Hello All,

Sometime last week I had an intelligent discussion with my colleagues about the above topic. Almost all vouched in favour of opting for a professional course as against a Master's degree or MBA which may likely come later.

Umpteen times fresh graduates rush towards gaining a Master's degree immediately they are out of school without having experience of the workplace at all. Some argue that this could be detrimental to the Master's degree studies since most of what will be taught is directly related to real experiences in the workplace

What do you think? Do you agree? Or are you of the opinion that once the fund is available for the Master's Degree, the young graduate should opt for it or rather go for a professional course in his/her field? Let's talk...

I prefer goin for a professional course...

i prefer professional course oo!.accounting all the way
#teamaccounting i prefer professional course oo!.accounting all the way
#teamaccounting

Thank you for bringing up this topic infact NL is making sense.
I thought about this as a graduate of mech engr for good three months. Am not in the country presently but I dnt see pple here rushed into masters degree like we do in naija, though may be it wasnt so hard for them to get employnment but I must tell you they do professional courses before going for msc.
I will try and find out why.

Acegoals:
Hello All,

Sometime last week I had an intelligent discussion with my colleagues about the above topic. Almost all vouched in favour of opting for a professional course as against a Master's degree or MBA which may likely come later.

Umpteen times fresh graduates rush towards gaining a Master's degree immediately they are out of school without having experience of the workplace at all. Some argue that this could be detrimental to the Master's degree studies since most of what will be taught is directly related to real experiences in the workplace

What do you think? Do you agree? Or are you of the opinion that once the fund is available for the Master's Degree, the young graduate should opt for it or rather go for a professional course in his/her field? Let's talk...

Thank you for bringing up this topic infact NL is making sense.
I thought about this as a graduate of mech engr for good three months. Am not in the country presently but I dnt see pple here rushed into masters degree like we do in naija, though may be it wasnt so hard for them to get employnment but I must tell you they do professional courses before going for msc.
I will try and find out why.

afolag:
Thank you for bringing up this topic infact NL is making sense.
I thought about this as a graduate of mech engr for good three months. Am not in the country presently but I dnt see pple here rushed into masters degree like we do in naija, though may be it wasnt so hard for them to get employnment but I must tell you they do professional courses before going for msc.
I will try and find out why.

Please do find out why. We would like to hear it. You know, one of the reasons given by one of the discussants is that Master's degree is meant to make you Master an experience which you should already have and that's why most of the questions center on real work place experience (which you will not have been taught). And the Professional Course is to make you more professional in the discharge of your duties when you arrive the workplace that is why we have many specialised institutions for such purpose of making you more knowledgeable and an expert in your specific field. You know the University cannot teach you specialized courses most times.

for goodness sake, why are intellgent topics like these, that could benefit alot f people not in the front page?

The mods will not move this to the front page #thank God i schooled in france

Truman155:
The mods will not move this to the front page #thank God i schooled in france

France? So how is the system there like? Do fresh graduates rush for Master's degree or simply go for a professional course?

I know the situations may differ as per economic terrain and unemployment level...

If that's the only two options available, i will say Masters degree should be the first to get. Mostly multinational companies require M.Sc degree as added advantage to a job that requires first degree alone, without saying professional courses most time.
As a matter of fact, most big companies will send their employers for professional courses depending on the needs of the company. But it is very rare for a company to send staff for a Master's degree.

So professional courses may be a waste if you are not in a company first, bacause that particular course may not be relevant to the company. But master's degree is versatile to fit in as to any big company.

A masters degree does not give you any real work experience . it only gives you an edge because you have foucsed on a particular area of interest unlike the first degree that covers basically all the aspect of that profession. A masters degree gives you an opportunity to research more on a particular area . Why people rush abroad for masters in naija is because of the high rate of unemployment and to further boost their skills .... I mean networking , team work and research which the Nigerian institutions don't offer you . Majorty of the entry level jobs are minimum a first degree , in a situation where a masters degree holder is competing with a bachelor's degree holder with say some months of experience and they have equal basic performance , the recruiters may tend to go for the bachelor's degree holder . you may have great knowledge about a profession but you may loose a position to someone with experience .... experience means putting your knowledge into practice.
How ever , not all professional courses are worth it .An Ican certificate gives you an edge over a masters degree in the accounting profession one reason being that the Ican leaves you with some work experience. In the engineering industry , some professional courses are not worth it , why because those courses requires some experience before you may understand them fully .... and not that they give you a work experiene, a masters does it in that field because you @ least will have some form of internship on and on for different professions , the best thing is to understand you line of profession , talk to expert in that profession , they would help with the best advices.

Joy83:
If that's the only two options available, i will say Masters degree should be the first to get. Mostly multinational companies require M.Sc degree as added advantage to a job that requires first degree alone, without saying professional courses most time.
As a matter of fact, most big companies will send their employers for professional courses depending on the needs of the company. But it is very rare for a company to send staff for a Master's degree.

So professional courses may be a waste if you are not in a company first, bacause that particular course may not be relevant to the company. But master's degree is versatile to fit in as to any big company.

Sir, I will like to ask a question. Have you ever read or seen a job description that reads that you must have a Master's degree without any experience? FOR EXAMPLE...

Fresh graduates are required for a Management Trainee position

Minimum qualification: MSc in relevant field
Experience: Entry level
Must have concluded NYSC
Must be versatile in bla bla bla...

Mostly if there is to be an MSc degree as minimum requirement, it is usually for an experienced role (with exception to some organisations like United Nations etc). Yes! MSc may be added advantage to a role but I do not think it will be compulsory for an entry level role for fresh graduates

What we are trying to look at here is:

If one graduates and one is done with NYSC, is it wise to opt immediately for a Master's degree or one should gain employment and have the professional workplace experience, enrol for a professional course and then later (let's say after 2 or 4 years) go for a Master's degree?

majekdom2:
A masters degree does not give you any real work experience . it only gives you an edge because you have foucsed on a particular area of interest unlike the first degree that covers basically all the aspect of that profession. A masters degree gives you an opportunity to research more on a particular area . Why people rush abroad for masters in naija is because of the high rate of unemployment and to further boost your skills .... I mean networking , team work and research which the Nigerian institutions don't offer you . Majorty of the entry level jobs are minimum a first degree , in a situation where a masters degree holder is competing with a bachelor's degree holder with say some months of experience and they have equal basic performance , the recruiters may tend to go for the bachelor's degree holder . you may have great knowledge about a profession but you may loose a position to someone with experience .... experience means putting your knowledge into practice.
How ever , not all professional courses are worth it .An Ican certificate gives you an edge over a masters degree in the accounting profession because the Ican leaves you with some work experience. In the engineering industry , some professional courses are not worth it , why because those courses requires some experience before you may understand those courses fully .. . on and on for different professions , the best thing is to understand you line of profession , talk to expert in that profession , they would help with the best advices.

Thank you sire. Your contribution is most useful and helpful. I'm sure @afolag will find this useful too

So on point.. Instead of wasting precious time waiting for a master is better one opt for a professional course.. And am really enjoying it..I almost got frustrated waiting for a master until I got myself re oriented!
The time is now not tomorrow friends!

mod front page pls!

It all depends on your discipline, the industry in focus and your career goals.
Taking engineering as an example, it is far more preferable in many instances to go for a masters than to get professional certifications.
For graduates with zero experience, oil companies will most likely choose masters degree holders over bachelors degree holders with professional certifications (assuming their performances at the interviews are all at par). A few notable firms in Nigeria also favour masters degree holders, eventhough the advert may simply state a minimum of BSc. Adverts doesn't always count. There is usually some level of PR considerations when putting up an advert, especially for big firms. It's the actual recruitment that matters at the end of the whole process.
The story is however different if you consider a course like accounting. A graduate with an ICAN or ACCA certification will most likely be placed over masters degree holder in accounting.
Another important consideration is that some fields require professional certification to be able to practice. In such fields, a masters may count for nothing.
That's why it's wise to consult widely before taking any step rather than making blanket conclusions that professional courses are better than masters degree, or vice versa.

Thanks sooooo much! So now it is an established fact that the ICAN or Accounting professional course is more useful than a Master's degree in Accounting. I pray Accounting undergraduates and Youth Corpers are reading this.

For Engineering, is it all Engineering courses or are there specific courses that a professional course is not worth it? What is HSE for? Is it required of all Engineering courses?

kristein:
i prefer professional course oo!.accounting all the way
#teamaccounting i prefer professional course oo!.accounting all the way
#teamaccounting

You will have to face ICAN. There is even exam on 18-20.

Professional course if you are already in work and need to climb the career ladder

Master's if you are a job seeker and need to present yourself as the best candidate among the tons of applicants. As they always say, "Every little helps"

However, if you are in the field of IT then bother not about MSc degrees. You need professional courses as these usually count has valuable experience when we sieve through application forms

Emeka71:
You will have to face ICAN. There is even exam on 18-20.

bro i'm so interested in d ican stuff,bt hw nd wia do i start?shld i start frm ican direct

kristein:

bro i'm so interested in d ican stuff,bt hw nd wia do i start?shld i start frm ican direct

What is your current qualification? Are you an undergraduate?

Acegoals:



What is your current qualification? Are you an undergraduate?

i am actually runnin a diploma programme of accounting movin to year 2 nw

Acegoals:
Hello All,

Sometime last week I had an intelligent discussion with my colleagues about the above topic. Almost all vouched in favour of opting for a professional course as against a Master's degree or MBA which may likely come later.

Umpteen times fresh graduates rush towards gaining a Master's degree immediately they are out of school without having experience of the workplace at all. Some argue that this could be detrimental to the Master's degree studies since most of what will be taught is directly related to real experiences in the workplace

What do you think? Do you agree? Or are you of the opinion that once the fund is available for the Master's Degree, the young graduate should opt for it or rather go for a professional course in his/her field? Let's talk...

It depends on the master's degree and the field. Material covered in some master's programs has no bearing with what is obtainable in the work place in Nigeria and not having experience may not necessarily be a disadvantage to an individual in such programs. In fact, some master's programs can be so theoretical that even someone with impressive years of work experience will hardly find anything to gain from them. Broadly, some professions require that one has a strong educational grounding, up to master's level, before one can function at the expected level in the professional environment. This explains why, for example, research intensive organizations such as the world bank and co find it difficult hiring peeps with experience but no higher qualification.

If you asked me, I would say many variables determine these things. Ultimately, a combination of experience and master's is good, irrespective of the one that comes first - provided the experience can be gotten and the master's degree can be earned. One of the variables, as I see it, is age. I would advise someone below 24 years old to go for a master's, irrespective of whether they have ever had work experience. This is because after the master's degree, such a person still has time to amass the required work experience - if they are lucky to get a good job. If they are good and what they did at their master's happens to be similar to what they do at their work place, then they are more likely to move up the career ladder faster. Abi some people graduate BSc at 27 and still find jobs..But for those ones not too fortunate to graduate on-time, my view is that they should strive for some work experience before master's. It is when the outlook on getting a job is bleak that they should go for a master's. But, who would know the time to landing that dream job. This is between master's and job experience and the assumption is that the master's is done full time, thus nullifying any prospect of working and studying

If we push things further and add professional qualifications to the party, then there is no point waiting to graduate in the first place before one tries to begin and earn a professional qualifications. Many professional qualifications do not even require a college degree to start the first stage. If the individual in question was not lucky to have begun or even earn a professional qualification before graduating college, then I think they can still work and complete the professional exams. People do this...And the decision to pursue a professional qualification, in my view, does not trade-off with earning a full time master's. People work and earn professional qualifications; people do full time master's and earn professional qualifications. Doing a full time master's - when one is not working full time - does not necessarily stop one from also earning a professional qualification. In many instances, many find it hard to impossible combining work and full time master's, but work and professional qualification is very possible.

Sir Tanimola22, happy to see you around. I thought you have deserted nairaland with others like Ajanlekoko, yamazuka.

OMA4U:
Sir Tanimola22, happy to see you around. I thought you have deserted nairaland with others like Ajanlekoko, yamazuka.

it's true o many username are not active again

Pls my fellow learned Nairalanders, for an engineering graduate, which is preferable: a masters or an MBA?

mikeomo11:
Pls my fellow learned Nairalanders, for an engineering graduate, which is preferable: a masters or an MBA?

Nice question... Anybody with experience wish to respond?

mikeomo11:
Pls my fellow learned Nairalanders, for an engineering graduate, which is preferable: a masters or an MBA?

a masters in your field is very much better. An MBA is good when you have got some years of experience.

majekdom2:
a masters in your field is very much better. An MBA is good when you have got some years of experience.

Thanks! But what if the job is not engineering-related and even most entry level engineering positions are for MANAGEMENT trainees?

mikeomo11:

Thanks! But what if the job is not engineering-related and even most entry level engineering positions are for MANAGEMENT trainees?

like I said different profession with different preferences. An M.BA is very much ok for the business and management degres . The Entry level engineering positions are usually graduate programs that sees you to a level of a manager ... during this period you will have to undergo some management courses . As an engineer a masters in your field is of utmost importance as you will gain indepth knowledge on the product line you will be managing.An Mba may not give you the management skills required for your line of expertise in Engineering , tho you may gain general knowledge.

.

majekdom2:
like I said different profession with different preferences. An M.BA is very much ok for the business and management degres . The Entry level engineering positions are usually graduate programs that sees you to a level of a manager ... during this period you will have to undergo some management courses .

So true, tnx.