Leeds Beckett University - City Campus,
Woodhouse Lane,
LS1 3HE
Why I think a postgraduate loan is an investment in my future
Hello, I am Sam. I am currently a master’s student at Leeds Beckett studying Sports Coaching and, in this blog, I will talk to you about why I think that having taken a postgraduate loan is an investment in my future.
For many, the words ‘student loans’ often stem a negative thought, and on many occasions throw off potential students from studying a postgraduate degree. I’m here to tell you why you should take that leap, so let’s begin discussing the benefits of obtaining a postgraduate degree.
If you have gained additional knowledge, skills and experience beyond those requirements from a master’s degree, then that really sets you apart from the rest of the competition.
Opening doors to greater knowledge and expertise
Evidently, for jobs that require a master’s degree, holding the degree offers many opportunities. However, from my own experience, holding that master’s degree also gives you the edge over your competitors.
Take my profession, a football coach, for example. Very few people study a master’s; traditionally it wasn't within a coach’s career progression plan. Yet, in this competitive industry, where I hold the same experience and coaching qualifications as my rivals, it's that degree that sets me apart. And not only because I can add ‘MSc’ to my CV.
In my case, the master's degree expanded my knowledge beyond what I had learnt on my previous coaching qualifications and experience. In addition, the difference in curriculum content, and the breadth and depth of research that it exposed me to, offered me additional professional skills to the ones I gained on those coaching courses.
I know that not everyone reading this is a sports coach, but whatever your profession, a role requires certain skills, knowledge and experience. If you have gained additional knowledge, skills and experience beyond those requirements from a master’s degree, then that really sets you apart from the rest of the competition.
Without the master’s, I would have never discovered my passion for research, or this new potential career path.
Opening doors to new opportunity
What I am yet to mention, are the new opportunities that a master’s degree can open. Personally, when I first came to university I knew I wanted to be a football coach and that's all I thought I would ever do.
However, studying my master’s has provided me with a new interest, in academia and research. It has opened up a door for me to become a teaching assistant on the BSc Sports Coaching degree, and an additional career path of potentially studying a PhD and becoming a lecturer in my field. Without the master’s, I would have never discovered my passion for this, or this new potential career path.
To summarise
Not everyone looking to study a masters are able to afford it themselves. I certainly wasn’t in that situation, and that meant I had to apply for that student loan. Initially, I did worry about having an even bigger student loan. However, twenty months down the line I have not thought about that student loan once because I cannot put a price on what I have gained from my master’s. It's helped me progress my career further and get to where I want to be in my profession. Even though I know I am going to have to pay that loan back, my degree has put me in a much better position to be able to do that.
For me, taking a postgraduate loan is a no brainer. Yes, you have to take a leap by taking one, but from my personal experience, what you get from that initial leap, will eventually set you apart in your future profession.
