Moving on to an MA

Carina Mansey hasn't chosen her exact career path, but hopes that it's down the road of media.

Carina talks you through her reasons for doing a postgraduate degree and the fears she has about being left standing in the aftermath of recession.

I'm a Media and Cultural Studies student at the London University of the Arts. However, my mum and several of my friends have kindly reminded me that I won't be in 13 months time. My dissertation will have been written and I will once again play the waiting game until my results are published. But what am I going to do next?

I wanted to take a year out, since I have spent almost 15 years, which is three-quarters of my life, in full-time education. I thought that I could do a bit of work experience, maybe do some travelling and relax a bit. But the economic climate is still looking unsettled so I'm worried that if I take a year out I might get heavily rained on, financially speaking. Faffing about for a year doesn't seem a wise move, thus I have decided to take a Masters.

"Labour's target to get 75% of students into a university has left me feeling like a very small fish in a gigantic lake."

My decision to take an MA is not only because of economics, but politics too. Labour's target to get 75% of students into a university has left me feeling like a very small fish in a gigantic lake. Employers have started demanding degrees for jobs that previously didn't need them and this has caused a ripple effect, meaning more people are taking more postgraduate degrees. When I come out of university with a BA and enter the real world I am going to find myself up against all those people who have already gone on to do a postgraduate degree. The competition is getting stronger for fewer jobs. I mean, I have a friend, who achieved a first in his BSc and is now having to work in a well known fast food establishment!

Another reason I have decided to demolish my plan of travelling and chilling is that an MA can cost up to £7,900. No student loans and poor odds of getting funding mean that I have already started making cut-backs. I've eaten out of date sandwiches that my mate has brought home from work for the past two weeks. I have resisted going clothes shopping and all the plans I had to go on holiday this summer have vanished into the ether...as has any liking for out of date sandwiches.

It is a big risk to take. An MA might not necessarily make it any easier for me to integrate into the working world. I also don't want to end up becoming too specialised in one subject. Nevertheless, I'm keeping my fingers crossed and hope my MA will be a good investment in the long run – as long as I can afford the high price in the short term.

By Carina Mansey

Photo by volunteer photographer Kirsty Heslop

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