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  3. Master’s of Your Own Field In the face of a fearsome job market and high graduate unemployment levels, postgraduate educatio

Master’s of Your Own Field In the face of a fearsome job market and high graduate unemployment levels, postgraduate educatio

admin2013-07-11  43
问题                         Master’s of Your Own Field
    In the face of a fearsome job market and high graduate unemployment levels, postgraduate education is booming. More than 270,000 students returned to university to add a dash of postgraduate flash to their CVs in the previous year: demand for master’s degrees surged 27%, while the number of PhD candidates rose 9%.
    And the latest research suggests that those currently sweating over postgraduate thesis proposals can sit back and look content. Postgraduate Education in the United Kingdom, a paper published by the British Library and the Higher Education Policy Institute(Hepi), found that, three and a half years after graduation, 94% of postgraduates found work in the professions, compared to 78% of undergraduates.
    There were more reasons to smile from the Higher Education Careers Services Unit, whose research into graduate market trends confirmed that master’s graduates experienced lower rates of unemployment during the recession than their first-degree peers.
    But that extra employability comes at a cost. The average price tag attached to a one-year master’s course for a domestic student has risen to ￡4,000. The average cost of an MBA, meanwhile, has hit ￡12,000. Add that expense to the growing concern that universities’ ability to provide advanced learning could be hit by staffing cuts and funding squeezes, and the outlook for postgraduate education looks less rosy.
    Those worries come out in the Hepi report, which also shows that the pay premium(奖金)for postgraduates is decreasing. The report’s authors admit that postgraduate study may "no longer carry the weight it used to, as increasing numbers of postgraduate qualifiers compete for jobs in UK workplaces". They also admit that as the financial returns from higher study decrease while fees rise, "it may become increasingly difficult for those from less economically secure backgrounds to consider this course". That’s one of the issues being tackled in an official review of postgraduate education currently being undertaken by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.
    For now, however, rising fees and lower salary premiums mean wannabe-postgraduates need to be discerning(有辨别力的)when choosing a course. One crucial thing to look at, according to Carl Gilleard, chief executive of the Association of Graduate Recruiters, is how the course will help you meet your future employment aims.
    "If postgraduate qualifications are undertaken for the right reason, and the graduate is able to explain their value to prospective employers, they can certainly be very worthwhile additions to CVs," he says.
    "The desirability of a postgraduate degree varies between sectors--in science and engineering a postgraduate qualification is often a requirement, and in investment banking an MBA is seen by many as invaluable when supported by structured work experience."
    "But if the real reason is to delay the job search or as a last resort after failing to secure a job, then it is not going to be a worthwhile exercise."
    Gilleard also advises postgraduate students to carry out work experience while studying. "It’s important to find ways to build on employability skills—the majority of recruiters think that the ability to demonstrate the competencies required for a role is just as important as having an additional academic qualification."
    That was an important consideration for Jamie Esterkin, 23, from Manchester, who graduated with a law degree from Nottingham University in 2008. He knew that one day he wanted to work as a lawyer, but decided to do a master’s in another subject to broaden his knowledge first. "I was interested in property and business, and wanted to sample life in London, so I chose to do a master’s in real estate development at the University of Westminster," Esterkin explains. "I thought it would be especially useful if I choose to specialise in real estate law one day."
    He began searching websites and university introductions, looking for a course that covered a range of property topics, had a strong reputation and offered good value for money. "I found that business and property postgraduate courses at many London universities cost upwards of 520,000 for a single year, but they mainly covered similar areas." The price tag was one of the things that drew Esterkin to the Westminster course: he could fund the ￡5,000 fee through savings, help from his parents and a part-time job.
    "Looking back, I think it represented good value for money—the teaching was excellent and the course was interesting and varied," he says. "The postgraduate learning style was more practical, with hands-on experience that helped me gain a better understanding of the workings of the commercial world."
    Esterkin has now returned for a final year of legal study, having secured a training contract with a City firm next year. "Given the level of competition in law, I definitely think that my postgraduate degree helped to distinguish me from the crowd," he says.
    His tip for future postgraduates is to work harder from the start. "Postgraduate courses are taught and examined in a very different way from undergraduate degrees, and as they only last nine months, it’s tough to judge the level you need to succeed."
    The drive to find a good job was also a key motivation for Lauren Dolan, 22, from Bath, who graduated with a degree in management systems from Manchester Metropolitan University in June 2008. She chose to engage in master’s study with one eye on the competitive graduate job market and another on the gloomy economic climate.
    "I wanted to have something over and above an undergraduate degree to make me stand out from other candidates," she says. Although she had had weekend and holiday jobs since she was 15, a lack of professional work experience led her to choose a master’s in advanced management practice at Bath University’s business school, which included a six-month work placement in industry.
    "The course gave me a very solid foundation, both in terms of theoretical knowledge and practical work experience," Dolan explains. She spent her placement working at yoghurt-maker Danone, where she says: "I was given responsibility from the start and the very varied tasks enabled me to develop my skills." The fact that she successfully applied for a permanent job at the firm after graduation means that Dolan feels the ￡12,000 tuition fees were a worthy investment.
    She adds: "Although it initially sounds expensive, I started work the day after my course ended, so it was definitely worthwhile."
Esterkin believes that his postgraduate degree ______ him from other candidates to get a training contract.
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答案distinguishes
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