Name: Robert P. Ormrod
Current job and employer: I am currently a Researcher at the Aarhus School of Business in Denmark. Once my PhD has been defended I will become an assistant professor.
Degrees: BA ( Hons) Economics, University of East Anglia, 1997.
MSc Economics, Aarhus School of Business, 2003.
PhD submitted, Aarhus School of Business, 2009.
What was the most important transition when going from undergraduate to postgraduate?
Feeling more responsible for my own learning.
Considering the cost of postgraduate study, do you feel it was a suitable investment in your future?
It was a good investment. The Danish government pays for postgraduate tuition and a small stipend for MSc's; as such, graduate jobs after BA- level are limited to secondary school teaching. PhD training is a salaried (and a taxed...) position.
What part do you feel your postgraduate degree had in securing your current job?
I'm an Academic!
What advice would you give to students who are considering postgraduate study?
A friend who took his MSc in the UK went for an interview with a global company. He was told that before the applications were even looked at, those with a postgraduate degree were put into the ‘interview' pile, whilst those with a BA or a BSc had to be read first. Which pile do you want to be in? (Consequently, he got the job.)