Jobs vs Master's: The Third Year Dilemma - DU Beat - Delhi University's Independent Student Newspaper

For every third year student, the next few months are bound to be hard. Most of them are stuck in a dilemma about whether to pursue their Master’s degree or take up a job. This decision is critical as well as highly difficult. Adding to that, this decision is extremely subjective as well. Here are a few points that’ll help you decide:

Corporate Firms and MBA

It is common for commerce students to look for a job right after their graduation. There are certain reasons behind it. Some do it for work experience before doing an MBA, some enjoy working and they never do an MBA and some start their own businesses. For people working so that they can get some significant experience on their resume, their choice is stable (provided their resume is strong) and it will help their employability after their studies. Some IIMs demand work experience during interviews. For people who end up never doing a Master’s degree, things can be dodgy, unless they have the ability to reach to the top positions in a firm. But there is quick money if this is the choice.

Academics

In case someone is interested in an academic profile, a Master’s is a must. It is better to complete a Master’s course as early as possible. This is primarily because qualifying tests for academics such as NET and JRF are only open up to a certain age. Adding to that, one will not be eligible to teach unless they have a Masters degree.

Civil Services

This is a pretty subjective area. For people looking for State level exams and General Services, a graduation is sufficient for applying for a civil services exam. However in case someone is inclined to apply for an IES or ISS profile they require a Master’s degree in Economics or Statistics. Hence a Master’s is a better option in this case.

Civil Society

This is also a pretty subjective field. The profiles here are very vast. Every profile requires a certain qualification. For high level research openings a Master’s is definitely required. However for a data entry or survey position a graduation degree is generally sufficient but it depends on the organization.