MSc, International Management and Global Business

Name: John Joe O'Farrell

Age: 24

Primary degree: BA Business, Cork Institute of Technology (2009)

Postgraduate degrees: MSc International Management and Global Business, University of Limerick (2010)

I've always wanted to work in education and teach and lecture, and a postgraduate qualification is a prerequisite for a career in this field. I thought an MSc would be a good stepping stone: it's only a one-year course, but from that you can go straight into a PhD and for me that was the beauty of it. I'm hoping to start a PhD in the New Year on Services Marketing, investigating dental services in Ireland.

I've recently finished my MSc and I'm expecting my thesis result soon. The MSc by its nature was a very intense year and the lion's share of it was predominantly measured by continuous assessment. If you apply yourself and work hard you can reap the benefits: in some ways a masters can be regarded as a second chance to get a good degree if you didn't do as well as you'd have liked as an undergraduate.

There were over twice the number of applications than there were places on my course, so you wouldn't want to have all your eggs in one basket. The application process involved filling out an application form and then submitting a letter of intent explaining why I wanted to undertake the programme, how it would benefit me and what I would contribute to it.

Prior to embarking on my BBS degree at CIT, I completed a Higher Certificate in Business Studies at Waterford Institute of Technology, where I also worked for a year as a project manager. I'm currently working at HSI Limerick Business School as Marketing and International Liaison Officer. The Director of the College was very impressed with my MSc (it's a relatively new course) so I would say that it definitely helped me to land my job. I've only been working here for about a month and it's been a steep learning curve so far, but I really enjoy it.

I have always played music throughout my university career in a two-piece which helped to subsidise my living costs; additionally I was lucky enough to receive support from my parents and I also received a higher education grant. I think around 70 per cent of my classmates at UL were receiving grants or funding. There was a real mixture of ages on my course, from young people fresh from their undergraduate degrees to older professionals (lawyers and accountants) looking to upskill or change direction.

Cape Town: a cultural rollercoaster

Another component of our MSc was a week-long international study trip to Cape Town, South Africa. It was a cultural rollercoaster but undoubtedly one of the highlights of the course. We went to Cape Town because it is culturally rich and diverse with many idiosyncratic characteristics. We attended three days of seminars at the University of Stellenbosch discussing tourism in South Africa and their place in the global economy. We also visited some townships to remind us of how lucky we are here in Ireland, no matter how we might complain at times.

Top tips

Don't wander aimlessly into postgraduate education – be strategic in the way you choose your course. For instance it might be worth picking a course in an area that isn't saturated yet – like renewable energy, for example. A masters degree is a good way of finding out if you're cut out for a PhD or not. Additionally it's a great chance to develop a PhD proposal while gaining an extra qualification. Specialism at postgraduate level is vital for a career in academia – universities in the Unites States for example are crying out for specialists as there are already too many people with a bit of everything. However, from a business perspective overspecialised people are not as attractive as those with broader qualifications, especially in the current economic climate, so think carefully about your choice of course and what you want it to lead to.

Finally, it's important to check the credentials of the supervisors/tutors taking your course. The professors that taught me are internationally renowned, which definitely enhanced the value of the degree programme: one of my classmates travelled all the way from Spain because of the reputation of our supervisors.