Masters Degree: to enroll or not enroll?

photo from Wrike

Sets of NYSC members are rounding up every other stipulated month. A lot of them start to think about their future, they start to think about making significant changes in their lives. The option of getting married, starting new jobs and trying to better their career prospect comes to mind, for instance, the idea of putting up for a Masters Degree programme. 

Masters Degree for most country, like Nigeria, is like the new Bachelors degree. As the need to have more than a first degree is back on the rise, you might be wondering if that is the next and right step for you; to pursue more education and gather an additional certification from a tertiary institution. 

From the perspective of a Nigerian, there are plenteous reasons to want to earn a postgraduate degree certification, since having HND or a Bachelors Degree can be equated to the value of pure water sachet in the society; it is relevant but the value is low. But getting a Master’s degree in Nigeria?  I’d argue against it.

I don’t come from a family that is drowning in degrees but I have parents that value education to the core. As the first daughter in the family, my parents wanted all the degrees in the world for me (in case you can’t tell, I am exaggerating, but you get my point). At the point of my first degree, a lot of people didn’t really take a second degree seriously, except you came from an extremely rich family or you had your dream job and you wanted to get further within the system, in terms of promotion. 

But come year 2015 and subsequent years till date, things have changed. Now every Tom, Dick and Janet wants a Masters degree regardless of passion or industry. As said previously, there are plenteous reasons to want and get a Master’s degree. For example, if you happen to be seriously interested in academia, medicine and I think law, an advanced degree is pretty much obligatory. And if you’re one of the lucky ones who is able to get a scholarship, or in the case of medicine, a fellowship, go pursue that dream by acquiring an additional certification. But in my country, a lot of graduates don’t look at a Masters degree objectively.  Masters degree today is majorly being pursue to be ahead of the rat race to been employed.

Before I go into it, let me just say, I have a Master’s Degree in Educational Technology, I am interested in academia and I think a second degree for me turned out to being a ‘finding myself (imagination & potentials) path’ thing (worst reason ever!).

Realistically, people with higher degrees make more and have lower unemployment rates than those without higher degrees when it comes to white collar jobs. Statistics show that unemployment and underemployment still remain a cogent issue for the youths even ones with degrees. 

The unemployment rate in Nigeria increased to 14.2 percent as at year 2016. According to report I found on trading economics website, it is the highest jobless rate since 2009 as the number of unemployed went up by 3.5 million to 11.549 million while employment rose at a slower 680.8 thousand to 69.6 million. The figure is alarming, considering that the work labor force is only growing just about yearly.

This might seem like a proMater’s Degree argument. But I would like to look at the slow employment increase. I think that comes from various entrepreneurial startups, that don’t necessarily need a Master’s degree (you get my drift?). Master’s Degree cost an arm and a leg (exaggerating again but …), the cost of registration, acceptance fee (why is this necessary?) the tuition fees are not even the problem or cause of concern for a slightly above average Nigerian. The issue comes from all the variable costs that would be incurred during the duration of the programme, especially during your dissertation. I did a cost-benefit analysis one time and I literally wanted to rewind time to opt out of the programme and maybe spend all of those resources at the Nimbus recording school in Canada. So if you are still adamant and insistent on getting a Masters Degree, there are certain questions you should ask you;  

WHY?

I would not lie; I didn’t ask myself this question before I applied. If I did, the answer would have been for self-knowledge and adventure, for a Nigerian that is one heck of a crazy reason to want to waste resources. Some of the most common reasons for going to grad school include the idea that the certificate WILL fetch you a better job with high pay or if you are like me “personal development,” “developing knowledge/skills” and “salary increase,”. Now while those are legit reasons, there is also a better path to all that as opposed to a Masters Degree. it’s important to assess and connect to your chosen field first, talk to people already in the field to find out whether the degree is important especially for an entry level position since you are still a baby in that respect. Which brings me to the next question to consider.

Is there any Alternate Route to my destination?

In the words of Tolbert

“For many employers, experience and skill far outweigh the degree.”

I technically use of more than half of my data goggling and reading up on things that interest me. During my radio infatuation days, I was so depressed about not having a degree in Mass Communication or English and I thought ‘it will never happen for me’ but fast forward to me talking to actual people in the industry I realized you have to get your foot in the door and go through some actual hands on training if you really want to start, I became an intern. Also as reported by Quarta, in the publishing world, there’s an ongoing debate about the best way to get started and get ahead. some are of the school of thought that claim that getting a master’s is the best way to hone your writing, while others believe that immersing yourself in the literary scene is all you need to write and publish that novel that’s inside you.

Same debate takes place all the time. Look around you; you will see entrepreneurs who didn’t acquire MBAs succeeding, Musicians who didn’t study music gracing the top of the charts or actors who didn’t acquire MA doing well for themselves. There is the question of is a Masters in your field of interest going to help fulfill that dream of being more productive, recognized and respected or are you better off being self-taught or interning? Point is, before you register for that second degree, figure out if there’s an alternate route to acquire the same knowledge, resources, and connections and then create a pros and con table. Weigh the investment vs benefit analysis for yourself and pick the best fit for you. And always remember to talk to an expert in your field of interest.

Who is paying?

A Masters degree is quite expensive even if you enroll in a federal institution, asides from the registration fee, the acceptance fee, the student union fee and the actual session’s fee. There is also the money for rent, data subscription money, the money for transportation, money for tons of assignments (personal & group) depending on your department and the huge commitment to your dissertation. I don’t think student loan is a thing in this country (I stand to be corrected) so, before enrolling think very much on the fees to pay and how they are going to be paid.

P.S. if you are on a full time programme, it takes the grace of God and the rapport between you and your supervisor to be able to balance work and school. 

Do I have the Will Power?

I went through the most frustrating moments of my life during my Maters programme and many times I actually thought about giving up but I told you earlier, it was a self-journey for me. I realize I had/have a stronger will than I give myself credit for. My point is, the programme could break you. I wrote my chapter one so many times that I abandoned it for close to three months (my supervisor knew I could do better).  If you break and bruise easily, the programme is not for you, especially here in Nigeria. It will mentally and physically drain you on all counts (school strike or not). Be sure you are good for it. 

On a final note, an education is the best legacy, but remember that it doesn’t only take place in the four walls of a classroom, it is the wealth of knowledge acquired by an individual after going through the process of an instruction or experiencing life lessons. 

Choose wisely.

Thank you

Leave comments below as to your opinions on the issue of acquiring a Masters degree.