I’m currently finishing my bachelors degree and I’m not sure if I should get a masters degree. I don’t think that I have found my calling and I’m tired of being in school. I want to go out and get some actual experience but I’m quite worried that only having a bachelors degree will make it harder to find a job. For context: I’m doing a bachelors degree in business and management.
What worries me the most here is that after finishing the bachelor, you don’t know any proper hard skills. Nothing that you can put on your CV to show someone that you are actually good at something. Which is why I have been looking into certifications that would teach me some hard skills like the ‘Google Data Analytics Certification’ [https://www.coursera.org/google-certificates/data-analytics-certificate](https://www.coursera.org/google-certificates/data-analytics-certificate) . This would let me put some hard skills on my CV like programming languages and certain softwares. I’m also quite interested in Data Analysis.
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All this basically leads me to my question: does the luxembourgish market even care about certifications? is it worth more for employers to show that you have an academic degree instead of some actual technical skills and know-how?
Any insight on the value of certifications or advice on doing a masters degree or not, would be very much appreciated.
18 comments
It is pretty important, as many employers won’t even bother looking at a cv if the person doesn’t have the studies they are asking for.
They seem to really care about a related degree in Europe, not so much in the US and Asia.
In my case they haven’t cared much at all, although I’m in IT, a field where if you demonstrate you know things they can give you a chance.
I haven’t gotten any certifications either, but it definitely doesn’t harm. Data Analysis is a hot field right now, and getting a certification from Google seems like a good idea.
It helps me shit coz jobs I qualify 100% are given to people without the required papers and experience but woth connections.
It is not about quantity but quality.
I found it to be pretty important in Luxembourg. Sadly recruitement also depends a lot on the recruiter/interviewers and the academic culture they are used to.
I have only a bachelor (International Business) and started to study for an additional diploma (not master). I only received interview invites from english or german companies while I was ignored by french or luxemburgish ones.
Depending on the field you want to work in i’d really recommend going for a master.
Work for at least a few years before doing your master’s if you can. You could start working and discover that you love your profession. Then it’s worth getting a master’s. If you don’t, you haven’t spent time and money on a degree that isn’t right for you. Probably easier in the US than Europe, but you can also use a master’s to change fields. I went back to university to change careers from business to foreign service.
HR and crap managers who shouldn’t be in a position to manage people care a lot about degree’s. Sadly HR are generally the gatekeepers and there are far too many people promoted beyond their level of competence who are crap managers. Wish it were not so but it is.
I only have my bachelors and I find it quite limiting here, it was never a problem before, but a lot of institutions and some private jobs require or strongly prefer a masters.
can’t say for sure for Luxembourg, but here in the Netherlands, was in a very similar situation. I did Economics in undergraduate, and did this Google Data Analytics certification. I got a working student position as a Data Analyst that way in my third year. I asked about why they hired me once I was there, and they said they knew I’m a fast learner from my CV and grades, and am motivated for this work as shown by the Google certificate. And then ofc still have to show some skills and thinking in the case interviews. But I’ll say, for showing your motivation it’s very nice, could make the difference for an internship or junior position application, as long as you can back it up in the technical interviews.
You don’t need a Master’s to get a job in Luxemburg.
I barely finished high school and got myself a job in that bank near the University in Esch.
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Cleaning toilets.
Choices, choices…
For public service jobs, it matters a lot. The salary and grade actually depends entirely on your degree. So having a Masters will yield a significantly higher salary no matter what the actual work is. It may be unfair but it’s their way of looking at qualifications. Work experience comes second and will have an impact once you pass your “stage” period.
How old are you? If you are under 25, it is better you to th Master first. If you are over 30, certifications and work experience. You are not gonna get enough of a leg up in the job market from starting work in your early 20s vs simply getting a 5 year degree which is way more employable than 3. However if you started studying late, the longer you drag it out to get out into your desired field the harder it will be.
Bruh, just lie.
It shouldn’t be but it is.
Honestly I wouldn’t mind hiring someone having “only” a bachelors or secondary education degree if they show motivation to learn new stuff. Instead you have to navigate a pool of somewhat entitled grads that you have to teach the same stuff anyway.
I suppose smaller companies might be a bit more flexible towards degree requirements.
I can tell you that for data science and computer science that certifications don’t matter. Maybe it will help you in the initial cv screening phase, but when you start interviewing with IT people it’s much more important to show how you used that certification. A couple of good projects on GitHub will do the job.
I can tell you that for data science and computer science that certifications don’t matter. Maybe it will help you in the initial cv screening phase, but when you start interviewing with IT people it’s much more important to show how you used that certification. A couple of good projects on GitHub will do the job.
For degrees it’s usually better to have them then not, but it’s possible to start a career in IT without. It will be harder to get a first job, but as you gain more experience your degree won’t matter a lot.
While I agree that you do not take your Bachelor/Master/PhD diploma to the bank for a loan but your payslip and financial situation, having a degree is important as it gives the employer a differentiating signal between candidates with little to no experience.