Pursuing a postgraduate degree is a good idea and a good career investment. Many people desire to do this and when one has an opportunity to do so, they should take advantage of it.

In this part of the world, we were raised to study hard to become doctors, lawyers, engineers and accountants. While these are great careers, they probably limited our ability to explore the potentials of other fields.

From experience, I have discovered that many people, by default, choose to further a course they did at the undergraduate level. Is that a bad thing? No. Why? If you want to go into academia, that is, become a lecturer or a professor and lecture in future, then you should definitely continue a career path in the same field.

On the other hand, it is not a given or a general rule to go for a masters degree program in the same field of your undergraduate study. The world is evolving and careers are changing. People even change career paths with the help of a masters degree. I know someone who studied Economics at the undergraduate level and now works as an I.T. specialist. You have to weigh the pros and cons in other to make strategic career decisions.

In doing so, you should take some time out to think, do some soul searching and some research in other to make these informed decisions.

Ask yourself what you really want to do with your life. What are your goals? What do you enjoy doing? Where do you see yourself in a couple of years? What is your ideal job? What are your hobbies? What other skills do you possess? These questions if answered honestly will help you decide on what side of the divide you want to be and what you really want to be known for. This will affect your postgraduate degree choice to a large extent.
Job market. Is there a place for you out there? Is furthering that course going to get you a good job, a good portfolio or a thriving bank account in this highly competitive world market? Will the degree be useful and applicable in a practical economy or society? Another aspect to this is whether that same career path is more rewarding in another part of the world.
Evolution. The world is rapidly evolving. Your undergraduate degree may no longer be useful in the next ten years. Are you aware? Do the research. If true, will it still be wise to further it now? Ask yourself – How can I strategically position myself in this new world?
Global projection. Since at least, the beginning of the last decade, we have seen a dramatic rise in the use of technology and technological inventions. What does this say? Information technology may be the new oil and gas in the near future. No? If you have a background in I.T., it may be wise to pursue a postgraduate degree in I.T. to prepare for your bright future. If you don’t and are passionate about I.T., it may be a great idea to bag this degree.
If the postgraduate course does not pass the tests above, you may want to re-think going for it. Think strategically and act accordingly.
Best wishes!