The way it worked out for me is the reverse of most people – rather than doing a degree first then getting work, I got work first and then started doing a degree.
I can't speak for those who did their degree first, but the advantages I think I gained from doing work first are:
Earning and saving money early, resulting in holding my investments longer.
Learning early on what kind of work I enjoy and steering my career in that direction.
By knowing more about myself and the market, then being able to choose degree subjects that interested me and led me down the right path.
Having my life more "together" when I started the degree helped me get better marks.
Having several years of experience, I could qualify for more advanced masters-level subjects.
Working and studying simultaneously can create a great synergy, where you get to learn and then immediately apply knowledge in the real world. Employers/clients often love this and even contribute to course expenses and/or allow flexible work hours to accommodate learning.
Some countries (mine included) have special tax discounts for study that is directly related to your work, so you pay less than you would if you were studying without a job.
I haven't finished my degree yet, and may not finish it for a few years yet, as I'm only studying part-time.
As @rhymes
mentioned, one downside to deferring the degree is that it's trickier to qualify for visas in certain countries without a full degree.
I think I'm in the first half of your situation: I'm working first now and really enjoying my job; after knowing more about myself and the market, I'm interested in learning more about the science of it: that's why I'm considering.
And I think it's a really good point that working and studying simultaneously can create a synergy, and also it could reduce the finance stress compared to going to school full-time.
Lastly and luckily, yes! In Canada, you could claim some tax credit with the paid tuition. :D
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Great topic – thanks for posting!
The way it worked out for me is the reverse of most people – rather than doing a degree first then getting work, I got work first and then started doing a degree.
I can't speak for those who did their degree first, but the advantages I think I gained from doing work first are:
I haven't finished my degree yet, and may not finish it for a few years yet, as I'm only studying part-time.
As @rhymes mentioned, one downside to deferring the degree is that it's trickier to qualify for visas in certain countries without a full degree.
I think I'm in the first half of your situation: I'm working first now and really enjoying my job; after knowing more about myself and the market, I'm interested in learning more about the science of it: that's why I'm considering.
And I think it's a really good point that working and studying simultaneously can create a synergy, and also it could reduce the finance stress compared to going to school full-time.
Lastly and luckily, yes! In Canada, you could claim some tax credit with the paid tuition. :D