Online Masters Degree for Fresh College Graduate - Essay Example

Each alternative has a complexity. For the first alternative, it could be digested that if he immediately acquires a Master's degree he will put aside all the other career opportunities that he has. There is absolute uncertainty that his desired position requires such educational background. However, he could make sure that his studies shall be required in the company but there is not certainty that he will get the position since other people may be in line for the very same as well. As defined: (2) master's degree is an academic degree usually awarded for completion of a postgraduate or graduate course of one to three years in duration. In the United Kingdom it is sometimes awarded for an undergraduate student whose final year consists of higher-level courses and a major research project. This means that the college graduate will be a student for another 2-3 years with higher demands of learning and concentration. Thus, he shall be a step behind all his other supposed colleagues. There is an edge that he could play and it is that he is able to deduce a lot more information on the field but in terms of application, these could be very minimal as well. Statistics show that because of the global economic crisis, more and more students are putting off a College education. In the United States, at least 56% of the High School graduates prefer to seek for white-collared jobs to be able to pay off their living expenses rather than go to school and apply for a financial loan. They choose to begin their careers and working experiences so they could get a head start in their lives in terms of financial stability. If this much of the students do not make it to College, then it is but fair to conclude that employers do limit their requirements on the job description and settle for an Associate's degree when speaking of managerial positions. But as one progresses in his career, he shall realize even more the competition that he is facing and how much he has to strive to be someone companies are actually looking for. As for the second alternative, this fresh college graduate immediately decides not to go for any Master's Degree and just merely concentrate on his work experience and technically this will be his competitive tool. This would be a stronger tool if the graduate is able to maintain a good and reputable track record in his first company that shall enable him to rise above the ranks for either expand his horizons within or outside the company. He could also make sure that before he puts off the idea of getting a Master's degree, he has already focused on specific companies that he will be applying for and clearly know whether they put weight on Master's Degrees. The third alternative could be the most plausible idealism in this decision, however it could be the most time-consuming and most difficult one as well. Time management is off great essence in this particular alternative and sometimes there are companies who are very sensitive to this idea. There are job descriptions who require more than office hours to deliver expected results. Sales positions for instance do not have a working timeframe but they are on-call all week and sometimes all-night. Schedules are eratic for some most especially if you work for the boss directly since it is mandatory that you go by the schedule of your superiors. However, it is like hitting two birds with one stone but most likely there would come a time when he is to make his priorities straight and there would be instances when he will need to do one thing before the other or sometimes, he shall do his work over his school demands. This goes by saying that it is a human reaction to give priority to his work rather than his studies where he does not get immediate results. Unlike a job where one is required to deliver results in a month's time to be able to get his salary, most especially true for those on commission basis. Being able to deliver his utmost best in any of the departments will be most unlikely possible, therefore he will not be able to maximize his potentials and in the long-run it is as if his efforts were half-baked and results were shallow. There is a need to recognize the fact that he must be able to deliver the demands at very strict time frames at the same time. This is major complexity in this alternative and it shall set hurdles for him if he is not a fast-learner or a multi-tasker. Though the positive result is he is able to surpass such time management issue then he is able to achieve his career fundamentals at the very early part of his career and this may absolutely work as an advantage for him for future reference. Lastly, if this graduate gives himself a timeframe for work experience, it is a wise move. But he has to be more than determined to follow it because most of the time, when someone is able to gain financial stability and be able to attain his financial needs thru his own work and efforts, school becomes a far off idea. At this point, the graduate may have been fortunate enough to be promoted and it follows that he has greater responsibilities as well as opportunities. He must have evolved as person as well and being under the authority of another professor might seem a crazy thought when at work, he is already the authority. Some people are not able to overcome this flexibility and change and they eventually veer away from attaining their Master's Degree. It could also be a psychological warfare that shall occur between him and himself with the reasoning that why would he still want to learn more when there are so many things that he has absorbed by experience with the idea that he will be earning even. Along the way, the graduate may have additional personal loads such as a family of his own, sometimes with children, and there priorities naturally change too. He now becomes a provider and a secondary priority. Getting an Online Master's Degree is a very good option. Distance Learning allows the person is trained at his own pace and is his able to dictate what are his best hours of learning. This is good option for people who are willing to make sacrifices just to give their careers a boost above the very many and create their own edge in the industry. This would still require time but it helps that it is not an obligation to be at the campus at certain times and priority could be mixed up once in a while to avail of maximization of potentials and gains. Other companies would not allow this but being a fresh college graduate, it is normal to get white-collared jobs and this would mean that less is actual require off you and technically there is a lot of time to spare to make the Online Learning work and progress. At the end of the day, one is able to capitalize on his abilities without leaving one option far off from the other. Given all those facts, it is recommended that each fresh college graduate aspiring for more should give Online Master's Degree a good thought. There is an investment going on for you on both work experience and educational background aspects. It would mean some little sacrifices in terms of finances and socializing but the end result has large impacts on his career. The first option leaves work experience hanging and the opportunities come knocking once in awhile and knowing that we have graduates every year, sometimes even twice, and with this global economic crisis where each company seems to be applying austerity much, employment is somehow scarce and most people are put aside because of technological advancements that take their place. The graduate may be working so hard for something he will not have at the end. As for the second option, he seems to be settling to early in his career and being stagnant as such is not a very positive indication of success he desires. As for the 4th option, the graduate is giving himself too many chances to fail at too many alternatives and uncertainties. REFERENCES: (1) Capstone Publishing Limited. (2001). Smart Things to know about Decision Making. Oxford, United Kingdom: Ken Langdon. (2) Wikipedia The Free Encyclopedia. Masters Degree. Retrieved May 25, 2006, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Masters_degree (3) Jobfind.com. Job Search. Retrieved May 26, 2006 from http://www.jobfind.com. Read More