Whether out of fear of the real world, the desire to cling on to the last remnants of student life, or because we actually want to further our education, more people are doing Masters degrees now than ever before.
The number of 26 to 60-year-olds in work who have postgraduate qualifications has jumped from 4 per cent in 1996 to 11 per cent this year. But are all these MAs and extra degrees turning out to be more of a hindrance than a help when it comes to finding a job?
‘After finishing my MA in 2012, I needed a job to tide me over while I figured out what to do next with my life and I ended up signing on with the Job Centre,’ Cara, a 25-year-old (now PhD student) tells me. ‘One of the advisors looked at my CV and told me (off record) that I should probably take the fact I had an MA off, or at least move the details of my education to the back pages.
‘He said that employers might look at it and simply dismiss me straight away. Having spent the 12 previous months working the hardest I ever had in my life, I was being told that I should ignore all that for the sake of my employability. It was really frustrating and upsetting and made no sense to me.’
While unemployment rates might officially be falling, it’s important to take a closer look at these figures before we all go around popping prosecco and celebrating how great our lives are now our. The Local Government Association (LGA) has found that 40 per cent of 16 to 24-year-olds are not making the most of their abilities when it comes to working and 1.2 million of us are ‘underemployed or overqualified’. Great news, eh?
Katie, a 24-year-old who now works in TV told me that: ‘When I came back from travelling it was really hard to get a job. I applied to be a receptionist for an advertising company but got rejected. They literally wrote back saying that I was overqualified and that’s why I didn’t get the job. It was so annoying.’
And let’s not forget the cost of these extra qualifications. Doing a Masters in say, Economics can cost anywhere from £5,000 to £18,000 depending on where you study, and that’s just the tuition fees. Add to that living expenses and by the time you finish, you’re staring down a pretty big barrel of debt.
The least you might expect on completion is that your MA will be useful when trying to get a job, but that is seemingly not the case for many: ‘Somebody once told me at an interview for a proof-reading job that an MA would stop me from getting hired,’ 25-year-old Abby tells me. ‘I think he was a bit of a douche though.’
Can it really be that dumbing down your CV is now the way to get a job? It’s a depressing prospect. I spoke to Dr Paul Redmond about this – as the President of the Association of Graduate Careers Advisory Services (AGCAS) at the University of Liverpool, he seemed like a man who knows his stuff.
‘Let’s be clear, qualifications don’t guarantee jobs,’ he tells me. ‘It’s all about what skills you’ve got. I could have done an MA in Victorian Literature, but if I want go and work in an office, I’ll still need to show the relevant skills I’ve developed from that qualification that make me effective – that’s the difference.’
He also made the interesting point that being told you’re ‘overqualified’ might not always be strictly true. ‘To be honest, sometimes I do think employers use this line as a way to let someone down gently. It’s a bit like saying, “Sorry, you’re too beautiful for me.”’
I asked what he tells people who ask his advice before taking on postgraduate studies: ‘Before you take an extra degree you have to be absolutely clear about why it is that you’re taking it. If you’re doing it because you don’t want to think about the job market for another year, then that’s probably the wrong reason – and you’ll just be in the same position in a year’s time. Someone’s going to say, “Why have you done that MA in Emily Bronte studies and what have you gained from it?”, and you’ve got to have an answer.’
I know several people from my year at university whom I would say are over-qualified for their jobs, though of course, when you begin your working life you often get stuck doing menial tasks. I have lost count of how many cups of coffee (‘Not the instant stuff, I hate that shit!’) or post office runs I’ve done since graduating.
But at least I know it’s not going to be forever. For many recent graduates there is a real danger of them getting stuck in jobs which, to put it bluntly, they are simply too good for. New figures released by the Chartered Institute of Personnel Development in February this year found that 30 per cent of workers are overeducated for their roles – the fact is there are far more graduates than there are graduate positions.
I asked Cara if she had any advice for people who find themselves in a similar position to hers. ‘If you really want something then you have to keep trying. I know that sounds clichéd but it always takes time. I know when you’re unemployed, time just seems to pass really slowly, but don’t get down and don’t give up. And never hide what you’ve worked so hard for.’
For more great work tips, check out GoThinkBig.co.uk for straight-talking careers advice
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This article originally appeared on The Debrief.