As the most educated generation continues to grow the workforce, a master’s degree can help to set you apart from the competition. For more information on the most in-demand degrees and how they fit into the industry, see What to Expect after Your Masters.

Overall, an advanced degree is a good thing to have in just about any industry, especially if you are looking to accelerate your current career a little more quickly. In fact, many positions value the academic rigor of a master’s degree to the point where there are barriers to entry without one. Financial analysts, therapists, psychologists and computer & information research scientists are some examples.

How can you expect a master’s degree to affect your career?

For one thing, do not expect employers to come knocking at your door. You will still need to go through the same process as everyone else to apply for a job and interview. Your newly minted degree will set you apart from other candidates, but it will not necessarily make you the top candidate for the job. Remember: just because you took the time and spent the money over the last couple years does not mean you are automatically what a company is looking for. While a bachelor's degree is pretty broad in its scope, a master's is a little more focused, and you will need to fit into a niche area for a job, or your masters won’t be as valuable.

If you are lucky enough to already have a job when you earn your master's, and hopefully your company helped to pay for it, do not expect an instant raise and promotion. Again, you still need to stand out and compete with all the other employees. Your master's will help you stand out, if it is in line with what the company is looking for. An MBA, while good, is probably not going to help you all that much because it is a very broad-spectrum degree that prepares people for business ownership, management and leadership. Hopefully you started a master's in an area related to your career path, and you can use it gain extra skills that were not available to you on-the-job.

Akraya, Inc. is always on the lookout for bright minds with master's degrees to help move our company forward. If you would like to put your master’s degree to good use, contact us.