anyone here got a masters?

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Anyone here got a masters in any business related field? has having a masters made you more attractive to employers with regards to employability? or is having a degree enough?

Please state what masters you have and what you do, to give me a better picture.

thanks
 
Man of Honour
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Work experience is better than a Masters in business areas.

1 years experience will fade into nothingness after time.

'Hi, ive got 20 years experience'
'Hi, ive got 19 years experience and a masters'

Who is in with the bigger shout for a senior position?
 
Soldato
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My fiancee is doing her second masters at the moment, she'd say it doesn't help much except when it's between you and someone with a normal/hons degree. As Fox has said, it's comparisons like that which mean it's worth it in the long term.

Having said that I earn more than her and I don't even have a degree :p
 
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[TW]Fox;10629602 said:
1 years experience will fade into nothingness after time.

'Hi, ive got 20 years experience'
'Hi, ive got 19 years experience and a masters'

Who is in with the bigger shout for a senior position?
I would say senior positions are most commonly filled by recruiting from inside the business, in which case there is a general knowledge of the persons ability to perform the job rather than the qualifications.

edit: Think i just contradicted the point above too.
 
Soldato
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Been to a few careers sessions provided by uni and it seems most employers are quite happy to take degree graduates as long as they can demonstrate the necessary skills. But as said masters will be useful in the long run.
 
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[TW]Fox;10629602 said:
1 years experience will fade into nothingness after time.

'Hi, ive got 20 years experience'
'Hi, ive got 19 years experience and a masters'

Who is in with the bigger shout for a senior position?


Totally Agree with this.
 
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if you thinking at the top end the usual route is an undergraduate degree, possibly a masters (but usually in traditional subjects), followed by two years working experience, an mba (american school better though more expensive), and then entry into a higher grade.

so if you are looking at top city jobs and the like i would recommend you get your initial experience and then move on to an mba. most top execs have them and usually two years experience is required. you get on them without but you will struggle.

it would help if you say what you targets are future employment.

as a rough guide if you have the a level points and a 2.1 from a top ten uni you could get into a top tier bb with a pay level of 38k basic. with good bonuses on offer you would be in a position to afford the mba which is incredibly expensive. you might get an employer to pay for it also. your earning potential with a good mba shoots up to approx 75k+ if these areas.

business related degrees are not really overly valued, so what do you mean by a related field? economics yes, business studies no...
 
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Totally Agree with this.

it is about taking the masters at the right moment, however. if you take it too early it does not add value - it might not be a negative factor, but for the investment and loss of earnings it needs returns.

it also depends on what exactly his 'business' ambitions are
 
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Wouldn't you technically be a year ahead of the person doing a masters though. That could mean you become their boss. Whos got the better chance of promotion to a senior level then?
 
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Wouldn't you technically be a year ahead of the person doing a masters though. That could mean you become their boss. Whos got the better chance of promotion to a senior level then?

age matters little in certain jobs. in some investment banks we have 23 years olds heading a desk with 40 year olds plus.

most places are moving away from the seniority model simply because people no longer have a job for life etc.
 
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Wouldn't you technically be a year ahead of the person doing a masters though. That could mean you become their boss. Whos got the better chance of promotion to a senior level then?

There is the option of doing a Masters part-time over 2 years, in which case the gap in employment will be non-existent.
 
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I understand, having a masters maybe of benefit in the long run in a job you already have but how about in the short term. for example, assuming two candidates have equal personality etc and going for the same job position but who would you hire in the following circumstances:

1) Candidate 1 - has a 2:2 degree but also a distinction masters.
2) Candidate 2 - 2:1 degree.

please discuss.

Reason I ask is because I am candidate 1 and just wondered if graduate employers favour graduates who have master degrees.
 
Soldato
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The short and sharp answer is do a masters because you want to do a masters. It isn't going to be a golden ticket, working hard isn't going to be a golden ticket, staying within a company isn't your golden ticket, experience in double figures isn't a golden ticket.

Work isn't set up to offer you advantage, it is set up so that you can spend YOUR TIME making SOMEONE ELSE lots of money. Remove the mindset of "what can please others" to "what pleases me, regardless of what effect it may have in others". There is nothing that will make you more successful than confidence, and looking for ways to make yourself more palatable to others isn't the way to get this.
 
Soldato
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well for some jobs, having a masters would up your honours degree by 1 level, so your 2:2 would become a 2:1, but thats only how some companys see it. depending on what the masters/degree is in, the masters may be more or less valuable.
 
Soldato
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Does anyone actually work in recruiting here, or is this a conversation with recent grads and undergrads extolling their idealistic view of employment after education?
 
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well for some jobs, having a masters would up your honours degree by 1 level, so your 2:2 would become a 2:1, but thats only how some companys see it. depending on what the masters/degree is in, the masters may be more or less valuable.

Is this true?
 
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