Brits who have master's degrees, what did you study, and was it worth it in retrospect?

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OldMatch4081@reddit

I did a creative writing masters

I have written two novels and made no money in the process

it was absolutely worth it

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I have a Masters in Egyptology. Economically, no it probably wasn't worth it although I can't say whether it increased my chance of getting the job I currently have (completely different field but transferable skills you know). Socially, mentally etc, yes a thousand times worth it. I made friends for life doing that course and I did it during covid (part of why I just went for it rather than entering the workforce after my BA). I would've really struggled during covid if I didn't have that ambition to hold onto.

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Master_Block1302@reddit

That is such a fucking obscure answer.

‘Yes, Masters degrees in Egyptology are a great idea if you’re mentally ill during a global pandemic’

Pleased it worked for you though.

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Radiant_Incident4718@reddit

I heard Egytpology was just a pyramid scheme

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Caligapiscis@reddit

It is, but most people in that field are in de-Nile

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Radiant_Incident4718@reddit

Pharoah-nuff

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couragethecurious@reddit

With all these puns I get the sense there's a lot of Tuts incoming

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Even_Pressure91@reddit

Sounds interesting, I sphinx you made a wise decision

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this_is_theone@reddit

Something something mummies

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Popular-Tap5549@reddit

I got an MSc in Chinese politics and economy. It was a risk but my passion for the subject area drove my choice. Through hard work and perseverance I’m in a job where I do get to apply what I learn directly on an almost daily basis. Cost a lot though.

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LadyVonDrakensburg@reddit

MA Heritage Management

Yes - legitimised my years of work experience in the heritage sector (I don't have a history or heritage undergrad), so I could finally get the role of Curator at a museum.

A very beneficial year indeed!

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Prestigious-Gold6759@reddit

That's good to know as my son is considering a similar MA once he graduates (MA Museum Studies). Can I ask where you did yours?

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Cold_Introduction_48@reddit

Just to jump on this. I got an MA in museum studies from Leicester in 2014. Got a foot in the door type job within 3 months at an internationally recognised organisation and stayed there for 8 years with good progression. Only reason I left is because that experience, and my masters, opened up amazing job offers abroad too. So my museum studies masters has unequivocally granted me incredible opportunities. Your son should go for it, it's a fantastic course.

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Prestigious-Gold6759@reddit

oh that's so good to know thank you!

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Cold_Introduction_48@reddit

So the Leicester MA course actually puts you in a 2 month internship at the end and as part of the degree, so that's a great start (which is how I got my first job). Before that, I just rocked up to my local council run-museum and asked if I could volunteer, and they obliged. Volunteer positions, which are plenty, are a good starter for generally learning some initial jobs. I immediately started working on digitising and cataloging various artworks in storage, so the experience can come in many forms. Directly reach out to any museums nearby, they may have opportunities going that simply aren't advertised. I've personally taken on internship type positions (unpaid, granted) to give particularly keen people a taste of the job.

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Prestigious-Gold6759@reddit

very helpful thank you!

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LadyVonDrakensburg@reddit

University of Birmingham 😊

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Prestigious-Gold6759@reddit

Did they help you get the job? How helpful were they in your job search in general?

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LadyVonDrakensburg@reddit

They didn't - I found it on Indeed. I don't know what their career support is like because I didn't need it

But, having studied at 4 different unis now, I don't think many of them help with "job searches", but do offer placement opportunities whilst on the course

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Prestigious-Gold6759@reddit

I was thinking more of industry contacts, which most universities boast about

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Individual-Key-4821@reddit

I've not yet enjoyed the benefits of having a Masters degree

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DueYogurt9@reddit (OP)

What did you study?

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Individual-Key-4821@reddit

Mathematics

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prawn_features@reddit

My masters was a pre requisite for my job

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DueYogurt9@reddit (OP)

What do you do for work?

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cgknight1@reddit

You have to account for when and where people did them - as an older poster, I did a degree, Master's and PhD with no fees.

They were certainly worthwhile for me - I've done a number of jobs you simply couldn't apply for without the right qualifications.

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Ok-Morning-6911@reddit

Yup.. I've also done a number of jobs where the MA was necessary. It's quite common for jobs in Education or Academia which is what I do now. I did mine overseas however and the fees were a fraction of what you would pay in the UK.

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ArmchairTactician@reddit

Really? That's mad, I don't know why but I always assume they'd cost more (maybe because of the American model). I'm getting to the point of considering a post grad/masters maybe in the next 5 years to take the next step in my career. My bachelors is completely unrelated (am more or less pointless beyond just demonstrating I can learn at that level) but I have plenty of experience now that i feel I could get to the point of taking on that level of study with maybe the odd starter course.

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Ok-Morning-6911@reddit

In Europe tuition tends to be a lot cheaper than in the UK. plus there are more and more EU unis that offer courses taught in English nowadays. I did mine in Spain and paid 2k for my masters which I did part time over two years whilst also teaching part time. Now we are no longer in the EU we would have to pay the same as non-EU students, but even then it still works out quite reasonable in a lot of countries. You should look at Germany, Spain, Ireland, Belgium and see if there are any English-taught programmes for your area of study. My MA is in Education and I never found that having one from a foreign uni impacted me in terms of getting jobs because EU equivalent qualifications are recognised.

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gloomsbury@reddit

Yep, you make a great point. I think a lot of the recent discussion around so-called "worthless" degrees stems from the marketisation of higher education and the massive tuition fees people are charged now. Obviously education has a lot of value beyond just getting you a better paid job at the end, but when people have sunk upwards of £9k a year and might potentially be paying off their student loans for life, it's not surprising that they want to see some kind of return on investment.

I can't claim to know what the solution is, but it's a pretty sad state of affairs.

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2xtc@reddit

More like £15-20k per year once you factor in loans for rent and living expenses

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Mild_Karate_Chop@reddit

This is on point when and where and may I add why.... maybe I am the cynic but I think we are seeing/ will see a rise in Masters and HNC and allied HND as the job market shrinks. Most of the learners will be self funded through SLC and only a small percentage through their employers. They may be counted in education and not unemployed. Not sure if any figures or data is available but we may see a trend crystallise as automation and AI become even more mainstream .

And may I add it would make me happy if my "hypothesis" is false.

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cgknight1@reddit

only a small percentage through their employers.

And the drive to the apprentice levy saw a range of MBA type programmes rebadged as Level 7 leadership programmes so that well paid and qualified people could get a free qualification. Which is why this govt is going to make it go away...

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DueYogurt9@reddit (OP)

What did you study for both of your post graduate degrees?

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cgknight1@reddit

Information Systems - the PhD was focused around identification technology for policing.

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DueYogurt9@reddit (OP)

Very interesting. Are you an academic?

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cgknight1@reddit

For a bit - I'm a consultant now.

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CarefulPalpitation51@reddit

4 of my junior staff have masters. They are between 3 and 7 yrs younger than me

They have loads of debt

Realistically, they will never make lead, I doubt 2 of them will ever make senior

Love pointing out my GCSE spell out DUDE

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NebCrushrr@reddit

I finished studying an MSc in Building Surveying in August. I don't really know what it's going to do for my career yet, I'm already in the industry and my employer paid for it.

What I can say is that it was very difficult and very stressful. I honestly just want to sit back and enjoy life for a bit now and not think about my career. I'd advise anyone thinking of doing a masters to check the other options and see if a vocational course might be a better fit, because Christ a masters is really hard.

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Low-Cauliflower-5686@reddit

I didn't even realise there was dedicated masters for building surveying. Did it help with employment? How are you finding the BS role?

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ByDefault_uk@reddit

Also finished my MSc in Building Surveying this year & can concur - that shit sucked at the end, so glad it's over!

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NebCrushrr@reddit

Were you at UCEM?

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planetwords@reddit

I'm currently studying a Masters in Cyber Security from Uni of London, with direction from Royal Holloway college, UOL, distance learning over 4 years.

It is delivered via Coursera with exams in person, the exams in person bit is similar to the traditional UoL distance learning programme.

I thought long and hard before doing it. It is the only masters degree I have ever seriously considered as worth it, because I can keep working, and it has the 'Royal Holloway' stamp, which means I would be eligable to go on to prestigious research departments in cyber security, etc.

In terms of whether it will help me get a job - I think, no, not directly. I have been told the same by industry mentors. If I wanted a direct route into a job, I could have just done certs.

It is more to keep my options open for a move into academia or teaching/tutoring in the future, while getting some solid academic foundation for Cyber Security - which may well be useful in my career change into CS, but won't directly get a job. It will also help me improve my study skills and 'learning to learn' skills.

But also, I've always wanted a Masters degree since I graduated my undergrad in 2005. And it was never the right distance learning course type offered for me to say 'yes' until now.

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Jamerz1990@reddit

I have a masters, i studied undergrad in history but fell into marketing. I graduated in 2013 when unpaid internships were big, at least in my field anyway. I moved to London, did the internship and worked in a pub for a year. After that year I still wasn’t getting paid work, I did a masters in marketing, came out and got a job instantly, before I’d even graduated actually.

The master degree clearly had an impact to me getting that first paid role, not that it was needed to do my job mind you. However, I was in the incredibly fortunate position to have family who I could live with for next to nothing, generous cousins to take me out etc so it’s possible that if I had plugged away at unpaid internships for longer I wouldn’t have needed the masters. Either way, I was in a very privileged position.

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Vigorato@reddit

I have a MSc in economics. Many economists jobs require it, especially overseas jobs. I’m not sure it really teaches you much more that you didn’t learn as an undergraduate, but shows your serious about the subject

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DueYogurt9@reddit (OP)

Was the math required for the degree really hard?

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Vigorato@reddit

For me it was tough on some modules. I’m sure engineers have it harder.

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Opening-Worker-3075@reddit

I have a masters.

The qualification wasn't really worth it but I had a lot of fun studying it.

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pajamakitten@reddit

It is sad we have forgotten that education can be about knowledge, not just making money.

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suiluhthrown78@reddit

It appears to be more for fun than gaining knowledge, 18 year olds having a blast for 3-4 years away from home and with like minded people, not turning down a fun time.

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PlasonJates@reddit

Tuition fees don't really lend themselves to the pursuit of knowledge for fun unless you're loaded.

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Biomicrite@reddit

Exactly the same. I loved every second when I was studying and I got a job in that area for several years but in retrospect I wish I spent more time deciding which subject.

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andromeda_starr@reddit

Likewise. Did an MA in Creative Writing knowing full well it wasn't going to help me with any kind of career but I got an extra year to do something I love which was great.

Having said that, lived with utter prats so the yin yang balance was restored.

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Gulbasaur@reddit

Same. I did mine part time over a few years and see it as a sort of hobby thing really. Having the resources and support to really dive deeply into a topic was wonderful.

My thesis has been cited in a book, which was fairly wonderful to discover.

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Goingupriver20@reddit

I studied architecture at both BA and MA. It enabled me to professionally qualify which was a boost to my short term earnings potential and gives me a safety net base salary that’s easier to justify.

I would have learnt more just working and I probably would have switched careers to an adjacent more profitable field but I was 26 when I graduated so didn’t want to start again.

Think it was a financial drain all things considered.

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james8807@reddit

Not that worthwhile - did not land me any extra opportunities

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DueYogurt9@reddit (OP)

What did you study?

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Sailing-Cyclist@reddit

Fish. No.

Landed an amazing job after graduating …in Jan 2020. Two months later a global pandemic started and I haven’t been able to get back.

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purplechemist@reddit

I have a masters - wouldn’t have done a PhD if I hadn’t done it - the masters research project really grabbed me, and inspired me to take it further.

No, I don’t use the “Dr” title. It has no relevance outside my place of work. Even inside my place of work the title is largely worthless - it’s your experience which counts, not some title.

I did once ask the car insurance company if it made a difference to my premium, and the call center person asked “are you a medical doctor or have you done a PhD?” “A PhD; I couldn’t be a medic!” “Ok, that’s alright then. It makes no difference to you, but being a medic would actually increase your premium”.

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llynllydaw_999@reddit

Mine was sponsored by a company (so it cost me nothing) and they promised to offer me a job if I passed. I took the job and have had a good career in that industry for many years.

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mad-un@reddit

I've got a masters in marketing, working in marketing it's definitely given me a legup.

I went back to university to do it after getting made redundant so I knew I was in marketing for the long haul and that helped

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penduculate_oak@reddit

My MSc is in ecology and conservation and I graduated in 2015. My university, Swansea, offered an extension to my BSc which I applied for. The fieldwork took me to France and I presented my findings at a big ecological conference. It was all rather fun!

Long term has really helped me get sector specific roles which I have always been passionate about. I now work a comfortable job in forestry policy, and remain inspired by the nurturing experience I had at university years ago.

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noroi-san@reddit

History of Art. Absolutely not.

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DueYogurt9@reddit (OP)

Why not?

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noroi-san@reddit

Mostly because it’s been more of a hindrance than a help while looking for jobs in the real world; it was a miserable and isolating experience for me at the time; and the field is highly competitive. I am a decent art theoretician: I was awarded a national fully-funded scholarship to do my PhD, but ultimately it was just impossible to get work in the field, so I ended up straight back in retail to make a living. I’m retraining as a nurse, now.

I’m also not well-connected or wealthy enough to do unpaid internships in expensive cities until someone decides to hire me. In retrospect, if I’d treated my MA as a networking opportunity to get in with the poshos it would have been more beneficial, but I was more focused on trying to get the degree.

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CTLNBRN@reddit

I did a conversion computer science masters. Massively worth it considering my BA undergrad degree hadn’t directly got me a job in the 5 years prior to starting.

I had a graduate software development job lined up before I finished the course and later got a PhD offer after completing.

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DueYogurt9@reddit (OP)

Very good! Are you an academic?

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CTLNBRN@reddit

Still finishing the PhD. I’ll probably return to industry straight after because there’s more job security in my field (AI for security) but the goal would be to get back into academia eventually once I’m more financially stable.

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UniqueEnigma121@reddit

No fees. When did you study? Cost me £50K for my BA & Masters.

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rizs12@reddit

Where did you study your masters, and how old were you when you did so?

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Regular_Zombie@reddit

One of the few fields in which a master's was 'worth it' according to the study is technology.

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Trick_Highlight6567@reddit

I have a Masters in Public Health and it was totally worth it. Got work quickly and am now doing a PhD which I would not have been to do without the masters. I also learned heaps (obviously)!

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loubotomised@reddit

I've just started MSc Public Health, got my BSc this year. Really good to know it's worth it! I'm also planning my dissertation with a hope to publish and use as a PhD application 🤞

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Blueskiesbrowneyes@reddit

I did a masters in law. It was a tack on to my legal practice course that enabled me to obtain postgraduate funding. It was worth it as it allowed me to qualify as a solicitor.

£72k in student loans though. Cries in poor.

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MikeSizemore@reddit

I have a Masters in Post Modern Detective Fiction and Westerns. It sounds ridiculous but in reality it’s served me pretty well as a writer.

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FudgeVillas@reddit

Mine was not worth it at all economically. I’ve had a good career, but haven’t really done anything that I couldn’t have done without even my undergrad.

It did teach me a lot of skills about independent research and statistics, as well as understanding data and their real-world uses though. And it kept me out of the real world for an extra year.

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DueYogurt9@reddit (OP)

What subject did you study?

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itsamberleafable@reddit

I have a degree but not a masters so I'm feeling a bit inferior after reading this. Might have to start telling people I have a master's degree from the university of life

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MrDankky@reddit

If it helps, I got a 2:2 from Uel, some of the guys I manage have masters from ucl, London met, Cambridge etc.

I earn more than all of them and they come to me for help still.

I only work in automation/software engineering though not biochem or something where a masters might give you more benefit

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TabascoFiasco@reddit

Uni of East London?

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MrDankky@reddit

Yeah, not a great uni.. but I got a bsc hons in software engineering to pop on my cv.

A few one click applies on cv library on the walk home from my last exam landed me a job at one the largest tech firms.

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SoYorkish@reddit

Don’t Cambridge undergrads automatically get an MA a couple of years after graduating? They don’t have to study for it.

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JennyW93@reddit

Yep, Cambridge and Oxford get this. I would say it’s an MA just for surviving two years post-bachelors, but I have heard they can also award it posthumously (not sure how true that is).

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bopeepsheep@reddit

That is not true (at least for Oxford). You have to be alive to pay the fee and complete the application. (If you die the day before the ceremony, it isn't awarded, unlike posthumous BAs.)

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JennyW93@reddit

Well that’s something. Alive, fee-paying, and able to complete an application form - that’s three criteria more than I gave them credit for

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bopeepsheep@reddit

It's at least one more skill than many graduates I had to deal with could demonstrate.

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JennyW93@reddit

I work at a university. I… very much suspect 60% of my students would fall at the “fill in the application” stage. I recently had to ask a graduate cohort to fill out a survey so I could do report their results to a regulatory body - part of the survey asked for their nationality. More than one filled that part out with their religion.

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bopeepsheep@reddit

Same. I no longer deal with students or alumni, partly because I was losing hair and sleep over that kind of thing. :)

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BadgerSame6600@reddit

What? That's nuts?!

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MrDankky@reddit

No idea but he definitely used ChatGPT to pass our mechanical and aptitude tests. Guys an idiot, used to work at intel.. don’t understand how people get the jobs

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One-Picture8604@reddit

Definitely no need to feel inferior, you'll have learned different skills and different ways to apply them instead through working sooner.

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Past_Flounder_7238@reddit

I have an MPhil ans I did it after getting a dead end job after my undergrad. Got to go to Cambridge for a year which was cool af. Course was absolute dog shit, everything else fun. Every employer I've had since has hired me off my resume, and the only reason I got my first job was Oxbridge.

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DueYogurt9@reddit (OP)

Wow

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littlepurplepanda@reddit

I did a masters at an art college with a super pretentious title. It was only £5k for two years and my grandparents paid for it. And I worked part time to cover living expenses.

I’m glad I did it. I enjoyed it, I enjoyed learning more about fine art, how to talk about it and talk about my own work. I don’t get paid any more for having done it, but I liked having those two more years in academia exploring my creativity. So to me, it was worth it.

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willcodefordonuts@reddit

I don’t have a masters but can give you an example.

I started my career 14 years ago and started working at the same time as a friend who has a masters in the same industry.

I moved around jobs quite a lot and he didn’t, where he’s had 3, and I’m on 7.

I now make about 50k more minimum. It’s not really about having a masters it’s about what you choose to do with it and how good you are at applying that knowledge.

A masters is still getting you entry level positions, so you need to get the best entry position possible and use it to move up fast. If you don’t you will be passed over by other people with more practical experience

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something_cool_maybe@reddit

MSc in Statistics and was fortunate to receive a scholarship. Never used the technical side in my career but I feel it helped get my earlier jobs and accelerate my career growth

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just_some_guy65@reddit

Computer Science.

Well, I had worked as a software developer for 10 years before I got it so it was more like a "proof I know this stuff"

On balance it feels good that I have the qualification and unlike the vendor certification that you get pressured to do, an MSc never goes out of date or out of fashion.

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gwvr47@reddit

I did a masters in Theoretical Physics at a top university. It cost me £16k in tuition and living expenses.

It was very interesting and I loved it. Has it substantially improved my earnings? No. Has it improved my earnings at all? No. Do I need it for my job? No.

Does it give me immense pride? Yeah it does.

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DueYogurt9@reddit (OP)

Good for you

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Absentmined42@reddit

MA Furniture Conservation, restoration and decorative arts. Loved doing it, don’t regret it but due to health related circumstances I never got a job in the industry and have never used it.

Currently studying for an MSc in Internal Audit Management and Consultancy as part of a level 7 apprenticeship. It’s funded via the apprenticeship levy and my employer. I work in internal audit so it is definitely worth it! I go up a pay band once finished and it’ll help my promotion prospects as and when they come up.

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fuk_ur_mum_m8@reddit

I have a master's in physics. It didn't really help in my career, but I think it was worth doing just for the experience. I got to do some really interesting research, which led on to going to research conferences in different countries, having my pre-liminary research wrote about in dozens of scientific and non-scientific magazines (from New Scientist to Washington Post!) and met lots of interesting people. I also got offered a PhD because of it, but turned it down in the end.

Overall experience was a massive plus.

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DueYogurt9@reddit (OP)

Good!

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AddictedToRugs@reddit

I did a Masters in microelectronics. I was stuck in a very low paying entry level IT job and thought a change of career would help.

It was 2010, I'd been unemployed for nearly 18 months, and the country was still in the grip of recession. I just needed some kind of a win.

But while I was doing my masters I got a much better paying software engineer role and stayed in that industry and have never used my masters. By the time I finished my masters I would have had to take a 40% pay cut to change to an entry level job in microelectronics.

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DueYogurt9@reddit (OP)

So I take it you do think it was worth it despite never having used your master’s?

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n0d3N1AL@reddit

Yeah, it was worth it. Allowed me to transition onto the career path I wanted (MSc was in Software Engineering) and also do a PhD in Computer Science. The qualifications themselves are not hugely useful in industry but I gained some valuable experience and skills that allowed me to progress. I also think having these qualifications gives one credibility even if the contents of the degree may be outdated or not as advanced as some people might think. But it's all circumstantial. There's no clear answer, it depends on your industry, career aspirations, finances, academic ability etc.

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The_Clivanator@reddit

I did my master's 2021-22 as part of a 5-year engineering degree (3 year BEng + year in industry + master's year) and have just finished a grad scheme.

It's hard to say whether my master's was worth it because while there were people on my scheme who did a straight 3-year course, both of the projects I studied in the master's year were highly relevant to the industry I work in now, and I know for a fact that I was one of the last people to get an offer (as I was initially rejected), so I think there's a good chance that without my master's year and its projects, my application would never have gotten over the line.

There's also the point about chartership. Having a master's makes it easier to get a Chartered status with your relevant institution. The company I work for doesn't mandate that we have to pursue chartership but there are many that do in engineering. So it makes that progression a bit faster if you do have one.

Also I think having a master's gave me way more opportunities to develop soft skills than the final year of my bachelor's.

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One-Picture8604@reddit

I would say it doesn't make getting chartership much faster, relevant experience and being able to present a thorough and knowledgeable application is far more important.

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Select-Koala-8904@reddit

I disagree with this, not having a master’s would have added an extra stage to my chartership application so having it definitely made it faster.

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One-Picture8604@reddit

I wonder if any of the professional institutions keep tabs on this and could definitely say "you'll get chartered X years quicker on average with a masters".

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Select-Koala-8904@reddit

It’s not necessarily quicker in terms of number of years, but the application process from start to finish is shorter because it has fewer steps. Also I personally know people who put it off longer because they know they have to do the extra step which is daunting.

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One-Picture8604@reddit

I did my application over 10 years ago so it may have changed, but what step does having the masters allow you to skip, for interest?

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Select-Koala-8904@reddit

At least for the IChemE specifically (although I know it’s the same for the IMechE) having a master’s is the required standard. So if you don’t, you have to write a whole application explaining and proving how your workplace experience has given you the equivalent learnings to a master’s in detail.

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Caligapiscis@reddit

I completed a master's degree about 7 years ago. I had a biosciences degree and after a couple of years out, went back to get an MSc in bioinformatics (basically tricking computers into doing biology for us).

It was a really well-run course with a diversity of subjects and passionate people running it, we were a small cohort so were reasonably close-knit, and I'm certain that I learned real technical skills which I have continued to develop and use pretty much daily.

I'm pretty lucky in that I eventually landed a field-based role with a Silicon Valley biotech company, so for the UK I have a high salary by the standards of the field (though pretty low by San Francisco standards). I would not have this role without my MSc: most of the people in my team have PhDs so I bounce between feeling a little smug and riddled with imposter syndrome.

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Lear_ned@reddit

I have a master's, results have varied. But, it led to my latest career move and my thesis subject has brought me a lot of respect from senior executives because it was about the specific area of government that I'm working in.

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lissongreen@reddit

Did an MA in documentary research in 2002, great fun but not many prospects. Then did a town planning masters in 2012. The council paid for that and you need need it for work so that was worth it.

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vher4ch@reddit

It bought me some time figuring out what I want to do also had an extra year of uni, didn’t need to work per se but it was cyber security masters which was fun to do. I ended up in coding it helped to give me more time to learn what I didn’t like and what i liked

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tommyredbeard@reddit

I went back to uni in my late 20s to do a masters to facilitate a career change. Best thing I ever did.

Real estate masters at Salford uni, cost me a fair chunk of change but been totally worth it

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Ok_Tough_6340@reddit

Masters in theology, loved it, no regrets despite the extra £100 out my payslip.

I think it helped me land a good job, but I think any masters would’ve done.

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Timely_Egg_6827@reddit

Yes, saved my employment. My work paid for it as my undergrad in a related but different subject. We got merged, that role made redundant as focus changed but gave me skills to pivot to a new role.

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SamVimesBootTheory@reddit

I studied Conservation Biology

It's worth for me at the least was more in the vein of like it being something I really wanted to do, but for me the it actually leading to a related job hasn't quite gone to plan for a variety of reasons with varying things I could control about those reasons.

I do think in hindsight I would've maybe waited a bit longer to do it as most of my cohort had already a bit of professional experience or at least had more of a plan in mind for where I wanted to go afterwards but at the same time I likely wouldn't have had the chance to do it otherwise as it was the year a postgrad loan was put out that covered most of the cost of my course.

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Extra-Fig-7425@reddit

I have a MSc in IT, total waste of money. No one took any notice of it when I was looking for a job.

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toughtittywampas@reddit

I have a master's in Petroleum Engineering from Imperial. Was totally useless and wasn't helpful at landing me a job. I now work in a different sector. I'm sure an MSc might make my CV stand out for about a second but it sure isn't worth the £300 that comes out of my paycheck every month.

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remylelourie@reddit

I worked as a Uni lecturer for a while with my MA which I wouldn't have been able to do without it. All other jobs I have had, my MA wasn't needed. However, I did it because I love the subject (English). People presume it is just reading fiction for a year (which it isn't). It links to many other disciplines including language, history, psychology and sociology and tbh it just taught me so much about the world, my place in the world, and what my values and morals are. I found it incredibly fulfilling, but I would recommend not studying this subject if you are aiming to get a high flying job as an end goal.

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Namthorn@reddit

I did Physics as an integrated masters. Hard to say if it was worth it. On one hand I don't use any of the things I learned and it's costing me 9% of everything I earn over ~£27k for the forseeable future, however my first boss did ask me at interview to explain how gravity worked and given that has lead to a career I think it was worth the punt?

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Emily5551@reddit

I have a Masters in Public Health and it was totally worth it. Got work quickly and am now doing a PhD which I would not have been to do without the masters. I also learned heaps (obviously)!

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Pyriel@reddit

MSc in Information Security (Mature Student on a remote learning course)

Very much worth it, I'm working as a Cyber Security Consultant, and without my MSc I doubt I would be, and would probably be earning less than half my current salary.

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LiverpoolBelle@reddit

Forensics. I'm still looking for work in a related field and work in retail right now if that answers your question

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rlaw1234qq@reddit

I did risk management at UCL. It significantly boosted my career prospects and income.

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coconutszz@reddit

I did a physics masters. Worth it considering a lot of jobs in my field (data science/ML) want masters or a phd. Moreso worth it because it was the most enjoyable part of my degree learning about the stuff i wanted to learn about

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Regular_Zombie@reddit

As interesting as some of the personal anecdotes are, they are just that. Statistics come in for a lot of criticism, but with a large and reliable dataset (the case here, since it's government tax records) aggregate statistics are typically reliable. What we can say is that very few master's degrees lead to higher earnings than a bachelor's degree after attempting to control for other factors.

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arabidopsis@reddit

Biochemical Engineering and I've just managed to secure a 6 figure job within pharma and not in London :)

So yes, yes it was very very much worth it.

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Ok-Train5382@reddit

For me it was worth it. Whilst I don’t technically need it for my job, an undergrad would suffice, I was neither mature enough nor grasped the subject well enough after undergrad to get my first grad scheme.

Post masters I did and my career has been great since. Not to mention that whilst it isn’t a requisite at my current place of work, most people have masters and a solid 30-40% of people seem to have PHDs.

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StarlightandDewdrops@reddit

Chemical engineering, it was an integrated masters so its cheaper. So sure I guess it was worth it when i was younger, although I'm not really using it in any way anymore and dont even need the qualification.

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SevrinTheMuto@reddit

Computer science. As a qualification, not really worth it. As a life experience definitely worth it, met new friends and learnt new skills, both hard skills, e.g. having the opportunity to teach myself new things, and soft skills, e.g. how to manage my unfocused concentration to write a dissertation.

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plantlady1-618@reddit

Education for educations sake is never a bad thing

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Nyx_Necrodragon101@reddit

I have a masters in accountancy. I had to do it in order to be promoted. The seizures caused by stress have more than likely given me brain damage.

Short term yes, long term no.

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howard499@reddit

MSc from what is now the Department of Management @ the LSE. It was worth every damn penny. Thankful I went there.

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Ornery-Ad-3224@reddit

I have a MSc in Regenerative Medicine and now I work as a Regulatory Affairs Specialist for medical devices

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cycleair@reddit

No, looking at it economically. But where I live rent has gone up \~30% since 2021 while my wages haven't, I did a post on UK Personal Finance about it here: https://www.reddit.com/r/UKPersonalFinance/comments/1gloara/ukyoung_version_of_dave_ramsay/

At the time I felt getting a masters was worth the extra income, but with inflation, that has not really been the case. However, the extra student loans do hurt and start from £21k. That's really not much at all if living in a major city. Now I do love the UK and the undergrad was definitely worth it and I loved it, and although some of my cohort are still struggling for degree work now a few years later, I'm not sure I made the right choice doing a masters compared to those who went straight into work. Some of them with grades similar to me are in the same role I am so it wasn't crucial for that.

To answer your focus on masters being worthwhile in this economy - maybe but less so than become. It feels to me that the economy isn't stable, because rent increases can really choke you. For me rent/bills/food etc have gone up around 30% in 3 years.

Wages meanwhile.. nothing like that, especially after tax. If wages moved with inflation it'd be ok, but as things stand, my wages go up by less than inflation, AND I have to pay tax plus two student loans on the increase, so at the end of the day the net effect is really negative year to year. I am contemplating moving to the US or some higher income european country. Obviously in the US a masters is worth a lot more in terms of pay for example.

I definitely think compared to 2017 when I was considering Uni that Masters seem to be worth a lot less. I didn't really enjoy it because the degree was during COVID and although I thought COVID would go, the lockdowns that happened again meant the whole thing was basically online despite what was promised before the degree began. I don't begrudge the Uni but having missed the social side I feel particularly sour about paying the masters loan every month. I was hoping to make connections in the field in person and bond with people. I also have a lot of self-doubt about whether I actually learned anything - it was mostly essays rather than exams. Other people on my masters, especially the older ones/parents seemed to be happy with it being online though.

PS: I come from a below average SES background, for example I had access to the lower family income student loans for living costs.

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manhattan4@reddit

Yes, in engineering. It's expected in structural engineering and without one the path to chartership is much longer. I personally think anyone looking at a career in structural engineering should be deterred from a plain undergrad degree, it will go against you in job hunting because you won't meet the requirements of the in house chartership training programme

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CymroBachUSA@reddit

I have bachelor's and master's science degrees. I got a full grant and scholarship for both. Total cost to me as £2. So, yes, well worth it as I have also used my degree subjects all my working life. Of course, I went to college in the 1980s before fees etc and I think the compact between students and unis (get a degree, get a better job!) has been seriously broken. On the downside - and as an avowed academic snob - I went when only 5% of the nation's youth qualifier for college so I think degrees etc have been dumbed down to accommodate the masses and the competition. Swings and roundabouts.

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OrdinaryQuestions@reddit

Masters - Forensic Psychology

Currently - working retail for minimum wage.

Background - working class, low income.

Worth it? - for employability? Not so far. To even get qualified I have to fo a 2 year training course and it's super competitive to get into. So I'm kind of at a dead end right now. Fun to study, was nice to remain in education for a while longer rather than rushing into the misery of working haha.

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anotherwankusername@reddit

I did a masters. I did it because I wanted to learn more, I learnt more. It was worth it. Sometimes things are worth doing not because you’ll get paid more for having done it but because you benefit from it as a person.

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Clear-Ad-2998@reddit

M.A. in TESL at UEA. Would never have got a decent job without it. Two years out of my life, though.

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littlechefdoughnuts@reddit

I did an MSc in GIS (geographic information systems/science). An MSc is pretty common in my field because it's a specialism that you tend to come to after a geography, geology, etc. degree.

I don't regret doing my master's for one minute. Not one. It introduced me to some awesome people, got me into the career I wanted and enjoy, and was a significant factor in allowing me to migrate to Australia. My current employer wouldn't have been able to sponsor me without it, so it's been truly life-changing. Prior employers have also valued my theoretical knowledge.

Oh, and I get to be a postnominal bellend in email signatures, which is fun.

Best £5k I ever spent.

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Dysprosium_164@reddit

I have a MRes in Genetics. It isn't related to what I do now, but it was where I started learning to code, which then lead to my current career in software development. I love what I do, so I guess it was worth it?

It also lead me to the area where I currently live, and to meeting some of my longstanding friends. I think, just like going to university as a whole, it's not quite as simple as boiling it down to how much you would have earned with and without.

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GreatBigBagOfNope@reddit

Physics, but I did it integrated

Would I choose the path again, both yes and no. I think I really should have done computer science as it aligns better with my interests and is no less related to my current job – but I'm not willing to sacrifice the friends I made for it. However, the 4-year integrated masters as a degree structure was 100% great. I wasn't ready to leave education and university after only 3 years, and the depth of content in the 4th year was what I wanted out of the degree; giving that up would have been frustrating. At the time, integrated masters over bachelors suited me very well and I would never choose 3 years over 4 if I were to go back.

These days I would caution most people to only go to university if a) they're truly passionate about the subject and understand that they're going to spend the next few years and sacrifice a portion of their pay for the next 40 years for the sake of study as an end in and of itself, fully expecting to realise no other benefits from it, or b) if they can get a degree apprenticeship for both experience and funding. World has changed a lot over a decade, especially for education, and not positively in that case.

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Yorkshire_Roast@reddit

I have a masters in Information Management and work as a librarian. Whilst I'm not going to be on anyone's rich list any time soon, my job is generally enjoyable and rewarding, and I earn enough to live relatively comfortably so my masters was 100% worth every penny.

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milomitch@reddit

It's wild that some people got higher education for free

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BryOnRye@reddit

MSc in nuclear science and technology

Started it part time when I was 40, was meant to be 3 years but covid hit so it took 4. Paid for by work, got a promotion to my current job before I’d finished it so it hasn’t really been needed.

Slight issue I have is that if I leave my current company within 5 years of completing it I’ll have to pay the uni fees back.

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Typical_Nebula3227@reddit

Astrophysics. Yes it was worth it. I needed my masters to do a PhD. Needed the PhD to work in my field.

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BoomalakkaWee@reddit

Username checks out! 💫

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Reynard_de_Malperdy@reddit

I did a creative writing MA.

I am now a professional gardener.

I would strongly recommend considering a level 2 vocational qualification before considering an MA in the arts in terms of cost/benefit 😂

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Bloody-smashing@reddit

Pharmacy, it’s an integrated masters degree done in 4 years instead of 5.

I hate my job, couldn’t do it without the degree though

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GiovanniVanBroekhoes@reddit

I have a masters. I did it because I didn't go to university when I was younger. After working for years in IT I thought that a bachelors would be too basic. Whilst a lot of the masters course seemed basic to me it did back fill some areas of computer science that I wasn't familiar with and gave me a better understanding of why certain things are how they are. Some organisations wouldn't consider applicants without a degree which was my main driver for doing it.

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Spaghetti3000@reddit

I did my master's degree in 2018, and probably wouldn't be in the job I'm in now without it.

The job market then (and now tbh) was super competitive, so having a relevant master's was an advantage.

I also learned a lot of job-specific things which I didn't learn at Undergrad.

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Fluffy-Desk4593@reddit

I, for messy reasons, have two masters: an MMath and an MPhys.

They don't seem worth it on paper, but my career has gone well so maybe there were less obvious benefits, eg "know how to read a paper and implement a method you've not seen before."

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One-Picture8604@reddit

Masters in aerospace engineering although really just a continuation of the BEng course. Probably would have been better off starting work a year earlier in retrospect but I was told the masters would make it easier to get CEng (turned out they never even asked about it at the interview).

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Funny-Hovercraft9300@reddit

Employers value experience more than academic qualifications

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backcountry57@reddit

As an employer, a masters degree is not that useful to me. I have found that someone with a masters degree is roughly equal to somebody with a regular degree and those additional years of experience.

In reality, I would rather have the person with on the job experience

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turkboy@reddit

Yep, completely worth it. I got mine very late, a good 15 years into my career, when I needed to rather than just jumping in after my degree. I was a creative programmer and game developer who moved slowly into design over the years, and then specifically into narrative design. I did a Creative Writing MA as a means of making things a bit more official for employment purposes, and generally galvanising me as a writer, which it definitely did - I had the best experience, found it incredibly enriching, and came out of it radically stronger in terms of both my craft and my approach. I'm now a Design Director in AAA games with a strong focus on narrative, and definitely got the gig through having better qualifications as well as a much wider portfolio of work to draw on that I generated through the MA.

(A lot of people on Reddit absolutely despise the notion of people enjoying and benefitting from qualifications, so I thought it would be worth adding a positive one)

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kitkat-ninja78@reddit

I have a MSc in Education and Technology, as well as almost completed my MSc in Cyber Security (1 module left to go). However I will mention that I didn't/don't go to uni full time, rather online (part time) as I work. I will also mention that I did not grow up wealthy, I grew up in the UK/EU/US until my teens, then in my teens spent quite a few years in a developing country (it used to be called a "3rd world country") - because of my parents jobs (so out of necessity rather than wanting to). I also didn't complete standard GCSEs, although I did complete the equivalents: a NVQ 2 (equivalent to 4-5 GCSE, grades A through C), as well as 5 additional non-academic (vocational) level 2 qualifications.

Personally I think it was/is worth it. The modules that I have done/do relate to my jobs, so it has actually helped me in both my job roles; as a full time IT Manager and a part time lecturer. Which has allowed me to progress up the career ladder faster than my colleagues and classmates (who did the BSc with me) who started around the same time as me.

However I will say that I do not believe that it was the sole reason of my career progression. Would I have been able to work my way up? Probably, but it may have taken slightly longer.

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TabascoFiasco@reddit

Hard to tell. I think it helped me get a ‘foot in the door’ when it came to graduate schemes.

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TabascoFiasco@reddit

I did a BSc then masters straight after.

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Zxnder7@reddit

Mine was worth it as it helped me push my undergrad into more of a management role. However, I wince every time I see my payslip get hit my two separate student loans as they don’t combine them.

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Unlikely_Egg@reddit

I did an integrated masters in astrophysics. I haven't used my degree directly in my career since finishing uni in 2016, but it definitely gave me the key to the world of data and software engineering as it showed that I had the cognitive capability.

In terms of doing a separate masters after completing a bachelors degree, I can only speak about what I've seen my peers doing and obviously it depends on the subject and industry you want to go into, but for what I'm doing it doesn't seem to make a difference whether you have one or not.

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Chemistry_duck@reddit

Yes it was definitely worth it but I went to Europe where the fees were tiny

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gammon531@reddit

100% Worth it for me. I did an undergrad in Geography but did an MSc in Environmental Economics and would never have got my current job as an Economist without it. Also loved doing it

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ICantBelieveItsNotEC@reddit

I did an integrated masters in Computer Science. Honestly, I probably could have learned to work as a software engineer with a few months of on-the-job training, but the degree was definitely useful to get my foot in the door.

The integrated masters turned my three-year-long taxpayer-funded bender into a four-year-long taxpayer-funded bender, so I can't complain.

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Mountain_Strategy342@reddit

Astrophysics as a mature student. Really fascinating subject, practically useless to my every day job

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PunyHuman1@reddit

I have a masters in biological sciences from a Russell Group University and I hold a PhD in chemical engineering.

I don't believe the masters alone would have helped me boost my income, however, without my masters I do not believe I would have been able to attend my PhD course.

Currently, I am living in Germany and earning around €65k... In real terms, I'm earning about £45k. None of this would have been accessible without my masters and PhD.

And I don't believe I'd be earning near that without both my masters and PhD.

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g0ldcd@reddit

Yes and yes.

MRes in Bioinformatics

I didn't enjoy my biochemistry degree, but just planned to take my predicted 2:1 and get a random job. I stuffed up my finals and got a 2:2, so took Masters to both move towards something I enjoyed and not have a 2:2 as my last qualification.

I really enjoyed being in a much smaller group of people and the general freedom it gave me "This isn't interesting, but I think this thing might be, can I do that instead?"

In retrospect degree was a continuation of school education, whereas Masters (mine at least) was much closer to the real world.

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cccccjdvidn@reddit

I did a master's degree in languages and it massively helped me. Although I may have been able to work in the industry without it, a master's degree was a requirement for my current job.

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Amata69@reddit

What kind of job do you do?

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cccccjdvidn@reddit

Translator.

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Icantspellforship@reddit

I did a Masters in Town & Country Planning. I've always worked in Planning since I graduated. I started in the public sector and after a couple of years under my belt, I joined the private sector as a consultant. I now work in the clientside sector.

I would say that applying for a public sector role is incredibly beaurocratic and it took me 6 months after graduation to get a job at a Council purely due to the process.

Applying for a consultancy role was a lot simpler as I only needed to send in my CV and had an interview. Once I had about 5 years under my belt I was head hunted a few times (networking is important).

I am now clientside (headhunted) and in a Director role. The money is good but the hours are long and the demands stressful. Also quite a volatile industry during a recession as the construction industry is often one of the first to collapse.

Overall, I'm glad I did the masters as it set me up on a clear career path. But, it does have its stresses and it took me a good ten years before I started seeing the rewards.

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lalalaladididi@reddit

Definitely

Got me a much better job. It got me published when I did a piece of research.

The research was for a major organisation which got me some excellent references.

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Weekly_Beautiful_603@reddit

I have two. Well, two qualifications at that level, but one in a more practical field. It was much more useful than the first. Better taught, with more passion from the teachers. Much easier to apply in real life. Put me on a much better footing career-wise.

It was while ago now, and they were both in the cheaper end. I should probably do a PhD, but if I do it will be for interest’s sake.

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ha7zi@reddit

I have a master's in climate science and development

Wouldn't have my job in sustainability without it. It was a prerequisite for getting the role

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GrumpyOik@reddit

A masters, or equivalent, is pretty much necessary to get to supervisor or above level in my profession (I work in an NHS Microbiology lab) , so yes it was worth it. Going back to higher education after a 10 year gap was interesting, but I did very much enjoy the experience.

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krkrbnsn@reddit

I’m not British but I did my master’s in the UK and it definitely helped me pivot my career here. Previously all my expletive had bee in the US so it helped show to employers that I was serious about working in the UK and had a base knowledge of the sector I was moving into.

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InviteAromatic6124@reddit

I have a Master's in Marine Biology. I enjoyed the experience, despite it being very full-on and very stressful at time, in particular getting to travel to a tropical island for my final project. However it did nothing to help my job prospects and I ended up having to spend about a year doing unpaid internships to get experience.

Why I finally did land a job in a marine sector it was in fisheries enforcement and not in a science or research-based role, and I could have got the job without a degree full-stop, let alone a Masters, and I was very over-qualified for it. I lasted 15 months in that job before being forced to resign.

I would only recommend doing a Masters in a marine science if you intend on doing a PhD afterwards, like I am now as it makes the transition between being a taught student to an independent researcher much easier. If you intend on going into employment straight after it may not be as beneficial.

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peterbparker86@reddit

I have an MSc in Infection Control. I needed it as part of my job as a Clinical Nurse Specialist. It would be very difficult to progress if I didn't have it. I added it as part of my PDR, and expressed interest in becoming a senior Nurse. 6 months after gaining the MSc I applied for and got a Matron position.

The NHS has paid for all of my qualifications (DipHe, BSc, AdCert & MSc) so in terms of benefit it's been highly beneficial for me.

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bluejeansseltzer@reddit

I have a master's in politics and in terms of increasing my earning potential and helping me to get a politics-related job, it was absolutely not worth it. I worked myself into a near full psychotic breakdown studying to get a distinction and I've gotten nothing in return, in fact I've only been able to get one politics-related job interview in the two years since I graduated. I enjoyed the degree regardless, but it's probably taken a few years off my life and hasn't netted me anything.

In the article it also states those who undertook a politics master's earn 10% less on average than their peers who only did a politics undergraduate by the time they were in their mid-30s. I'm not even in my 30s yet but those I knew who studied politics at UG level only are now earning 30-45k already even though they're the same age as me (I'm only on 27k), while those I know who studied politics at PG aren't earning at all because they've gone on to do PhDs in the field. They also all came from similar backgrounds to me (aspiring middle-class/lower-middle class).

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Norman_debris@reddit

I did one. Certainly wouldn't have ended up in my current position without it. It was quite a departure from my undergrad.

I will say, we need to stop equating the value of study with earning potential.

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Hoth617@reddit

Yes, in a branch of psychology. It's never helped or affected my career but I deal with people and it's given me a lot of insight into dealing with peoples problems and actions

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gloomsbury@reddit

I did an MA in English literature under the assumption I'd move on to a PhD and go down the research route, but the pandemic happened during what was supposed to be a few years out of academia to work and save up money, and then not just my field but the entire higher education sector pretty much tanked so I never went back to uni.

I think I'd regret it less if I'd had better luck finding a good job after graduating (I could've got my current job without a degree at all), or if higher education was free/less expensive. I did enjoy studying and got a lot out of it skills wise, but it's pretty much permanently hobbled my future career prospects, since I can't get a second masters loan to go back and retrain in a non-dying sector. Kind of sucks.

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Mr-_-Steve@reddit

I worked in a call centre with a lass who had a Masters degree and she made a point to remind everyone daily.. including a few customers..

"I've got a masters degree you don't need to speak to me this way" "Don't they know I'm not stupid, I've got a masters degree you know" "i didn't go through X amount of years at university to be treated like this"

We never really got along as id usually follow up her comments with something along the lines of "but X you do know you work in a call centre"

My wife has a PhD and it has definitely helped her start in her career and gave her skills to climb the ranks within her academic employment fast.

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kingsman_enfield21@reddit

I did Superyacht design, as someone who works in maritime (specifically superyachts) it has put me in good stead and boosted my confidence. It allowed me to study what was not offered in the batchelors, however I would not say it is a major requirement in the industry. Some will not accept junior staff without it but they are few.

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Conspiruhcy@reddit

I have a masters in HR (for my sins) and the most valuable part of it was a mandatory work placement and CIPD accreditation, both of which made is very easy to get a job in the field.

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Kind-Alternative3677@reddit

I have a Masters in Sociology, which I definitely didn’t need for my current career. I enjoyed studying it and don’t regret doing so but seeing the PGT loan (and plan 2 UG loan) deductions on my payslip every month does make me question if I made the best financial decision

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lj523@reddit

I did a masters in Molecular Medicine (basically medical research). I did it a few years after my undergrad as I'd realised I needed one if I wanted a career in research. I got a decent job as a direct result of the course (continued working in the lab I did my dissertation project in) and continued working various lab jobs for a few years. I used that experience to jump to a different career when I burnt out on lab work.

In retrospect definitely worth it. The course was excellent and enjoyable. And even though my current career has absolutely nothing to do with the masters, I wouldn't have been able to get to this point if I hadn't done it.

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ghodsgift@reddit

I know a few folks with masters degrees and all admit that there hasnt been any real gains off the back of it. It did prolong the "Van Wilder" experience though....

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culturerush@reddit

I have a masters

I did it 11 years after finishing my undergrad, worked full time in between

It almost doubled my wage

It was a tick box qualification to go higher in the NHS

My friends who haven't done masters but we're in companies that invested in their careers are on the same as I'm on now

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EleFacCafele@reddit

Definitely worthwhile. I migrated from then a non-EU country in the early nineties, so my five-year Engineering degree was not recognised in the UK. Late 90s I took a conversion MSc degree in Information Management at a former Poly University in London. The MSc was built around on what the IT industry required at the time, very practical, not much theory. What I learned helped me in my career in the IT and the Master degree allowed me to work as a Consultant for various EU bodies (by the time both UK and my country were in the EU). No EU institution will hire if you don't have a Master and if you apply for work in for the UN and its agencies, a Master degree makes a lot of difference. In fact I amazed how far I went with a MSc from a former Poly.

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mikeyyyy_@reddit

I’ve got a masters in law. I don’t really work in law, and it didn’t really help my career too much. I enjoyed studying it though, and it certainly hasn’t held me back.

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post_holer@reddit

I have a masters in computer science.

It seems like it was worth it as it landed me into a high paying and enjoyable job straight out of university. I don't know whether I could have got the same or similar job with only a bachelors or with 4 years of self taught stuff and internships, but I know my masters degree made it much easier to get where I am today so I would say it was worth it.

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Dry_Action1734@reddit

I did, if it weren’t for the fun I had outside of studying and the lifelong friends I made, I would probably tell you it wasn’t worth it for me. I’m in a high-ish paying job, but lots of people in my position don’t have degrees.

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AlarmedCicada256@reddit

It depends if you pay or not. I was funded for both my MA and PhD. Neither is particularly useful, and finding immediate work can be hard, but they were fun, didn't incur debt and I spent my 20s travelling, seeing the world, meeting people and not chained to a desk.

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Fungled@reddit

Mine is called a “masters” but was really a conversion course which allowed me to switch careers very successfully in my 30s with only dedicating 12 (pretty hardcore) months to it

And I can still pretend that I’ve got an “advanced” masters 🫡

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Honest-Librarian7647@reddit

I did an MSc related to climate, energy efficiency, renewables etc about 15 years ago. Never been out of work for any significant period of time since..

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JennyW93@reddit

I have two (long story short, I didn’t think I’d pass the first one due to a serious brain injury. Signed up for the 2nd one [that was vastly reduced in cost because I’d only have needed to do three or four modules]), started the second and a week later found out I passed the first. Wouldn’t have got on my PhD without the second, so it wasn’t a complete waste.

I can only say it was worth it in that it led to a PhD. I have no way of knowing if MSc alone would have improved my employment prospects, but my suspicion is that it’s over-saturated. Everyone was told they had to go to uni, so BSc/BA became devalued, so more people did masters, and in recent years there’s been a big increase in people doing PhDs despite not necessarily wanting careers as academics (there are a not insignificant amount of industry and charity roles that require a PhD these days - I’d argue many of these roles [particularly in charity sector] don’t actually need the skills a PhD confers, and that employers just need something to differentiate between all the applicants with Masters degrees).

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44617272656E@reddit

I have an Engineering PhD and it wasn't worth it in terms of career. I was paid to do it at the time though.

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SovvyBlues@reddit

I have a master’s in Toxicology. It was absolutely worth it as it is required to work in my field

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LochNessMother@reddit

Legal and Political Theory. It would have been more use and a much better experience if I’d known then about inattentive adhd, I just couldn’t study so didn’t get a distinction, or take it forward to PhD. But it probably did help me in my public sector career.

I had a career change to gardening in my 40s and felt the MA was a waste, but then cancer destroyed that plan, and now the thinky MA is useful again.

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Prestigious-Gold6759@reddit

I did the equivalent of a translation Masters which was totally worth it in terms of the enjoyment I had studying it and the satisfaction I had from passing it first time (30% pass rate). I had already been working as a translator before as I'd been lucky enough to find a lot of work through contacts, but it did beef up my CV.

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blind_newt@reddit

I did my undergrad in psychology then decided I wanted to work in environmental conservation/ecology. Did a masters in animal behaviour (as it was closest to psychology) and it was the best decision for me! I now work in the conservation field in a decent and interesting job, wouldn't be here without the degree

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Alert-External5204@reddit

I got a distinction in International Business & Management from the University of Manchester back in 2017. It cost £11k back then. It costs £17,500 now.

It wasn't worth it at all. Going on exchange and living in Vienna was really cool and the people I met were amazing - but the qualification didn't help me in the jobs market and the course content doesn't teach you about international business - it teaches you how to write a dissertation about international business.

I ended up going to a coding bootcamp and that has done far more for my career than either of my degrees, for zero debt.

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bartread@reddit

Yes, two - and this isn't a brag. I only have the second one because I made some stupid choices with the first one.

My first degree is an MSci in Biochemistry & Biological Chemistry. Quite apart from the fact that sometime during the second year I realised I'd made a horrible mistake picking this degree in the first place, what I should have done is transferred to the 3 year BSc and GTFO Dodge because the 4th year was an absolute waste of time. Moreover, because I was pretty disillusioned and disengaged, I found myself unable to sustain my performance. I got a 2:2 in year 2, and a 1st in year 3: I wanted to get a first overall which would have required a superhuman effort in year 4 that I... just couldn't be arsed to make. So I ended up with a 2:1 overall, which is exactly what I would have got had I graduated at the end of year 3.

Which brings me on to the second one. This was an MSc conversion course into Computer Science. Had a mostly great time on this, really enjoyed it, and have made a career in software engineering. This is the degree I should have done as my first degree but the conversion at least allowed me to correct the cost of yet another year at university and, ultimately, graduating into the middle of the dotcom crash, which wasn't great.

So my first masters is basically worthless, and my second is the reason I've been able to build a reasonably successful career.

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Competitive-Ad-5454@reddit

I completed a MSc about two years ago. It got me in to another role that I certainly wouldn't be able to do with out it with more scope for progression than my previous role. It was expensive, but worth it for me in terms of career progression.

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wibble089@reddit

I did a M.Sc. in Telecommunications Technology in 1995. I didn't have to pay any fees, and a I got a busary from the relevant research council to pay my living expenses.

I did a 6 month placement with BT at their research labs as part of the course, and got a job offer after interview a few months in. Worked there for 3.5 years, then at a joint venture in Germany for 3.5 more years.

I then went permanent at the company in Germany for a 150% pay rise, became a senior development engineer there and 23 years later, I have 50 million customers using the solutions that I have designed.

The Masters paid off well for me!

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orionprincess1234@reddit

I have a Masters in Education.

I’m glad I did it. I think it adds to my CV and is an accomplishment.

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OccidentalTouriste@reddit

I have two, both industry specific so won't mention them as they are both quite small fields. Self funded both of them back when it was much cheaper and it probably cost me 10k for the pair of them five years apart. The first one definitely got me employed in industry the second one was because I wanted a break and considered a tangential move in my field but after doing the MSc I knew it wasn't for me but interesting all the same. Then went back to the original niche.

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FarroFarro@reddit

I did an MRes in pharmacology. Definitely worth it, got a publication as first author out of it and I wouldn't have gotten the job I'm in now without it.

Also had a lot of fun doing it and learnt an awful lot.

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HiddenIdentity2@reddit

I have no degrees and earn 100k. Degrees are not needed but can be helpful.

It took me a while to get a job that took a risk on me without it. I instead picked up certifications around my job once I was in a position to do so. Which doubled my salary quickly.

I think if you want to do an MSc or any degree do it. You get one life. Just do what’s right for you. But remember it’s not your only option.

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pikantnasuka@reddit

Social Work

Yeah, it was fine, I don't think the profession needs a masters degree but the professional qualification element meant I could get jobs you can't get without it and it was quite nice to go back as a 30something with small kids and realise I was still capable of good academic work.

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AvatarIII@reddit

I don't have a master's but the workplace I work at has had a shift over the last 15 or so years from hiring people with A levels to people with bachelor's degrees to predominantly people with master's degrees for the same positions. This is in a scientific field but is relatively simple work, there's no reason you would need a master's degree.

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Wiltix@reddit

I did a masters, I wish I had done a different masters.

In 2012 it definitely helped get a mediocre CS student with a 2:1 into more interviews than without it.

But honestly that is all it really did for me, it was a pretty shit masters program. Sounds good though.

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Astonishingly-Villa@reddit

Engineering. Went straight into work after my bachelors degree, hit a glass ceiling of sorts, needed to do an MSc to make the step up in my career. Yeah had a loss of earnings for a year and the MSc itself cost about 8 grand but I got an immediate 60% pay increase in my first year compared to my pre-masters pay and two years on I was on a 100% pay increase so it does pay for itself if you're smart.

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Fancy-Dot-4443@reddit

Msc in computer science and is worthless

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fraiser3131@reddit

Did Data science masters during pandemic, graduated in 2021 and helped my get my first job 3 months later

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Own-Lecture251@reddit

It was worth it for me. I went from MSc to a related research job to a PhD with my fees paid by my university to a better research job. I don't know how normal that is.

Degree-wise I went from Sports Science BSc to Exercise and Health Science MSc to PhD in physical activity and health epidemiology. I did all this a s a mature student although I didn't have a plan. Sort of fell into it.

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Robmeu@reddit

Mine wasn’t worth it financially or opportunity wise, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. Would I do it again? No. I got through my first degree effectively debt free, but my post grad was done under a career development loan and trashed my finances for years. I wish it was as useful as I thought it would be though, but that’s down to me not fully researching the benefit (all pre-internet). Ah well.

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Athena_x@reddit

I have a Master's degree in psychology (MRes). Never used it, I didn't really enjoy doing it, probably wasn't worth it.

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7ootles@reddit

MA in Creative Writing. Did it after already being a writer for a few years, partly so I have an English-related qualification in case it all goes to hell and I decide to give teacher training a shot - but mostly just for fun, as a chance to grow my skills further. I didn't expect it to bring in any more money, since at the end of the day I'm still self-employed.

It was fun, I learned a few things, and while it brought very little financial gain, I don't regret it.

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No_Atmosphere1852@reddit

I have a Master's of Research in Linguistics, which I did as a precursor to a PhD I ended up not finishing.

I think I'm broadly glad I spent the extra time in the university, certainly the job I picked up to help pay my way led to my current career and I wouldn't be on that path without being tied to a specific city.

The master's itself though has nothing to do with my current career, I hated doing the degree itself and I have no ongoing interest in the subject of study.

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kelliphant@reddit

I did an Master of Research in Medical Sciences, and it was definitely worth it. I had some experience of research thanks to a summer placement and my final year dissertation project, but the MRes was the first time I had hands-on experience of a more long-term project.

My supervisor was also pivotal in securing my first 'real-word' science job, as he knew my boss - so it benefited me personally and professionally!

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mohammedafify1@reddit

I have got my masters in Accounting.

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CommercialToday1264@reddit

I don't have a master's degree. I tend to think that society really benefits from having a large group of highly-educated and curious people who've studied a range of subjects, but I wouldn't necessarily expect there to be a correlation between this and salary levels, particularly because a lot of arts and humanities subjects are (wrongly IMO) devalued.

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LDNLibero@reddit

MA International Relations in 2020.

I loved it and it did a lot for my development at the time. It hasn't directly contributed to my career yet (NHS), but I expect over time as I climb the ranks, not having to do a postgraduate qualification when working full time with a family will be a massive benefit.

I try not to think too much about my student debt tbh. It's not going to be paid off working in the public sector but I consider that to be due to ridiculous interest rates rather than the fact I wanted an education.

It also introduced me to a lot of very intelligent and interesting people as well as challenged my worldview. I came out of it a better person and better equipped for understanding the world around me. I'm still very grateful to one lecturer who introduced me to Raymond Williams' essay Culture is Ordinary. I read it every year because it had such a profound impact on my perspective.

Education is cool.

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london_lady88@reddit

I was lucky enough for my employer to sponsor my masters, which made it a no brainer. Otherwise I wouldn’t have done it.

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Dunkleosteus_@reddit

I did a masters in 2011. I had an entry level job in academic research off the back of my Bsc, but although I was applying left right and center for more advanced roles, but mostly for PhDs, I was getting nothing back. The work I'd done since graduating had also helped me realised that the career path I wanted was a little different to what I'd thought when I did my Bsc.

So I did a Masters. It was expensive to do that for a year - I was very, very fortunate that my parents helped me pay my way for that year. As I was finishing up though, I got accepted into a PhD at a prestigious university. My supervisor later told me they had had 700 applicants for the position, and just to help them wade through those the first thing they had done was cut the 400 people without a Masters

My PhD opened a lot of doors for me, and it is the thing I've done that I'm proudest of. So even though I stopped working in academia quite shortly after I completed it (science can be a horrible place to work, you have to love it: long hours, low pay, little job security), I wouldn't have got my current job without it. So I say for me, in the privileged position where I could do a Masters, it was worth it. I expect if my parents hadn't helped I would probably still have paid the debt off by now but it would definitely have taken some time

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Valuable-Wallaby-167@reddit

I'm currently doing a master's degree. I'm not necessarily expecting to earn more from it, I could definitely work my way up in my broad field without it. What I couldn't realistically do is the sort of work I want to do without some form of higher level qualification in it, as I need to be able to show that I have a level of expertise in the subject. A lot of the article is focused around the cost of a master's, but mine is a 1 year full time master's and it's costing me £6.5k + loss of earnings, an undergraduate degree would cost me a lot more.

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DickBrownballs@reddit

I did an integrated masters (MChem which you apply for as an alternative to BSc) and it was definitely worth it, it allowed me to do a year in industry without missing out on the research part of an undergrad or without the whole thing taking 5 years. Learnt more skills, made more connections etc too.

Whether my PhD was worth it is a different question. It's benefitted me, but "worth it" is a different matter.

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No-Locksmith6662@reddit

I have a master's degree in chemistry, it was offered as part of a combined bachelor/master's 4 year degree.

In retrospect I don't think it has had any real impact on my career (positive or negative), there are people in my workplace who have only a bachelor's degree and we're on the same level in terms of experience and knowledge.

However, I wouldn't say it wasn't worth it. Being able to gain a year's experience working in university research was very interesting and, having been out in the workplace for a decade now, gives me the chance to appreciate the differences between the public research sector and private companies.

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CoffeeandaTwix@reddit

Not in their terms but then not everyone approaches academic degrees as raffle tickets for jobs (even though they can be in many circumstances).

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diodesign@reddit

I have an Meng in electronic engineering. It's helped give me an edge in my career in that it gave me the opportunity to learn a range of fundamental building blocks of modern tech, from semiconductor fabrication up to software development.

It didn't just do this with classes and coursework. It helped me find people to learn from, and exchange ideas, and it encouraged me to be curious about everything, and how to problem solve.

It also helped immigrate to the US, where a foreign master's degree counts for something - much more than a foreign bachelor's. I would say it was worth it.

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kaosskp3@reddit

Bombed out of an Engineering MSc due to life getting in the way (full time work, new parent x2, doing a course distance learning which really required on site interaction)...

Only area I think is closed off for me is RF applications, but not completely, I have some experience, so I could pivot into a lower paid role and work back up if I wanted...

MSc was a personal goal for me and not a job requirement... while internally, some manager roles are requiring MSc, that is currently mitigated by gaining CEng status... all other roles are Bachelors max.... majority just needing HNC or Diploma...

I'm also on higher than market rate, so overall, for my personal situation, it wouldn't benefit (at the moment)... it may be an issue if I want to pivot to RF (as above) or C-suite, which if I ever do want to go that route, I'll have a least another 10 years experience under my belt which would negagte most qualification requirements (although an MBA will prob be needed at some point)

My aim is to never pay for it, if I need it.

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cmpthepirate@reddit

Mech eng - thought it was pointless for a while as I worked in a non-tech job. However when I wanted to return to a technical role, although mech eng and my current job aren't necessarily directly related, I believe having a technical qualification came in really handy.

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Scarred_fish@reddit

Extremely worthwhile, construction management.

I completed mine last year, it was an extremely rewarding exercise.

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BulldozeThoseWhoPose@reddit

I have one in Art Theory/philosophy (bit of a mix but I don't want to give the course title as it's niche).

Was it worth it? From a personal perspective, yes. I enjoyed it at the time and I learned a lot about the subject I wanted to learn about. It also taught me how to research, how to write academically, how to think critically and how to employ concepts in my own work etc.

Was it worth it from a financial perspective? No. Absolutely not. I work a job that doesn't require a masters, much less one in Art Theory.

If I was going to do another one I'd pick something else, but it would still be something I'm interested in rather than solely for career progression.

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LowerEntertainer7548@reddit

I don’t have a masters but my wife does, we both did chemistry (she just went to a higher level academically) and we do the same job, so in my experience it wouldn’t be worth it to get an MSc. The only people I know with them that actually needed them were people who stayed in academia going on to do PhDs and further research, so if you don’t plan on going down that route I’d save your self some cash and time and go out into the world with your bachelor level degree

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elgrn1@reddit

I started a masters last September because I've always wanted to get one and have been considering a career change. The subject is related to that career, though a masters isn't necessary, but I think I chose the wrong topic.

I found that the course material was dry and delivered in a deeply boring way.

The online aspect of the course meant the university were completely hands off and offered next to no support, even to the extent of not explaining key terms needed to get a good mark.

Fortunately as it's modular, I don't have to continue with the course to the end so may just complete enough to get the post grad certificate and then start a different masters when I'm next able to.

I learnt from it buy probably haven't yet gotten value for money as I didn't intend to learn how crap the course and university are!

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graeme_1988@reddit

I got my Masters in 2010, and it was paid for by the EU (got £16k to do it, cost £4k at the time). Definitely worth it in that respect, cost me nothing and bought me an additional year of education to figure out exactly what I wanted to do. That year shaped my future career, and I’ve done alright for myself off the back of it. Definitely in the camp of ‘it was worth it’

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Altruistic-Peach1945@reddit

I did my masters degree in 2021. I loved studying it and it certainly did help me get my job. But I now cry a little when the fees are deducted from my payslip every month.

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Minute_Recording_372@reddit

Utter waste of time. Organisational degree. I got it for free but I'd rather have that year of my life back. My class was full of working professionals in mid management positions. The masters was sponsored by their workplaces in the majority of cases for their career development. My mistake as a fresh grad was thinking I would advance to this level quicker by already having the masters degree. Not so. It became clear as I joined the career myself that you need to put the time in before you're able to utilize these skills. I reached the level in the same amount of time as anyone else, and it backfired when the knowledge I had gained was now years past and semi forgotten exactly when I needed to deploy it. It backfired in many ways.

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ViscountessdAsbeau@reddit

Psycholinguistics. (I studied abroad where that was then a thing). I make what is laughably called a "living" writing stuff - but I was perfectly capable of doing that before I studied for an MA.

Earning wise, I'd make more money part time in Poundland.

That degree was for a career I had to leave anyway, when my kid was diagnosed with a disability and we had no-one else to care for him and we left the US because no NHS.

Career-wise in the US, where I studied, I was being offered fancy jobs left right and centre. In the UK, it was crickets.

My original degree was in English Lang and Lit and I wanted to do an MA in Old Norse and my prof wanted me to do it, too - we had it all mapped out. But in those days you had to get a load of scholarships to pay you through, I was broke so couldn't pay my way through myself and I ended up not doing it. Later, in the US, I had a tonne of scholarships and a graduate assistantship (job at the uni) which paid me right through and which was the only reason I went abroad to study. It has had bugger all impact on my earning power. I had a PGCE and found it was pretty well disregarded if you had a Masters - even in Education - at that time in the UK. In the US, it was sort of expected if you wanted any professional progression.

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Gauntlets28@reddit

I'd say it did, in the sense that it got me into the career path that I wanted to get into. Granted, some masters are more professionally-focused than others, and mine was definitely more of a professional training course than some research MAs.

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DueYogurt9@reddit (OP)

Do you have an MPA?

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Gauntlets28@reddit

No, different field. But the principle's the same - some fields need a quite a lot of skills and the right MA can be a good way to get them (and some decent connections).

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Fun_Gas_7777@reddit

I finished an MA in music in September. It helped me understand myself better as a professional and a creative person. In terms of careers, it doesn't seem to have helped, but that's probably because it's a music MA.

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811545b2-4ff7-4041@reddit

Studied MSc Bioinformatics way back in 2001, believing I'd walk into a £30-40K job (I did not!). Worked while I was studying to pay the £5K fees, had some savings and parental help + overdraft to get me through the cost of the rest of the year.

I have no idea what I'd have done with 'just' my BSc Genetics degree, but the MSc was a springboard into a career for 20+ years, even if I don't work in that area.

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No_Preference9093@reddit

I hated studying it and I hate paying the insane loan repayments on it even more, but I probably wouldn’t have got my job without it and I quite like what I do.

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DueYogurt9@reddit (OP)

What area did you specialize in?

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togtogtog@reddit

I did it at work. They paid for it, I did it in work time, it was interesting, and gave me time to think about how I did my job and how I could do it better.

I didn't earn more after getting it.

I studied education.

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