The Five Best Ways to Make Use Of Your Masters Degree
There are many reasons to get a master’s degree, both professionally and personally. Still, getting a master’s degree is a long and involved process, not to mention expensive. You might be one of the many people out there asking themselves what exactly you can do with a master’s degree once you get it. Simply getting the piece of paper isn’t going to rocket you to prestige and prosperity, there are still some things you will have to do.
The true value of a master’s degree is opportunity. Master’s degrees open the doors to many new opportunities you probably didn’t have previously. The trick is knowing how to take advantage of these opportunities and improve your quality of life. Hopefully learning the most important things you can do with a master’s degree will help you to do just that.
Promote Your New School
There are many people who didn’t attend the most prestigious of institutions for their bachelor’s degree. The name of the school on your diploma is actually a fairly influential part of your future success. Having the name of a well respected institution on your diploma makes you far more appealing to an employer. Getting a master’s degree let’s you update and upgrade your Alma Mater to one that carries a little more weight in the world.
This is assuming that you got your masters degree from a well respected institution. Still, a master’s degree from a decent school can carry just as much weight as a bachelor’s from one of the top universities, simply because it shows that you have done the work to know what’s going on in your chosen field.
Update Your Resume
If you put in the time, effort, and dollars to get a master’s degree, you better let people know about it. As soon as you get that piece of paper, you should be updating your resume with your new education information. All of your credentials should be updated, because you are now extremely qualified in whatever field it is that you got your master’s degree in.
Even if you are happily employed, it can’t hurt to update your resume. Having your resume up to date can be extremely helpful to you, especially when you do the next important thing with your master’s degree: getting an increase in pay. Whether you plan on staying with your current company or scouting out your options elsewhere, put that brand new master’s degree front and center.
Get That Money
One of the most appealing aspects of getting a masters degree is the pay increase that comes with it. That doesn’t come by itself, though. You have to go out there and get that money. Ideally you had an idea for how to do this before you went back to school for your master’s degree, whether it had been talking to a current employer about a promotion or researching career change options. Once you have the master’s degree, it is time to follow up on those plans.
Talk to your current employer about how your master’s degree will help you to do a better job at whatever it is you do. Use specifics and quantify its value as much as possible, making a very clear case for why you deserve a promotion and/or a raise. Emphasize how the master’s degree, and the work you did to attain it, will help the company. These same tactics can also be used to interview for new and better paying jobs, just remember to emphasize how your master’s degree will help you to be the best employee you can be.
Expand On Your Expertise
It is a common observation that as education continues, it becomes more specialized. The fields of study become narrower, focusing more and more on specific things. For example, somebody might get their bachelor’s degree in US History, and then have their dissertation for their master’s degree focus on one particular conflict in the Civil War. You will undoubtedly find yourself doing something similar while you get your master’s degree. Now you just need to follow up on that, even after you have your degree.
The reason it is so important to expand on your expertise is because that is how you become known as an expert in your field. By focusing on one specific topic, and learning it inside and out, you can become well respected and in demand. Everybody wants to work with the best, so make the effort to build off of your master’s degree and prove that you truly are the best. The master’s degree is the first step, a platform for you to build your reputation off of. Follow it up with published work on your chosen field, or by simply proving through your work how much of an expert you are, and you will have people beating down the doors to work with you.
Brag to Your Friends
Come on, admit it. Part of you got that master’s degree for the ego boost it would provide. Go ahead and show it off sometimes. You worked hard for that thing, you earned the right to brag a little.
