Studying or Working ? | The Coffeehouse

CKurt
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I just graduated! I'm now Proffesional Bachelor in IT. I graduated top of my class with 81%. I'm 21 years old (22 in august) and am thinking about what to do.

# I can study 2 more years and my Master in IT (and make more money in the end)
# I can go to work and try to make it in "the real world" (and make money now)

I'm still living at home and can life at home for two more years. What would you do?

leeappdalecom
.nettter

It's interesting that you think you will make more money by getting a masters. My advice is decide what you want to do i.e. what kind of company you want to work for and what kind of stuff you want to do. Then start at the bottom and work learn at every oppurtunity in your choosen field.

Also decide what your motivations are, do you want to play it safe make enough money for a good lifestyle or do you want to take risks and make tons of money, or do you want to enter an academic field because in the real world degrees or masters will only get you so far in the end your motivation and desires will determine where you end up.

By the time I was 21 I had already gained 5 years of real world experience (in more than just work Tongue Out )

Bear in mind too that it's never too late to try something new, if what you choose isn't working out or you feel stuck or trapped then don't be afraid to take a risk and change the way things are, because you only get one life remember.

Ok enough of the philosophy from me Smiley

ManipUni
Proving QQ for 5 years!

How would you pay for those two more years?
What would you want to be doing in 5 and 10 years time?
What Masters Program did you have your eye on?
What was your Degree in, CS, Computing, IT, or Software Engineering?
What's a "Professional Bachelor?" Is that just a BSc or an Honours Degree?

Although in general I like this advice - If you want to live in the real world then stay in academia, if you want to stay in academia then go out into the real world.

Dr Herbie
Horses for courses

You have to decide what your target is: knowledge or wealth.

I was an academic until I was 30. I'm still ambivalent about whether I would make the same decision again; I effectively lost 8 years of my working life to academia and while it was fun I still feel like I'm catching up 10 years on.

If you feel that a Masters would be a good grounding in the career you're after, you'll have to weigh that against the late start in the profession.

Herbie

TommyCarlier
I want my scalps!

You should not keep studying for the extra money. First of all, you lose 2 years of income. Second, you have 2 additional years of extra costs. Third, I'm not even sure you will make more money with a master's degree. By the time you graduate as master, you could have had 2 years of work experience, which count.

Having said that, I won't advise you to start working immediately. If you have the ability to continue studying for 2 more years, you should, and fully enjoy it. I miss my college years :,-(

PS: congratulations! What college did you graduate from?

CKurt
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In reply to leeappdalecom

#Jun 30th @ 12:36 PM

Thank, I might indeed need to give some more information. In the end there are stilla few stuff i might want to do.

# Work in a school as network administrator and give lessons informatics (but i would like to keep this as a 'save' chose for the end of my career). To be able to teach in higher education I need a masters degree.

# I would also like to work in a large company and try and work my way to the top. But my brother had a bad experience that he was not able to be promoted because "he did not have the right degree". I like thinking about software architectures, database design and user experience in the front end. I like coding to but only coding somebodies other architecture might not give me the satisfaction.

# Start a bussiness myself (no degree needed) is also something I might do, but i would like to really build a solid career first. Fixing computers (hardware and sofware) does not seem like something i would like to do for the rest of my life.

Sometimes its hard to choose Wink

vesuvius
Das Glasperlenspiel

In reply to leeappdalecom

#Jun 30th @ 12:36 PM

This is a circular question.

It is circular, because I cannot decide for you what to do, and what I choose, you may find that you don't like. That is life in a nutshell. I would "suggest" you continue your studies and get a masters, and enjoy time at home with family because 45 years of programming is linear (appoximately your working life now) and you may as well work 43 and have another trick up your sleeve. Enjoy life as a student, you will never get the time to be as focussed with a fresh mind to boot.

ManipUni
Proving QQ for 5 years!

In reply to TommyCarlier

#Jun 30th @ 12:41 PM

A lot of research I've seen has Master's Graduates earning an average higher income than their non-graduate counterparts. In fact if you read any master's prospectus they almost always say you can earn the cost of a master's back in just a few years.

I myself won't start a masters until I figure out what I want to do with my life (so I might be dead long before I go back!). Plus it looks better to employers if you work for a while and then go back since you can suggest that you're interested in constantly improving as opposed to just getting on the easy train.

CKurt
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In reply to TommyCarlier

#Jun 30th @ 12:41 PM

Thank everybody for the advice. I'm very lucky and my parrents are willing to pay the 2 more years of education. I graduated from the Belgian KHBO (www.khbo.be).

It's "Master of Science in IT" a would have. Knowing that "knowledge" is THE key in IT, never stop learning the new technologies. I'm not sure if "wealth" is what i need, but i want a decent pay offcource. I would rather have a managment job with a few people working for me , then making a lot of money but not having any influence.

vesuvius
Das Glasperlenspiel

In reply to Dr Herbie

#Jun 30th @ 12:40 PM

Need I repeat myself, 35 years with academia or 45 years without? The people that have "made it" without academia are doubtlessly talented, but you cannot just spend life at work, worring about sponduliks. A rich mind is incomparable to a fat wallet.

spivonious

I don't know what it's like over there, but over here lots of companies have tuition reimbursement programs. That way you can gain work experience and earn credits towards your master's degree.

Personally, I was sick of school by the time I graduated, so I went straight to work.

But with the economy the way it is now, it might be smarter to stay in school until things turn around.

CKurt
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In reply to spivonious

#Jun 30th @ 12:56 PM

In belgium school is "cheep enough" so you can pay it with a reseneble salary and you get grants from the goverment. Also companies might want to pay for "evening education" or additional education in a certain field. But not for a Masters Degree, they would just hire somebody with a masters.

PS: economy is not that bad, some bussinesse allready called me personally to offer me a job.

vesuvius
Das Glasperlenspiel

In reply to spivonious

#Jun 30th @ 12:56 PM

School, work, school, work...they are both wearisome!

Take walks in the park, travel, play an instrument, include some debauchery, but most importantly live!

School and work are boring, don't plan your life around them.

leeappdalecom
.nettter

In reply to vesuvius

#Jun 30th @ 12:53 PM

I think its astonishing people have the mindset that you have to spend your whole life doing the same thing!

You can have it all you know, enjoyment in your work, money to do the things you want in life, constant education and learning and time to spend with friends and family. Its just up to you to work out a way to get it.

Personally I don't want to be doing IT for the rest of my life, I will always be involved in technology but doing one thing all your life seems a waste.

CKurt
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In reply to vesuvius

#Jun 30th @ 12:59 PM

Have been in Finland for 4 months making my thesis and really enjoyed it. It was living! But you do need to have some future vision, i like to set goals for myself.

JohnAskew
9 girl in pink sweater

Studing is my work, but I spell it with two d's. Wink

Congratulations, I say you live at home and demand as many free meals served and as much free laundry folded as those who may do so for free will do.

Tongue Out

CKurt
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In reply to JohnAskew

#Jun 30th @ 1:13 PM

Yes, my parents are really nice and i enjoy the being "taken care of". Altought it's not all sunshine Wink

AndyC

In reply to ManipUni

#Jun 30th @ 12:49 PM

ManipUni said:
In fact if you read any master's prospectus they almost always say you can earn the cost of a master's back in just a few years.

And you don't think that maybe, just maybe, they have something of a vested interest in convincing you that staying in Uni and paying them for a few more years might be a good idea?

I'm a firm believer that the only reason to stay in further education is because you want to learn more. If you're only in it because you think it might lead to more money down the line, you'll never truly be commited to it and thus you won't ever really make the most of it. 2 years of work experience can be better for you than an MSc, if that is an environment you thrive in.

It's also worth remembering that employers who base their promotions solely on the "type of degree" a person has are also liable to have the old-school academia opinion that a Masters degree is just for someone who failed a PhD.

Bass
www.spreadfirefox.com/5years/

In reply to CKurt

#Jun 30th @ 1:16 PM

I say go for it if you can. IMO there is a lot of very profitable companies taking advantage of the "bad economic" situation and paying crap starting salaries these days. While it's likely you'll find a job, it will be easy for a company to take advantage of this "bad economy" crap and pay a subpar salary especially considering you are a new grad. And hey if the economy still sucks you can always stay until Ph.D. Smiley

ManipUni
Proving QQ for 5 years!

In reply to Bass

#Jun 30th @ 3:38 PM

That's true. The economy sucks butt right now. There are even IT people unemployed because so many big companies have gone entirely bankrupt.

You really should keep an eye out for ANY work experience you can gain while at school though. Trust me, it will be worth its weight in gold after you graduate. Even if that work experience is volunteering or part tme, it all counts.

jamie

1. who do you know ( the world is nepotism - chose a relative or friend with great connections - then study that )

2. How do you carry yourself? If you act like a leader - you will be one. if your the quiet type - go to school

3. will you sacrifice pay - for experience - if so - there is hope without nepotism. work 24 hrs a day to impress - but hopefully at a company that will last beyond next week (harder to tell these days i know)

CannotResolveSymbol
{insert caption here}

Since I just graduated (with a BSc) in May, I was asking the same question a few months ago. I ended up deciding to go the graduate school route, but here are a few points:

* I'm not paying my way through another four years of schooling. I have a research assistantship which pays my tuition and pays my bills (nowhere near the salary of a full-time job, but once you take into account the cost of tuition, it's not that bad of a deal). If you have to go over your head in debt to continue your schooling, it's not worth it (professors at the university where I did my undergraduate work say it's not worth it at all if you're not being paid-- any graduate program that really wants you will pay you for your work.

* My ultimate goal is to work in industry research-- my ideal career would be working with a group like Microsoft Research, where I'm on the forefront of new technology and new concepts in computer science. These are positions you don't get into without an advanced degree-- if your professional goals don't lead you in that direction, you may find you're overqualified for some of the positions you might have been interested in.

CKurt
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In reply to ManipUni

#Jun 30th @ 3:52 PM

I do a lot of volentier work allready. I've been meantaining a site for a belgian youth movement with over 60.000 members and am trying to meanting there computers in the offices to. I love it and have really learned a lot from it, although most is in website's en not in networks. I have had the Cisco cource and would love to learn more about networks.

For this summer I was looking for a summer job and would have LOVED to work in something to do with IT, but it was very hard to find so i ended up working in a supermarket Sad Damn shame. Maybe Microsoft has a summer-job for me? Tongue Out

I do feel I have much more to learn and I will learn it while getting my masters, so I will probebly study 2 more years.

littleguru
<3 Seattle

I did my master degree. And I don't regret it. It's a great experience: a lot of people drop out after the bachelor and you are in smaller classes in the master, which is really nice! Smiley You should go for a master if you find one that you like.

Btw. I did some of the lessions for my master during the bachelor time. Therefore it officially took me only one year to do the whole master, including master thesis Big Smile

CKurt
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In reply to littleguru

#Jul 1st @ 3:12 AM

Nice Wink A also have a few subject I don't need to take, but it is not enough to do it in one year because of an intership of 4 months and the thesis.