I was wondering, is a master's degree useful in Malaysia?
There's the old education vs experience debate, but I would like to know what you guys think.
Especially if there are any HRs around here.
Most engineers I've met said experience/professional cert is better though.

not useful unless u further to another 3 years of PhD. then useful.

Depends on what kind of masters is that.

Those who don't have Master Degree tell you that ?...lol

Depends lah ! Some companies especially the big one very emphasised on a Good Cert if you join in as newbies, some company required a better cert to justify your promotion,

Having will give you an edge compare to other, my friends who have a Master Degree in Bio Tech found job in Singapore easily & earning big bucks, offcoz it not a guaranteed, but an advantage.

Giving same experience, same ability, isn't a better cert give you a slight edge. ??

master degree is a stepping stone. why debate education v experience when u can have both?

Not interested to be an academician. So not going to do PhD.

I'm doing engineering.

But then by the time I've completed my masters, other people would have more experience than me.

By the time I've completed my masters, other people would have more experience compared to me.
So why would an employer take me (need to pay more due to masters degree but no experience) if can take other people with experience

ic. have to think long term la. let's say ur master is 3 years course la, by the time u graduate, ur experience is 0 years, ur friend is 3 years right? it's fine. work another few years, maybe 7 years. so after 7 years u have master with 7 working experience, ur friend 10 years without master. still not good enough? fine, work another 10 years again, now u got 17 years experience with master, your friend 20 years without master. look, no different in working experience anymore to me.

it's worthless for some organizations/companies,
but it's looked up to for some others.

i continued my masters degree (part time), and upon graduation,
received +RM400 as an increment.

and of course, just ensure that the masters holder
shows good attitude/maturity + good working skills to match.

if the masters holder has similar attitude/knowledge/skills as per bachelor degree,
why would the organization/company bother to hire the masters holder in the first place?

planning to do overseas, so only 1 year

is it worth it no free time, sleep late somemore everyday for the rm400 increment? asking honestly here.
Also, what field is your masters? MBA?

Engineering, in a local public uni.

No free time, sleep late? Did you personally experience that, or were you typing that based on other people's perception?
(Master subjects aren't that heavy compared to Bachelors, btw - that's why the duration is also lesser).

To tell you the truth, I'm in my early 30s. I graduated poorly in my Bachelor's Degree and I sincerely felt that
I messed up my B.Eng due to laziness & immaturity. I wanted to make amends.

I then decided that I want to enroll in part time M.Eng in Electronics, via coursework. I know that I can't keep up with
part time research, though - I have my limitations, career-wise. Plus, it helps a lot when you have friends in the same boat as you.
I partnered my way through the course with a good friend of mine from the same company.

It's not just about the RM400 increment. Most companies don't even give a damn if you even have PhD.
It's just a bonus. The positive thing is - you learn. With our industrial experience, we complement the lecturer's overview on the subjects,
and with the lecturers' theoretical know-how, we get to learn more about the theoretical basis to support our technical findings.

Heck, we even had to skip some classes due to company Business Trips, but the friend and I also complemented each other
(always ensure that at least one of us attend class, and tutor the other on the missed topics).

And again.. no free time, sleep late? Those are for those that study hard. Study smart, bro. Of course you'd have to invest some time
(if not, then why bother furthering your study?), but I still balanced that up with my hobbies, my career & my family - and just only for 2 years.
Having an understanding & supportive spouse also gives a boost.

Additionally, it's just a stepping stone. Probably PhD next? Who knows?

It all boils down to what you want for yourself. Of course you get outside inputs,
but you'd have to will yourself to ensure that you can meet the goals that you have set in your mind.

What is your target to further masters? Why do you choose that coursework?
How do you balance your lifestyle? What do you intend to do next? Why not PhD?
What were your goals? How did you achieve it? - keep these in mind from now onwards
and prepare for these questions in case they'd turn up in your interview sessions next year
(presumably you'd be job-hunting next year after your Masters then)

Good luck, and all the best.

If got master degree got high chance to go up to become ketua pengarah. Then can go overseas round the world for conferences and 'visiting study'

This post has been edited by Piap: Nov 5 2014, 05:07 PM

i got Master Degree

If you're made up your mind to complete a Masters Degree, it's best to do the MBA.

as someone who has three siblings with master and employed...
it's a hit and miss thing. one sibling got high pay while the other got starting pay level diploma even though both got jobs that was related to the course.

one of them even told me that for my course, Masters grad are paid Degree level starting salary because they have no allocation (tangga gaji) for anything above degree. so my course has no use for Masters; it's like getting sijil for Matriculation but din continue degree.

so ask around from your friends in the industry whether they have allocation for master, or they only focus on experience.

Well, as someone working in HR...I would say it all depends on the company. but then again do remember that a lot of companies are going thru cost saving/"corporate development" nowadays, especially big MNC's...

So in light of that...I would say that masters would give you an advantage if you willing to take the same salary as a degree holder....if you ask for more, most likely they would take the degree holder as no point to pay you more just for the masters. So it all depends on what you expect from the masters, you expecting for more pay or just want the advantage of getting hired?

Exactly. Some company wont hire you since they're cost saving and you dont have the experience.


Which industry are you in? Is it beneficial for you?


I'm not really interested in business, but MBA is still in my list of options. I'm in engineering though.
Some say MBA might still be useful to get to the managerial post.


I was thinking to get masters so I get better chance in a big company, e.g shell, petronas. But if I take masters, it would cost me quite a bit so it's like gamble also lah.


Of course I want the extra advantage, but scared might be overqualified also. Taking masters would cost me quite a bit so of course if possible want pay more to cover back the cost.

If you expect more pay when they hire you, then honestly nowadays very few company will do that...mostly only govt sector or GLC has such policy to pay more for your masters...but most mnc nowadays all got the mentality to hire the cheapest capable candidate for a job...thus if its a job that both a degree holder and masters holder can do and the degree fella is asking for less, they most likely will take the degree holder...

better ask around people in shell/petronas whether they have pay level for masters.

p.s. some companies also will let you continue masters during your work there with full pay. if you get these it's a gold mine

Honestly i work in non-government (Swasta) and who cares if you have Master or even PHD.

Only government yang care, boleh naik gaji all stuff.

BUT you do it for your own satisfaction that would count.

It feels great to have Master fyi.

NO point to get masters in MALAYSIA.its gona be a total waste of your time and money.
Local companies in malaysia emphasis on cut cost due to malaysian standards and economy.they would anytime hire a degree holder or bachelor with experience then paying more for masters holder.
just like any restaurants or premium restaurants that would rather hire banglas to cook then a certified culinary chef.

Why MBA is the best Master Degree?

pardon me if I'm wrong since this is what people tell me. MBA is usually the fast track to get a managerial post since you're taught about business administrations . Also, you get to mingle with future managers so you can expand your connections with the higher ups. Even better if they are/will be working with kerajaan.

Oh i see. I am just curious

which uni offers good affordable MBA program?

I'm not so sure about MBA. But I'm still studying in UM, so I'd say UM should be good and affordable enough. I see quite a lot of my friends from business administration faculty getting hired by petronas and other big companies. Although a few of my friends plan to get MBA from an overseas university with a campus in Malaysia, so not sure which options is better. You can ask at the education essentials forum to get more opinions.

i agree go for mba if you want to climb corporate ladder. however, mba is a general course, you wont have any specialization. if you wanna be a specialist, go for more technical/niche course.

i'm planning to take Masters in Knowledge Management, with the future aim to be a specialist/consultant in this area. not sure to go for MMU or UiTM yet.