Five Signs a Master’s Degree is Right for Your Career

While undergraduate degrees have now become a standard for most careers, even if you don’t strictly use what you have learned, master’s degrees are still mostly optional. For some, there is little benefit to earning a master’s. For others, however, it could completely transform their careers. Knowing whether earning a master’s degree is right for you or not can make a big difference in your career trajectory, so watch out for these five signs: 

You Want to Take Your Career in a New Direction 

If you feel like you’ve stagnated in your current career path, then earning a master’s can be a great way to refresh it. Many master’s are open to those from a range of backgrounds. You could earn an MSAE degree if you have an undergraduate in economics, business, data analysis, and so on. The fact that these degrees have a larger umbrella means that you don’t need to go back and redo your education – you can just continue it in a new direction. Master’s degrees tend to be more focused, and when you choose an applied option like that MSAE degree, you build the skills you’ll use in the working world. 

You Want to Broaden Your Skillset 

If you want to broaden your skillset, then a degree is a great way to do just that. Master’s degrees let you specialize in your field. If you earned a psychology undergraduate, for example, you could specialize further to work with teens with a master’s degree. 

You can also earn multiple master’s degrees to expand your credentials and your field of focus. There is no limit to earning a master’s, and since they are shorter and more targeted, you can use them strategically to help advance your career. 

You Want to Move into Management 

One of the most infamous master’s degrees is the MBA. Though the MBA may seem like an obvious choice for those interested in working in leadership positions, it’s not the only one. In healthcare, for example, you would want to earn an MHA degree rather than an MBA. 

Many upper-level roles will actually request that you have a master’s degree under your belt. Though you can usually use working experience instead, having a degree can give you that nudge you need. 

You Want to Be at the Top of Your Field 

If you want to work towards being a leader in your field then know that having a master’s degree is a good way to get started. It is not, however, the only step you need to take if this is your goal. You may want to further your efforts and earn a Ph.D., or you may consider earning multiple degrees to be the best by having the largest foundation. 

You Want to Learn 

You can absolutely earn a master’s degree simply because you want to. Learning for the sake of learning is a great way to approach life, and if that is the way you want to learn personally and you can afford it, don’t let anything stop you. You can always use a master’s degree to help you with your career, even when you don’t strictly need to have said degree.