with graphs, charts and projections - even a faint idea, yet resolute, is enough to get things moving.

Another group are running a parent's advisory template and just trudge on through life without ever thinking or asking "why". They just assume the best course of action is the one dictated by their parents (after all they are older and most times paying for the programme). I usually ask in response, that if I offered to sponsor them to prison to stay for a year, would they oblige me? Many respond in the negative most times laughing when they get the point. While I appreciate the efforts that parents make in providing a good platform for their children, we must put into focus that they are from a different generation (they never agree). While they focused more on professionalism (engineer, doctor, lawyer, accountant and the likes), the world is moving more into skills and abilities (programmer, designer and the likes). You have a better outlook of the world than they do now and with their guidance, you can pursue your dreams, that's if you have one.

Not to make things long, I will drop this here. The only reason you should do a Masters (except for professional masters degrees) is for the sake of going into academics or the academia! I'll go further to explain myself.

Firstly, the rigours of your undergraduate studies have exposed you to basic concepts and terms needed to cope with the workplace. Usually, they provide requisite training to help bring you up to speed with company culture and practices. Going on to do a masters only to end up in professional practice is just a waste of good time. What is more valid in the "field" is experience and it doesn't matter if you spent the first year "learning and relearning", at the end of the two years (the average time it takes for a masters degree) you would have been able to put in two years of experience under your belt.

 Secondly, if you know you are going into practice, the success rate of getting employed reduces with years after graduation, because you have another two sets of graduates (with experience and connections) to battle with at the same available jobs you could have clinched two years ago or gotten ready for now (assuming you finish your masters within the timeframe). I cannot tell you how awkward it is to meet your junior colleagues in school at a computer aptitude test exam, more so even painful when they just cut protocol and go in for the interview with their semi-formal wears while you wait outside sweating in your suit and tie.

In practice, emphasis is placed on being a registered professional. This usually consists of writing a number of exams and attending continuous professional development courses. This you would not get while doing a masters (a major disadvantage). Although, some professions allow you to transmit your master's degree for professional experience, many others do not, this means you have to go join the queue and start from the bottom (with your master's degree) to get the needed experience and real-world training before the certification.

Fourthly, joining a firm as a masters holder when the departmental lead or head is not, results to a lot of bad blood and while you might not be aware, you might be used in a lot of politicking within the office space. I have known many colleagues who had to omit their master's degree just to secure employment, or gotten frustrated out of a department because the head felt threatened by their degree. Many others, begin to feel pompous and see some duties as being below their "academic qualification", a major no-no!

While I understand that each situation needs to be taken and examined clearly and treated individually (particularly with parents and financing involved). I will advise you to consider where you want to end up first of all - Practise or Academia. Understand what is obtainable out there and if a masters degree will help you achieve or get closer to your goals, go for it. Else, utilise the resources available to you to pursue greatness.

I know a lot of people in practise who have gone ahead to acquire a masters and even PhD degree. You can do the same much later and in a more comfortable position, with resources and time available to you. If you still have academia as your goal in the future, there is a simple way to go about it (contact me, *winks*).