Being a student ain't fun. Is it worth?

[BurnedOut]

So I am in my mid-twenties. Sacrificed many years of my life getting education. Many of my cousins in their 20s have gotten a full-time job (although not in the field they majored in). Some of my friends too. They are basically doing whatever they want more or less but earning money. I am still living off parent's money, watching at the sky when my latest master's will get done. It kinda feels disheartening to not have money at this age. I wish this all pays out

 

[Drvladivostok]

It really depends on what you value and the condition of the job market where you live at.

If you wanna get a good job. Some degrees actually give you accesss towards higher-tier and more advance job experience, for example without a law degree you can't get a job position as a legal consultant or in a law firm, this type of work is probably the most sought after position skill-wise in the legal fields as you are getting paid to fix other people's legal problem. Same goes for doctors, engineers, etc.

People who work in jobs that have nothing to do with their respective degrees usually have non-specialized jobs. Where the skills required for the job, and the skills they gain from it is generally not high and non cummulative. So there is usually a low-glass ceiling. If you're a braniac with a considerable cognitive horse-power (and dedication), you can get those specialized profession.

When it comes to getting a master's degree IMO, you have to look at how marketable your increase in education degree actually brings towards acquiring a better professional position, or how how much practical skill you can offer. If the answer is none at all, might as well acquire a job first.

Just make sure when you enter the job market, you know how much that masters degree sets you appart from the others, and what kind of thing to yap towards your future employer(s).

I already have a job and still live of my parents ahah, gotta savemaxx those shekels​

 

[Cognisant]

Qualifications and experience both have diminishing returns, if you have tons of experience but no qualifications you're going to struggle to advance, likewise if you have tons of qualifications and no experience nobody's going to hire you for the positions where you actually need those qualifications.

BurnedOut if you have a masters, stop studying, because if you have zero real world experience nobody's going to want to hire you for anything but an entry level role, and even then they're going to be worried that you'll have an attitude problem because you're way overqualified for your role.

This literally happens to people, they keep applying and being rejected and told they're "overqualified" which frustrates them immensely, but consider it from the perspective of someone doing the hiring. If you need an entry level role filled why hire someone who has a masters when you know from day one they're going to be applying for jobs elsewhere and citing working for you as experience? Even if they aren't applying elsewhere they're probably going to be a pain in the butt to deal with because they think they have a high level of expertise and won't accept being talked down to by people less qualified than them.

You may have to lie about how qualified you are to get into the industry, then once you're in apply for a higher role every 2-3yrs and with your qualifications there will be nothing stopping you leveraging your experience.

 

[dr froyd]

most people don't have a bunch of money when they are studying, so it's not exactly a unique problem you're dealing with.

but if you think life will be all fun and games and freedom when you start receiving a salary.. well shit. Consider looking at your current situation as a happy one - you get free money and get to read books all day.

i was poorest probably about 1-2 years into my career after graduation, because at that point i had all possible expenses (rent, food, moving and traveling a lot for opportunities, etc) and no financial support from anywhere. Lol i recall at one point i was literally starving and had to look for coins in my apartment to buy food

 

[scorpiomover]

Qualifications and experience both have diminishing returns, if you have tons of experience but no qualifications you're going to struggle to advance, likewise if you have tons of qualifications and no experience nobody's going to hire you for the positions where you actually need those qualifications.

Even the professionals who earn big bucks, still need to keep up with the latest trends and brush up on their skills for at least 10% of the year. You're probably better off doing a bit of both: Get a job, do a qualification and get a promotion, do another qualification and get another promotion, etc.

 

[birdsnestfern]

I'd just do the Bachelors degree and start working at any level you can get in. You will move up each year. It takes time. Start at the bottom, its ok. I feel like a Masters is ok if you still desire it, but work day time, study night time. You are young, no kids, you can do it. Being hard is good. Push beyond what you think you can do. You can keep taking classes all your life, its always good to learn.

I know this isn't what you meant, but here is a link for fun master classes. There are previews next to each one to see if you want to try them or not.

https://www.masterclass.com/categories

 

[EndogenousRebel]

Yeah, this basically boils down to reducing the credit hours you take per quarter and taking a part time job.

Strategic forethought wouldn't hurt when deciding what position you want to be where you work.

I overworked myself nearing 90 hour weeks. I think it has it's impact on me to this day. It was "just" a retail job, but you'd be shocked by how much emotional demand a job can have based on the people and events that occur there.

I would ride it out if I was in your position. If you're disciplined you can dedicate yourself to investing in yourself.

But maybe if you get money, you can invest in something else, so could be just as good. And might as well start growing up asap, world can get cold real fast.

 

[ZenRaiden]

Sacrificed many years of my life getting education.

Its a trade off, not sacrifice. If its sacrifice then don't do it.

doing whatever they want more or less

Sounds like you want to feel free to make choices and be independent. At 25 thats a good call.

feels disheartening to not have money at this age.

What are you going to do with the money now that you have it.

I am going to guess a little, and say this is emotional problem and not pragmatic problem.

You want change and you want independence. You don't want to play this game where the constraints are same and outcomes are uncertain.

First of all get used to uncertainty.
Second of all before you make big decisions make sure you already tried changing things and being independent.

Independence is not just in money. Independence is state of mind.
Change is important for INxx types. We all need change of pace sometimes and sometimes we really need it above all else to gain perspective.

However jobs are not independence alone. They also come with responsibilities and problems and time and effort investment.

 

[BurnedOut]

How I think about my education? I think I am studying in one of the elite unis but in the social sector. My calculations have revealed that it's slower in this sector. In comparison to what jobs my friends are doing, they are clueless about what to do and their jobs don't correspond to their majors. I am surmising that the growth curve is gonna be asymptotically because I'll br right where I belong. That's the only hope I have. It's a fixed deposit but I really feel the money crunch and envy from time to time because I ain't no rich bitch

 

[BurnedOut]

Thank you for your advice

 

[Puffy]

I think this is common for your age so I’d try to not be too hard on yourself about it. I didn’t have a decent salary until I was around 30 and I’m only now having a clear sense of my career direction approaching 35 years of age.