After undergraduate studies, many undergraduates are forced to exercise an option to either pursue higher or opt for a job with the existing degree. Very often, passionate people construct their plans in advance about how they’re going to embark on it, but the other sect remains clueless. Here, we shall discuss why postgraduate study represents a path that needs to be taken.
Deciding your path is just like Robert Frost’s Road not taken. It’s risky, but unlike frost, here you can weigh up the options. You can either work in your dream company if you have achieved an undergraduate degree or write exams like GRE, PGCET, GATE, etc. and spend 2 years to enhance your skills and then join your dream company with a higher pay scale. The choice is yours.
By all means, Postgraduate studies certify you as a master in the field and you’ll be entitled to receive more pay and the job profile offered to you will be higher than what you’ll be getting with an undergraduate degree. It does apply for all streams irrespective of the background. Statistically speaking, more students have begun to jump on to the post-graduation studies truck after they perceive the bitter reality.
Post Graduate studies can be done in numerous ways and can be pursued either in India or abroad, depending upon the financial affordability of the students. If the students are willing to pursue abroad, they undergo a lot of procedures and financial stress depending upon the country they’re willing to pursue. However, post-graduation in India accounts for lesser financial strain but graduates from non-premium universities will be experiencing initial hurdles in the job roles unless they’re stabilized. That’s not the case with candidates pursuing masters abroad.
How do we get there?
Getting into postgraduate studies isn’t a Himalayan task for students who have drafted it in advance. It is advisable for all students to decide their career paths and not end up like Robert Frost. They need to be firm on their decision and should start working on the target they have set. There are numerous exams available for getting into postgraduate studies into the stream they are desired to take up.
Exams like GATE, MAT, CAT are only for admission into one particular course of study whereas exams like MH CET, TANCET, GRE, etc. are written to get into a pool of streams such as M.Tech, ME, MCA, MSc, etc. However, this examination won’t help you to get central government universities such as IITs and NIT’s, but it will provide you with offers from numerous state government universities and private universities like VTU, Anna University, VIT, etc.
Apart from clearing these exams, graduates need to ensure that they have a minimum CGPA of at least 7.5 in their undergraduate study. If you’re opting for M.Tech in a premium institute they might expect you to secure a minimum CGPA of 8.5, so planning and targeting your dream university is the first and foremost step. Graduates who are willing to travel abroad for postgraduate studies are expected to have good scores along with a good profile with projects and journal publications.
What are the pros and Cons?
Postgraduate studies have their very own pros and cons, depending upon several factors that go in hand with the perusal of the course. However, I can assure you that postgraduate studies have more pros than cons whenever it’s being weighed up. One of the major pros being the diverse field of study and option for a higher pay scale than your undergraduate degree.
There are several scopes of studies and research-based studies in several streams such as ME, M.Tech, MCA, M.Sc, etc. which are very much not popular domains but are the domains that are in dire need of people. Postgraduate studies open up the base for more groundbreaking research-based works, which are sometimes funded by governments and other conglomerates. It might consume you 10 years to reach higher positions if you have just the undergraduate certificate, however, you’ll be joining in the higher job roles after completion of postgraduate studies. See the difference?!
If you’re planning to pursue higher studies abroad, the whole scenario changes depending upon the country you choose. The majority of the students opt for the states as their dream destination, which has now imposed serious restrictions on immigration. However, if they’re planning early, graduates can look up for the opportunities around the EU and East Asia.
The EU might remain demographically a locked region, but they offer pacific of opportunities, enough for you to dive into and succeed. If you’re capable of settling there, you can very well come back to India and apply for a job over here. You’ll have the preference to receive the job first owing to your skills and knowledge pursued there.
The first and foremost cons in PG studies is the current trend. Around 60% of the graduates are appearing for competitive exams such as GATE, PGCET, GRE, CAT, etc., which leads up to heavy and hard-fought competitions to get into premium institutes. And this figure isn’t anywhere near to stability and it’s in the margin of vaster expansion.
Next, follows your financial support. For an average Indian, it’s indeed challenging to pursue PG abroad and sometimes in India too, depending upon the university they’re enrolled in. Stats say that over 40% of undergrads shy away from postgraduate studies in the initial stages owing to financial struggles, but they return to achieve their passion after a few years of work experience.
And it doesn’t end there. PG courses have age flexibility upon which the graduates can pursue it any time of their lives. It’s after all the passion we live for, always undying in our hearts, sounding through your struggles and always etching your thoughts. Remember, there’s only one life to achieve what you’ve dreamt of and there is always plenty of time to do so.
