Are you thinking of postraduate study?

It is very important that you decide to undertake postgraduate study for the right reasons. It can be tempting to take shelter from the stresses of the job hunt by spending time on a postgraduate course, hoping to ride out the storm rather than enter a seemingly daunting and competitive work arena. Friends, family and rumours in our social circle can be very influential in how we make decisions. The work you completed in the previous Career Planning Steps  - “Step1: You”, “Step 2: Opportunities” and “Step 3: Decisions” should have helped you determine your interests, ability and helped plot a career path suitable for you.
 
As part of the selection process, course providers/directors want to recruit students who will complete the course, achieve a good grade, and 'gel' with the faculty staff and classmates. 

For the purposes of gaining entry to a postgraduate programme for which you are suitably qualified, you need to show the course provider evidence that you have sufficient interest to complete the course. Interest that will keep you dedicated to the requirements of the course until completion. It is fairly easy to provide evidence to display your interest on your application, but for your own sake it needs to be genuine. Remember, a postgraduate course will likely dominate your lifestlye for a year, or at least demand a lot of your time and effort. The level of work required is intense and demanding, so you will need to have strong interest in the course to keep you focused. A health interest in an area will motivate you to study, which will hopefully lead to successful completion and a good grade! Consider the following:

Good reasons to undertake postgraduate study:

• I have an interest in the subject and I wish to continue exploring / learning / researching.
• I have identified a career area that I wish to enter, and I need further qualifications to gain entry.
• I want to broaden/develop a specific skill set. 

Reasons not to undertake postgraduate study:

• I can't find a job, so i'll do a postgraduate course for now.
• I think it will give me a guarantee of work at the end of it.
• I haven't fully researched the content of the course.
• I don't know how I will be more employable at the end of the course.
• I was told that I should do this course by someone else.I'm being completely influenced by someone else telling me that this course would suit me.
• I just want to have the letters after my name.
• A lot of the course material doesn't appeal to me.
• The course structure doesn't appeal to me.
• I can't realistically afford to pay the fees and maintain myself for the duration of the course.
• I don't know what else to do.
• I don't want to decide on my next career move, so I'll do a course instead.
• I'm suffering from 'study burnout'. 

Possible benefits of completing postgraduate study:

• Higher qualification achieved, may give you the edge
• Time to study something you enjoy
• New skills can be developed, existing ones enhanced
• Specialist knowledge in discipline
• Can open new career windows
• Starting salaries may be higher with a few employers 

Possible negative consequences of completing postgraduate study:

• It can be expensive
• Funding may be more difficult to secure than for undergraduate study
• It's another year that you aren't in the work force
• Most employers don’t pay extra for postgraduate degree holders over undergrads
• Employers don’t value a postgraduate qualification if it's done for the wrong reasons.