Pick a master’s degree which is right for both you and your career
Marianne Bom & Rie Jerichow, Publicér
Advice for those who have to pick a masters degree.
It would be nice and safe if you could plan your career, when you as a bachelor student picks your masters degree. But there is rarely a straight way to the dream job, says student counselor at DTU, Rikke Jespersen. She advices that you keep in mind that life is rarely straightforward.
“No one knows exactly how the job market looks when you receive your MA degree. Economic changes in the society, which will affect the job opportunities in your field can happen, and there’s no way to know what kind of demands there will be for your profile in two years. You may even change your opinion on what you want,” says Rikke Jespersen.
In reality, most people take years to gradually find out what they find interesting.
“During your masters degree, it’s possible to guide your studies in the directions you find interesting. You can also work with companies and try out what companies and organizations you thrive in. Some wants to become scientists in a niche area, while other thrive better working the general field,” says Rikke Jespersen.
But the choice of masters degree is a choice you have to make. So here is five tips from the guidance counselor:
• Attend the “Masters Day” at the institutions, where all the masters degrees presents themselves. Then you can get oriented about the different possibilities, ask questions, and get informations from the students and professors about the topics that matters to you.
• Figure out what the study you consider entails: read the course descriptions and look up the amount of lessons online. See the guidance counselor and talk to the student about study environment, project opportunities, and work load.
• Ask yourself: what motivates me? What do I want to spend my time doing? When you pick a master’s degree that you care about, it will be more fun, and you will become more skilled.
• Look at the job listings online – for instance at jobbank.dtu.dk –if you want to evaluate what sort of jobs may be interesting to you.
• Make a list of pros and cons for the masters degrees you consider. Use the list as a starting point for dialogue with friends, family, and the guidance counseling.
