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what should I do

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  • 05-10-2015 8:45pm
    #1
    Lucy91
    Registered Users Posts: 15 ✭


    Hi All, Just looking for some structured advice. Basically I graduated last year with a BA and having applied for jobs in various companies throughout summer I had little or no success in getting a graduate job or internship in any of the companies I applied to. As I couldn't get a graduate job I decided to continue with my education and I applied for two different postgraduate courses. One was a Hdip in Business which is basically a conversion course level 8 in business studies and I thought it would enhance my career prospects. One is also eligible to conduct a masters in Business after the Higher diploma. I also applied for a sociology masters as I hoped to do a PhD in sociology next year and pursue a career lecturing in academia. While I am very passionate about sociology and a lecturing job in sociology would be my ideal career I am very worried that I may not ever get a job when I finish with my PhD here in Ireland lecturing. While I do enjoy travelling I hope to stay in Ireland as all my family and friends are here. I am so confused and don't know what choice to make between the business HDip and the sociology masters. What do you think I should do?


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    #2
    [Deleted User]
    Posts: 0 ✭ [Deleted User]


    Jaysus, that's a really tough one to answer, honestly, because the answer has as much to do with your own personal ambitions and career hopes as it does with external factors like course content and career prospects.

    If you go for the sociology masters and maybe the Ph.D, then at the end of it all even if you can't find work in Ireland then at least you'll have a masters or a Ph.D, which would be marketable things to have. Mind you, the only person of my acquaintance who got a Sociology doctorate ended up getting a job thousands of kilometres from home. :eek:

    When it comes to the job market, it's hard to see where things are going, but the chances are that the academic jobs market over the next few years will be better than it's been over the last few. Student numbers in third-level are predicted to increase by about 20% over the next 10-12 years, and you shouldn't see the dreadful budget squeezes there were from 2008 until last year - and in fact you might well see the opposite. However, those are general predictions and may not hold for particular disciplines or areas of study/research.

    If I were in your position, I'd talk to the university where you're thinking of doing the sociology study, and ask them some hard questions about the work involved and the career prospects. I'd do likewise with wherever you're thinking of doing the conversion course. In each case, you might get some rose-tinted answers because the people telling you will be promoting their course/line of study. But you should try to ask searching questions and get answers to test whether your ambitions and aspirations have a realistic prospect of being met - and whether the courses you are thinking of will meet them.


    Reading back over that, it's probably just giving you more questions than answers, but I honestly think it's the best advice. Best of luck.


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