Down Time at Work. Further Study?

[Progressive]

Supposing your current employer, who you are very happy with, told you that the order book was quiet for the next couple of years and you might be sat around twiddling your thumbs for a portion of your work week, though there is no risk of redundancy or pay cuts. They say that you are more than welcome to use this down time to further yourself, provided you remain available in office usual hours and self-fund any educational endeavors you embark on.

You research options and a masters course in a related field (and of interest) is £8,000 and runs for two years, distance learning. Prescribed ‘learning time’ is 10 hours per week. You feel that this may have positive career impact, though the university offering said course isn’t the cream of the crop, far from it. You have the money spare in savings but, at the end of the day, £8,000 is still a chunk of cash.

Would you take the study route at your cost or take another approach?

[randlemarcus]

I'm not sure that an MBA from a "far from the cream of the crop" source is worth it, especially in a niche industry, where those who know, know about the quality. Sorry.

Is it the only place to offer that Masters, or could you do another Masters in something else? It's usually worth investing in your career.

[glasgow mega snake]

Depending on field, i'd look to do a PhD part time instead. Especially in science these usually come with a stipend too, and with course fees paid. If it could be done remotely then it would be a good possibility.

[anonymous-user]

If you intend to use to the masters to climb the ladder once obtained then it's a worthwhile endeavor. If not, don't waste your time and money.

If you do decide to pursue, why not try and get accepted on a course at a decent uni or one which is industry recognised?

[Progressive]

Maybe I am being too harsh. The institution offering the course (MSc) is usually two thirds of the way down the university league tables. The positive however is that the course is accredited by the governing body of my discipline. This makes me think that at least the content is verified by them and this would make up for the lack of prestige of the institution.

I don't want to spend £8,000 on a piece of paper which carries no weight.

[EliseNick]

It's hard to give specific advice without more details but have you considered Open University courses? They're generally very well thought of, can be worked through at your own speed, and instantly demonstrate a commitment to learning and an ability to self-motivate to most employers.

[mikef]

Is the learning for yourself or to obtain a qualification to show others? If the former (and you are working in IT or a related discipline), then what a previous company did was pay for short online courses (typically 3 months for £250) with Coursera. The courses are presented by universities world-wide, some definitely tier 1. This lets you work through a discipline like data science or bioinformatics in bite-size chunks and if work does suddenly pick up you're not abandoning or postponing a multi-year degree course

[ozzuk]

Masters in 2 years doesn't sound right, unless its a top up. Usually first year is cert, second is diploma and third is dissertation. The OU offer MSc's for 8k but state minimum 3 years, maximum 6. I'm actually thinking of doing the same, I already have the cert and diploma but before 2005 so apparently doesn't count so have to start again.

[oldbanger]

ozzuk said:

Masters in 2 years doesn't sound right, unless its a top up. Usually first year is cert, second is diploma and third is dissertation. The OU offer MSc's for 8k but state minimum 3 years, maximum 6. I'm actually thinking of doing the same, I already have the cert and diploma but before 2005 so apparently doesn't count so have to start again.

Most universities offer 1 year full time Masters, and 2 years for part time.

e.g. here's a part time MSc in Finance at the LSE - teaching timetable is 2 years
http://www.lse.ac.uk/finance/prospectiveStudents/m...

[oldbanger]

Progressive said:

Maybe I am being too harsh. The institution offering the course (MSc) is usually two thirds of the way down the university league tables. The positive however is that the course is accredited by the governing body of my discipline. This makes me think that at least the content is verified by them and this would make up for the lack of prestige of the institution.

I don't want to spend £8,000 on a piece of paper which carries no weight.

If the course is fully accredited by the relevant governing body in your line of work, then it will have far more value in your current career than an unaccredited OU programme, regardless of where the uni sits on the league tables. The accredited course will have had to have it's syllabus and assessment framework signed off by that governing body to gain the accreditation.

By the way, your current situation regarding work time available for study and a budget to go with it, sounds fantastic. Can we swap?

[talksthetorque]

If you want to climb the career ladder as a result of this endeavour, might it be looked upon more favourably by your employer for you to do a business/management course rather than a more niche piece of study, albeit in your area of expertise?

I believe that the highest skilled people get overlooked for management promotions due to the effect it would have on the skill level of the team they would be leaving.

If you want to further your technical career by going from a junior/middle (skilled role) to a senior (skilled role) person, rather than a manager, then yes, the niche course would be the way to go.

[Vaud]

Progressive said:

Supposing your current employer, who you are very happy with, told you that the order book was quiet for the next couple of years

Would you take the study route at your cost or take another approach?

I'd be looking for another job?

That said, margins must be strong to cope with key staff having 25%+ reduction in utilisation/productivity!

[elanfan]

Another way of looking at this is its £80 a week for 2 years. If it's self funded at least they can't try and claw it back or try to tie you in for so many years if you leave for a better role.

Can your employer offer you a pay rise or better job upon qualification.