More people than ever are doing post graduate qualifications at universities; but all too often these Masters and PhD graduates struggle to make headway in their careers.
It is important that these graduates recognise what the value and limitations of their qualifications.
In today's fast changing world; much of our employment opportunities are short lived, driven by economic concerns. Anyone who wants to forge a successful career, with sustained employment, needs to be prepared to shift their career direction frequently. They need to be well connected, highly aware of anything and everything that is happening in the broader industry in which they work. They need to understand that job security is a thing of the past, and that the best way to be secure in employment, is to have the capacity to do jobs faster and better than anyone else, and to be able to move from one project to another as needed.
As far as PhD graduate pay rates; generally having a PhD doesn't make a huge difference these days, particularly with many private sector employees.
The value of any employee is in what they can do, rather than the qualifications they hold. People who are flexible in both their scope as well as depth of knowledge & skill, are more valuable than someone who has a greater depth of knowledge, but covering a narrower scope.
Many workplaces will employ a PhD graduate; but pay them less, and give them less responsibility and opportunity than staff who are much lesser qualified. If someone can do a job faster and better than a more highly qualified person; they are far more valuable.
For anyone fresh out of university, it is important to get the right mindset about their future. They should understand that success requires them to develop several pieces of a puzzle
- Study to a deep level (achieved through the PhD), helps a person deal with greater complexity. Their study has taught them to look at the detail, and work with a high level of focus. It may have also developed some negative attributes as well, such as a decreased ability to see the broader picture.
- Studies also need to be broad. eg. It is no good knowing everything about one plant or animal, and very little about all the other species. Chances are, even if you get work related to your "special species" today; when that job finishes, the next one is likely to be with a totally different species, and if you have little knowledge or experience beyond your specialisation, you may be out of work.
- Experience is just as important as your PhD (if you can't get paid work -do voluntary work). Having a PhD without experience is like having a drivers license without a car.
- Networking needs to be developed -to some extent it comes with experience; but also by getting involved with professional bodies, social networking etc.
Many people get post grad qualifications and never capitalize on them, because they don't understand that their qualification is only one piece of the puzzle. Don't be discouraged. You have achieved one of the hardest pieces of the puzzle. You now need to complete the puzzle to get full value out of what you have done so far,
What Next?
If you have a PhD or Masters Degree and your Job Prospects seem to be stuck in a rut; there are three important things you can do:
- Broaden your learning by studying one or more shorter courses in things that might compliment but broaden your existing skills. Often a course in business, project management or writing, can be a good place to start.
- Broaden your experience by volunteering
- Broaden your network of professional contacts by getting active with clubs, professional bodies or professional online networking such as linked in.
If you want advice on where to go from here; use our free counselling service. We can help
Click here http://www.acseduonline.com/course_counselling.aspx
