5 benefits of postgraduate study beyond technical skills

Expand your career opportunities

For some careers, postgraduate study is a prerequisite to practice. For others, taking on additional study gives you an opportunity to specialise in a particular field and position yourself as an expert or leader.

Postgraduate study is also a gateway to changing careers altogether. The average Australian will change careers five to seven times in their lifetime. If you're thinking about a career change, further study can give you knowledge and a qualification in a new area and put you on the path towards achieving your goal.

A postgraduate qualification is an investment in your future and can help open doors to employment opportunities that are only available to postgrads. It equips you with a range of transferable skills including project management, research and data analysis, teamwork, and creative problem-solving. Postgraduates are also more likely to be considered for senior roles earlier in their career and even attract higher starting salaries.

Build valuable connections

Postgraduate study gives you an opportunity to meet like-minded people who you might not have otherwise encountered.

Classes are filled with a mixture of students from various industries and professions, many of whom are at different stages of their careers and learning journeys. It’s the perfect platform for knowledge sharing and collective brainstorming. Your classmates might even prove important contacts for the future. 

You also get to speak with, and have your questions answered by, knowledgeable faculty professors, guest lecturers and industry experts. These interactions offer meaningful networking and learning opportunities far beyond the books.

Here at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS), our postgraduate courses have strong links to industry, and many include professional placements. Being on placement gives you a chance to form connections with potential employers and build your professional network before you even graduate.

Pursue your passion and nurture your learning mindset

Learning can help to improve your mental wellbeing and provide you with a sense of purpose, which has positive effects on both your work and personal life.

If you’re passionate about a particular subject, then exploring your interest with postgraduate study can be immensely fulfilling. You will likely be filled with inspiration and fueled by motivation, which will make the additional study feel less like work and more like a passion project.

Becoming a lifelong learner also has enormous benefits for your brain and emotional health. It stirs up curiosity, keeps your brain active and promotes neuroplasticity (which is your brains ability to form new neural pathways). That dopamine hit of learning something new also creates feelings of satisfaction and motivation. 

Get out of your comfort zone

If you’re feeling stuck in your career – or even just life – postgraduate study is a great way to shake things up. You’ll be immersed in new experiences and meet a classroom full of diverse and interesting people. 

Postgraduate study can also give you the skills, creative thinking, connections, and confidence to make changes and try out new things. That might mean solving the many technical or strategic challenges in your industry, or working with a team of people to solve bigger issues that make a difference in the world.

Choosing an area of study that challenges you and helps you make a positive impact in society can be a life-changing and truly rewarding experience.

Prepare for the future

As the world changes, postgraduate study is a great way to keep your skillset current – and any feelings of uncertainty at bay. 

At UTS, we develop and deliver our courses in collaboration with industry to ensure our students walk out the door with industry-relevant and practical skills. During class discussions, students apply creative and critical thinking, social justice principles, and the responsible use of technology to unpack current challenges and find innovative solutions.

Find out how postgraduate study can benefit you

At UTS, we offer a range of study areas and course types so you can choose an option that suits you. Whether you commit to one of our more in-depth degrees like a master’s or PhD, or try out a short course or microcredential, you will reap the benefits of postgraduate study in more ways than one.

Are you keen to learn more about how postgraduate study can benefit you? Enquire about postgraduate study at UTS here.