On the postgrad trail

Work experience helps cement one's goals for postgraduate study more firmly.

 

It is usually not a good idea to immediately enter a postgraduate course straight after graduating with your undergraduate degree. Even in research or academia, most employers in today’s results-oriented world want their researchers and instructors to have some experience applying theory in practice.

 

Also, someone with a postgraduate degree and no work experience will still need to start at entry level in the working world; a higher qualification is no longer a guarantee of a higher salary or a more senior position at the outset.

 

A year or three of work experience can also help you to cement your goals for postgraduate study more firmly – or to realise what your true calling is.

 

The best time to take a postgraduate course is largely dependent on your own individual circumstances, as well as your own personal and professional goals. And you have to take into account the fact that working and studying at the same time can take its toll; that it takes a lot of dedication and discipline to juggle family life, studies and career.

 

To determine when the best time is for you, take a look at the following questions as a checklist.

 

This is the most important question to ask yourself. Knowing why you want to study a postgraduate course will make it easier to keep going when the going gets tough. A clear sense of purpose will put you back on track when you are drowning in research and assignments.

 

Think carefully about whether it is required for career advancement, changing fields, or even simply for your own enrichment. Knowing what you are going to do with the degree will help you to narrow down the answers for the next question: What do you want to study?

 

Many institutions now offer specialisations within general areas - for example, a Master of Science in Information Technology with a specialisation in networking. Pinning down if you want to study a more general course or one with a specialisation will help you to select the right institution, which brings you to the next point of consideration: Where to pursue to course.

 

Now that you know what you want to study, it’s time to look for a university that offers the course. Not all universities offer all subjects under the sun, so you can eliminate those that don’t. Also, you may want to consider if you want to study locally or overseas.

 

Reputable universities now offer full-time or part-time courses; some even allow you to study part of the course online. Practical considerations abound; if you’re currently working and want to take a full-time course, will your employer let you take a two-year leave of absence or can you afford to quit?

 

Many people fall back on their own savings (or sometimes their parents’). If you’ve been working for some time, you can withdraw up to RM10,000 from your EPF Account Two to finance your own postgraduate studies. There are also scholarships available, but keep in mind that the majority of scholarships do not fully cover the costs of a postgraduate education: you may have to finance your own travel, books, dissertation printing costs and personal expenses.

 

Some banks also provide study loans, but think very carefully about this especially if you are taking a postgraduate course to change careers – can you afford to shoulder a debt when you are starting at the bottom of a new field?

 

Once you’ve worked out the answers to all the questions above, then that is the best time for you to start postgraduate studies!

 

This article first appeared in The Sun Malaysia's postgrad Focus section on 26 July 2011.