Why you should consider completing a second degree

"Why you should consider completing a second degree", August 31 2009

In the spring of 2008, I graduated with a combined honours degree in cultural studies & critical thinking, and anthropology. While completing my undergrad, I had contemplated applying to graduate school. Although anthropology is a graduate program in Canada, cultural studies (which was my preferred area of interest) is not – it’s usually part of an English department. So I decided to give myself an advantage in the application process and pursue a bachelor of arts (non-honours) in English.

Originally, I had only planned to stay at McMaster for a year since it would only take me eight months to get all the credits required to graduate with the degree in English. I also took a bunch of indigenous studies classes as electives because I felt I could learn a lot from the program. I got the necessary references, filled out my applications and played the waiting game.

It turns out that I didn’t get into any of the grad schools I applied to, but that didn’t mean my options were limited for the upcoming year. Since I was doing very well in myindigenous studies classes, I decided I would go back to school again and finish with a combined honours degree in English and indigenous studies in April 2010 because:

• I can afford to complete this degree right now, so I do not need to wait until years down the road to go back to school
• finishing this program will help with my employability in the future – knowledge of indigenous issues can be applied to many different sectors
• it will expand my expertise in a way that may help admit me to post-graduate studies should I choose to go that route
• although there are times when I really hate school, for the most part I actually really like it (call me a nerd) – I have a genuine desire to learn and will likely be doing it in some form or another for the rest of my life.

With more and more people graduating from post-secondary education, the number of them who choose to get a second (or third) degree is on the rise. If you’re not sure if pursuing a second degree is right for you, here are a few things to consider:

Your other degree

Did you finish your other degree and realize close to the end that you hated what you were learning? Going back to school can give you the opportunity to learn things that are more in-tune to your interests.

Time

A degree is a huge time investment. Do you think you can handle another year or two (or more) of classes, and all of the things that go along with it? There will be more assignments, midterms, term papers, tests, quizzes and exams (not to mention pressure, anxiety and stress) in order to finish your degree.

Knowledge and skills

A second degree can give you the opportunity to learn things that you didn’t before. This can be something along the lines of essay-writing skills or sample analysis which you can put toward another career. You can also put what you learned toward post-graduate applications or programs.

Cost

Perhaps the biggest deciding factor is whether or not you can afford to do so. University is by no means inexpensive. In addition to tuition, supplementary fees, textbooks and supplies, you may need to consider the costs of housing, transportation, and living expenses. Although student loans don’t need to be paid until after graduation, they do need to be paid off sometime.