So, you are at a crossroad, do you want to further your studies or go get a job first. Don’t know what to do? Here are some pros and cons!
Higher Chances of Growth
If You Have Degree
Pros
You have a higher chance of growing if you are majoring in the field itself. For example, if you are in the marketing line with a marketing degree, you may be promoted faster than someone who does not have one!
Your chances of getting hired are higher than someone who does not have a degree!
Cons
You start later than if you were to go for the job straight away!
You might have to pay off student loans and debt.
If You Choose To Work
Pros
You do not have any financial burdens on you and it is easier to manage finances!
You have the advantage of starting earlier than someone who has a degree, for example you start working at 18 but people with degrees start working at 23, thus you might be further in the line when they start working!
Cons
You may struggle to grow extremely far. For example, in a company, you cannot grow to a high position like CEO if you do not have the right qualifications in education to do so.
You are limited in your career path as some careers REQUIRE a degree!
Initial Income
If You Have A Degree
Pros
Your starting income may be higher than if you did not have a degree. For example, you may ask for RM3,000+ because of your degree qualifications instead of RM2,000~RM2,500 without degree.
Cons
Because of debt, even with a higher salary you might still struggle to offset your outstanding payments.
If You Choose To Work
Pros
You have less financial burden on you, so even with a lower pay you might be able to live less stressfully than your degree counterparts due to not needing to pay off debt and PTPTN.
Cons
Your lower initial means that it is slower growth in terms of income if you remain long term because you don’t have a degree and usually pay raises are capped and linked to performance!
Cost of Education
If You Have A Degree
Pros
After you paid off your loans, you have much more financial freedom that if you did not have a degree, and your growth will be better in the long run than someone without a degree.
Cons
Your education would be very expensive and it will take you many years to pay off your PTPTN.
If You Choose To Work
Pros
You do not need to worry about an education, and sometimes you can learn on the job. Furthermore, a lot of companies value experience over education. So if you had 3 years experience vs someone with no experience but a degree in the field, you may have a higher chance of being hired over them!
You don’t have to worry about paying off PTPTN.
Cons
Someone with a degree AND experience have a better career path in front of them than you do because you are still limited in that regard.
Without worrying for cost of education, you have to worry about how far you can go in your career before a degree in a specific area becomes a prerequisite!
Career Path
If You Have A Degree
Pros
You have many career choices, as some of them needs a degree, for example law, medicine and engineering. If you wish to pursue these careers, a degree is the only way to enter the market.
If you enter these areas, your initial pay will also be much higher than usual, at RM4,000++++
Cons
You need to spend a few years studying it. So imagine when you enter the market, you have RM4,000++ initial income, but your friends who have been working for years are already earning RM5,000++ in other fields because of experience and promotions
If You Choose To Work
Pros
Because of the head start, you may be earning more than your degree counterparts due to the extra 3-5 years you have already put into the workforce compared to those who used those 3-5 years to study for their degree!
Cons
You cannot get a job in certain markets such as law, medicine and engineering, no matter how hard you try, because a degree is a prerequisite, so if you really want to pursue a career in these fields, you MUST have a degree.
