Upskill, pivot or change career with a DCU postgrad

Among the many real challenges posed by Covid-19, there have also been some positives. For some of us, the strain of daily commuting no longer takes its toll or we may have had moments of self-reflection to consider our personal and career goals – particularly if physical proximity to your workplace may not be quite as important in the future.

The motivation to do a postgraduate degree is varied, but can broadly be broken into a desire to upskill in a specific area for career progression, an interest in pivoting to a new sector or type of role, or a desire to completely change career and pursue a new passion.

Whatever the rationale, radical changes to the nature of work and the workplace enable opportunities to undertake postgraduate education. With working from home looking to set to continue as an important element of our working lives, for busy professionals juggling work, life, family and study, remote working opens up new options and more choice in continuing your education.

While timing may be right, it also underlines the importance of choosing the right course in the right university.

Why choose DCU?

Choosing a university and programme is never an easy decision, especially given the current environment when a return on your investment is of the utmost of importance. You need to know that you’ll be getting the best skill-set to thrive in a volatile global economy. The deciding factors could be:

Courses that draw on industry connection and relevance to employers

As a young institution, which took in its first students in 1980, DCU was established to deliver applied, relevant education, to educate our students for employment. This characteristic carries through to our postgraduate courses, where opportunities to work on client projects, hear from industry speakers and apply your learning directly to real-world case studies are part of many of our programmes. This adds immediate value to your career and to your current place of work.

Flexibility and variety of programmes

DCU offers a variety of postgrad opportunities, from short diplomas, to full or part-time Masters programmes. Whether you’re employed and looking to upskill, unemployed, returning to work, or an employer looking to upskill your workforce, DCU will have a wide range of flexible courses to help you stand out in the workplace.

DCU is Ireland's top university and 19^th in the world for our graduate employment rate (QS Employability Ranking 2020).

Courses that are led by the latest research

DCU research centres include the Water Institute, Anti-Bullying Centre, Irish Institute for Digital Business, Brexit Institute to name but a few. These research centres conduct breakthrough, impactful research that carries through to DCU teaching, where you’ll gain deep, specialist knowledge informed by leading research.

The student perspective

Current DCU postgraduate students share their perspectives on their postgraduate course and how it fits into their busy lives.

Lorcán McLoughlin

Lorcán McLoughlin is based in Cork but is completing his part-time Executive MBA at DCU Business School. He’s currently working in sales and undertaking the MBA while continuing to work full time.

He says; “The MBA programme has had a significant impact on me, both professionally and personally. The knowledge and skills that I have acquired are transferable to my current role and the practical advice from colleagues and lecturers has been highly beneficial.  A lot of the course content and applied projects are relevant to my current role within the health and safety industry, especially with the impact of Covid-19 and the shift towards online training.

“Despite the challenges we face with the current pandemic, the support network of academics and students working together, have made this programme both achievable, and enjoyable.

“Balancing work, study, and family life can be challenging. A huge amount of organisation and commitment is required. However, students will find significant benefits from the engaging course content, very approachable lecturers, and highly experienced business professionals, that you will share these experiences with. Through a network of ambitious business professionals, I have built long lasting relationships which have had a positive impact on my student experience.”

Manju Gurjar

Manju Gurjar is currently studying the MSc in Computing programme. She is an accomplished software engineer who has worked for multinational companies like Infosys, KPMG and Capgemini for over seven years as a senior consultant and senior software engineer. She's completing the MSc Computing to advance her career in data analytics. For Manju, DCU's supports and Careers Services were a major part of her decision making.

She says; “DCU’s MSc in Computing course programme provides a unique interdisciplinary structured curriculum in four Majors, covering Mathematical and Computational technical skills, helping students to build their future in specialised fields like Data Science, Business Analytics, Artificial Intelligence. These courses have an excellent reputation for graduating industry leaders.

“DCU Careers Service offers Jobs & Events Updates and also arranged an Employability Workshop on CV & Interview Skills, in addition to webinars for students to apply for graduate programmes and internships. The Master’s degree features a mandatory practicum research opportunity to work in groups, strengthening our teamwork. The support from the university is excellent even in this pandemic situation. DCU’s professors are highly experienced and are keen to help students by making a way for group discussion, and one-on-one sessions.”

Kayley Hardiman

Kayley Hardiman is from Castledaly, Co Westmeath, and is currently studying a Master of Arts in Social Media Communications full-time at DCU. For Kayley, reduced commuting time and online teaching have made this the right time to take on her Masters.

She told us; “I decided to continue my studies and undertake a postgrad because I had been thinking about doing a Masters for the duration of my undergrad and I was very interested in the programme at DCU. I think if anything the impact of Covid-19 and the remote learning concept encouraged me to pursue my Masters because not having to commute to Dublin or spend money on accommodation made the year more affordable. Remote learning has made it much easier to work alongside my studies because none of my time is taken up commuting to lectures. Studying the MA in Social Media Communications has definitely improved my career prospects as I am now working part-time alongside my studies as the social media marketing manager for Pro-Weld Ireland.”

[ www.dcu.ie/postgraduate ]

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