Postgraduate Studies: Analyzing Both Sides Of The Tale
Assessing the importance of postgraduate studies, usually the discussions imply two distinct themes: a career in research and academia, and professional career and employment. These two topics are often compared and contrasted as opposing rationales for choosing postgraduate studies. Additionally, there is an individual factor where each person decides personally why they want to pursue postgraduate studies. To clarify this aspect, the present article will attempt to explain both rationales for postgraduate studies.
Academia
The love for science is a reason good enough for most people to apply for postgraduate studies. Expected outcomes may vary, but one thing is certain: money is not a priority in such cases. Accordingly, this rationale implies that the individual will connect their career with the scientific community. This might include working in universities, university labs, conducting research, and working on grant projects. The main outcome can be seen through personal satisfaction and recognition in the scientific community, both of which are reasons good enough to consider postgraduate studies.
Career and Employment
In the context of career and employment, postgraduate studies are pursued mostly for qualification purposes. Generally, many might perceive postgraduate studies as an opportunity to develop skills for career advancement. However, this statement is only partially true. On the one hand, employers do consider postgraduate qualifications as a reason to advance employees' careers. On the other hand, these skills might also be learned through training courses, and as long as the employee is capable of doing the job well, they might advance in their career without a postgraduate degree. Thus, the decision is largely individual for each person whether to pursue postgraduate studies or not. Both reasons can be justified, although in order to raise qualifications, a less expensive method might be found.