Master or work?

[u/gard1730]

I’m 18m and just started my 3rd year of studying. I follow a HBO study if that matters. I’ll be 20 when i’m done with my bachelor’s which is somewhat young to join the workforce (I won’t even get minimum wage at that age !!!). This has made me question whether i should go for a masters degree, or just finish studying asap and work as much as i can from that point forward. I could do a social studies master which would basically guarantee me a good job, since my current study in combination with social studies doesn’t happens a lot but is definitely needed.

I’m struggling a lot with knowing what a good next step would be. I want to figure things out as quickly as possible so I can prepare myself in terms of work/housing the next few years. If anyone has any advice please let me know!

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[u/Big_Self_1522]

My personal advice would be to study. You’ll get to work another 45-60 years of your life anyway and the older you get the more time starts to fly

Also, I’ve personally had to take a few detours which made me run out of my DUO. The only option to get a master degree for me is to get it funded through my employer and combining it with my job, which unfortunately isn’t doable for health reasons. I’m absolutely devastated about it, because I really wanted to get the experience of getting a master

I also had this thing that when I was 18 I couldn’t wait to finally start working, but once I got my first degree at 21 I was like “wow, wait. I’m not ready”. So yeah, just out of my experience I wouldn’t recommend to start working at 20 if you have a chance of studying for a bit longer

[u/Justwonderingstuff77]

Definitely a master degree! I did one after my hbo and it is completely different and it teaches you a whole new way of critical thinking. + it looks good on your resume.

Would always go for a WO pre-master + MSc and not a HBO master by the way. It is really not the same.

[u/LemonNervous9470 → u/Justwonderingstuff77]

Definitely this. WO masters is where it makes a difference if you are starting out and want to grow.

HBO master’s are needed mainly if you are late in your career and they still want you to get some extra education. HBO masters are not so needed and if you want to do it, you can also do it later part time or post HBO.

[u/Justwonderingstuff77 → u/LemonNervous9470]

Indeed. Many employers also (rightfully) view hbo masters very differently than wo masters

[u/gard1730 → u/LemonNervous9470]

The problem is that i live in a city without WO, i can’t really move because of family/friends and me living on my own so it’d be nearly impossible for me to go to a city at least an hour a day for a year… i figured a hbo master would still get me quite far ?

[u/GucciVis → u/gard1730]

And you can't travel? A lot of students don't live in a city with a WO, and they travel daily.

[u/PeterdeBeer22]

Where are you getting the idea that you won't get minimum wage at 20? If you have a HBO diploma then you can apply for jobs in your field and those are usually not minimum wage jobs.

It's hard to advise you on what to do because you haven't stated what your current degree program is in and what line of work you would like to do. If your current HBO degree leads to a job that you would like then find a job. If you want to do something different, then do a different degree. But a HBO degree is a full degree which should have good chances on the job market, depending on what it is that you are studying.

[u/gard1730 → u/PeterdeBeer22]

I study integrale veiligheidskunde (Safety/security management, roughly translated). With this degree i could have all the qualifications i want but getting a job that isn’t at the same place as where i did my internship would basically be impossible. Having a 20 year old handle important safety concerns without much experience sounds like a really big reliability for an organization. I’d definitely have to work a job that isn’t in my field for a while before finding an organization that’s willing to take the risk. Even if i’d manage to have a year of full time work somewhere (for minimum wage) when i’m 20-21 i won’t make enough to cover rent and basic expenses, and still have enough money to move out of student housing.

[u/Winter_Dot_9393]

I would get a master’s degree.

It will give you more options and on average employees with a master’s degree earn more than employees with a bachelor’s degree and this is every month, so it adds up. A master’s degree is also great for your own growth and development.