The tech sector is one of the largest and fastest growing sectors. There is a lot of opportunity in this sector for those considering a well-paid future-proof career, but also a lot of competition. Could a Master’s degree help you to stand out? This post explores the potential benefits of a Master’s degree when pursuing a tech career.
An opportunity to specialize
When studying a fairly general tech degree like computer science or informational technology, a Master’s degree can provide an opportunity to specialize in a field. This can allow you to further your knowledge in a specific area and more easily break into a niche.
A good example could involve pursuing a Master of Data Science online to help break into a data science career. While a computer science degree or even a mathematics degree can be used to become a data scientist, a specialized Master’s can show that you have the niche skills and knowledge to make it in this industry.
Access to higher level roles
Having a Master’s degree could also help you to be considered for more senior roles. If you lack the leadership experience that other applicants may have, a Master’s degree could be a way to compensate for this – allowing you to stand out against applicants that don’t have a Master’s.
You could particularly increase your prospects if you choose a management-focused Master’s (such as a Master’s in IT Management), however a regular Master’s will still likely increase your prospects.
Potential increased earnings
Studies show that those with Master’s degrees often outearn those with bachelor’s degrees. Having this extra layer of education may give you the ability to negotiate a higher salary. Some higher paid roles within tech also sometimes require applicants to have a Master’s.
This could be something to consider if you are looking for ways to increase your earnings – a Master’s in Computer Science could potentially help you to be considered for higher paid roles than you would with a Bachelor’s degree.
The drawbacks of pursuing a Master’s
While a Master’s can potentially earn you more, it is an investment – you are paying more to further your studies, and it will add to your student debt. If you are unable to access a higher paid job, you may end up just paying more to access the same role.
A Master’s is also a significant time commitment – pursuing this qualification could involve delaying entry into the working world by another year. It is possible to study a Master’s and work at the same time, but studying a Master’s can be quite intense (often more intense than a Bachelor’s), and fitting it around a job may be very challenging. Online Master’s degrees can provide more flexibility than on-campus options, but will still require you to dedicate many hours per week to studying.
All in all, you will need to be prepared to invest extra time and money to pursue a Master’s. However, it could benefit your tech career goals – potentially allowing you to access specialist careers, senior positions and higher pay.