It should come as no surprise that today’s job market is changing rapidly. In this fast-paced environment, employees need to be flexible, agile and analytical –skills that are nurtured and honed through postgraduate study.
Deepening your knowledge in your area of focus or upskilling in an entirely new field can present opportunities previously unavailable to you. Undertaking another degree could even set you on the path to ventures you had never even thought of before.
The University of Western Australia graduate Ben Pronk found the change he was looking for when he took up the MBA Full Time course. Completing this postgraduate degree enabled him to set up a consultancy with an ex-colleague, thanks to access they had gained to Perth’s business community, along with mentoring and networking opportunities.
Spending more time studying can also help you take the next step in your career. A postgraduate degree equips you with advanced knowledge, ensuring you have specialised skills and are therefore more attractive to employers. You could use the extra knowledge and skills to negotiate a higher paid position or a change, or step up, in your roles and responsibilities.
For UWA graduates, further study has proven invaluable. Some alumni even rank among the State’s top company executives. Several graduates made this year’s Westbusiness list of highly paid executives in Western Australia, such as Woodside Senior Vice-President, Corporate and Legal, Michael Abbott; Finbar Managing Director Darren Pateman; and Emeco Chief Strategy Officer Thao Pham.
A postgrad degree from UWA equips you with the knowledge and industry connections to take your career to new heights, and a qualification from a world top 100 university means you will be recognised around the globe.
Our business and management courses make you employable across industries, and our alumni continue to excel in the commerce sector with UWA business graduate starting salaries higher than the national average (Australian University Rankings, 2018).
UWA alumnus and Rio Tinto General Manager, Market Analysis, Will Millsteed credits completing postgraduate study as one of the best decisions of his life. After graduating, he began his career forecasting commodity prices and understanding global commodity markets, before realising a desire to shape the markets themselves.
Mr Millsteed then joined Rio Tinto, spawning a career that has taken him from Brisbane to London, and Perth to Singapore. He now leads a global team of around 30 to analyse the outlook for commodity markets in support of the company’s commercial teams.
His advice for those considering a postgraduate degree was to use the time and study to refine a potential career pathway and mature as an individual.
“I’m a more well-rounded individual now for having involved myself in and around UWA. The postgraduate study was excellent, but the broader experience was very fulfilling and made me better equipped to tackle challenges in the workforce,” Mr Millsteed said.
And, if broadening your career horizons or taking a step up in work aren’t reason enough, research from the 2018 Graduate Outcomes Survey has shown those with a postgraduate degree stand to earn up to 40 per cent more than people with only an undergraduate degree.
UWA offers almost 200 postgraduate degrees to choose from and has an established network of corporate, creative, public, research and NGO connections. Gain a competitive edge today.
