Get another degree
With an all-time high of 83 applicants
for every graduate job, staying on in education
sounds like an attractive prospect. You get
another qualification and delay the job hunt.
After all, you enjoy being a student, working 9 to 5 sounds
like hell and you would really miss your student discounts.
But before you sign up “decide whether it’s going to help
your employment prospects before you enrol,” says
Whitmell. “Don’t do further study just to put off looking for
employment for another year.”
For many jobs, a master’s won’t make you any more
desirable. Traynor explains: “We don’t particularly
distinguish between an MSc and a BSc. What we look for is
a consistent, high-achieving academic background and a
logical progression towards a particular career path.” Only
a few niche vocations require an MSc and the truth is that
master’s programmes prepare you more for a PhD than
for the world of work. If you don’t intend to go down the
academic route you might be better off getting some work
experience and practising job applications.
If you do decide a master’s is for you, find out first who
will be teaching you, where you will be working and what
opportunities you will be given. The key to a successfully
spent master’s is networking. “Use your time to expand your
contacts, learn more about employers, attend conferences
and start getting your name known,” says Whitmell.
A masters will cost you thousands of pounds and a year
of your life – make sure it’s worth it.
If you are considering going one step further and doing a
PhD, let’s not beat around the bush: they are long, gruelling
and poorly paid. You may get to hang around the student
union for another four years but it’s a lowly perk compared
with the fancy holidays your friends will soon be enjoying
while you are still living off baked beans.
Besides, it’s not true that you need a doctorate to stay
in science. There are research-based roles available for
BSc holders in a range of industries, including
pharmaceuticals, biotech, healthcare and technology.
Make the most of your university careers advisor, who
will help you identify jobs you don’t need a doctorate
to do. Bear in mind that outside of science a PhD can
sometimes prove to be a hindrance. “Some employers
might view you as overqualified and therefore a risky hire,”
warns Whitmell.
You should only really do a PhD if your dream job demands
it or if you want to stay in academia. Be warned, though –
there is serious global overcrowding of academic research.
The number of PhDs awarded each year is sky-rocketing
while permanent positions are still scarce.
With such prospects in academia, make sure your PhD will
give you other options. “Industrially sponsored PhDs help
make you more employable, particularly if they involve work
on-site with the sponsor,” says Catherine Gutsell from
recruiters the CK Group based in Durham.
That said, if you are willing to brave the low pay and
tough competition of academia and love your subject, as
a PhD student you will enjoy a level of independence and
intellectual freedom that’s impossible to find elsewhere.
22 October 2011 | NewScientist | 3
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