Going for masters?

For most Bhutanese graduates who have been working for more than one year, their minds are set on 'masters'.
With the RCSC's PCS riveting more on qualification in the absence of other reliable measures of a civil servant's capacity, it becomes more urgent.
What are the scholarships? Which are the countries? What are the gains? Let me try to dispel some myths and bring some reality to the fore.
The objectives of a masters program is a broad one. Bachelors degree provided us the foundation, but the masters degree is to further develop us intellectually and let us see (more deeply?) the bigger picture of our chosen profession vis-a-vis our work in our society. Sometimes, our masters research may lead to a new invention or a theory, which may bring us as well as our country wide acclaim in the international arena.
Having some years of work experience before doing masters always help you in your practical analyses.
Masters is often research-oriented. That may be one of the reasons why some students whose bachelors degree didn't give them much opportunities for research and analysis find it more difficult than others. Normally, a student has to undertake research on a topic in a particular field and write a thesis at the end of the course.
Wherever one does his/her masters, in India, Japan or the USA, if he/she is a diligent student with love for learning, I bet one will gain deeper knowledge and understanding of one's profession, understand research techniques, understand intellectual property, get to know qualified and famous persons in one's field, and understand better the practical applications of one's studies. And as a result make him/her a better educated human being who can serve his/her country better.
For instance, doing masters in Japan has the advantage of having the facility to experiment with the latest technology in the lab, well-equipped state-of-the-art campus, supportive and intelligent professors and fellow-students, conducive environment for studies and an exposure to how one of the most industrially advanced countries manages to keep itself ahead of others technologically. There is much to gain here for a thinking student.
The course is well-structured and research-oriented. You are allowed to write your reports and do your exams in English. Yet, the only disadvantage that you face sometimes is the language problem when some technical terms in Japanese are too hard to understand. But if you are ready to work hard, this too may not be an unmountable barrier.
There are many open scholarships that you can apply for at anytime. They are world bank scholarship, ADB scholarship, Japanese Govt. Monbusho scholarship - university recommended one not the one through RCSC, Japanese Govt. JICA scholarship for masters, Nuffic (Netherlands) scholarship etc. Also you can ask RCSC or the Department of Human Resources under the Ministry of Labour to get info on other open scholarships such as for Korea, Thailand, US, Singapore, Malaysia etc. Besides, there are scholarships offered directly by universities. You should visit specific university websites to apply for them. I call these scholarships 'open' because anybody who meets the criteria can apply for them unlike those scholarships given from Govt. budget in some departments.
You can get information online on how to apply for these scholarships. A simple Internet search can get you started. I have given some links at the end of this article. If you have the time and effort to search and then apply with all required documents, you may be on your way to your masters in your dream country soon.
On which country to choose, it may be better to go to an English speaking country like the US, Australia, Canada or England as there would not be any language barrier for you. But again, if you come to Japan, you have the added advantage of being able to speak, read and write in a new language, Japanese, besides getting your masters degree. Really, it is true that the culture of a people is wrapped in its language. How much of an amazing culture it unravels before you when you understand a foreign language is incredible! So it is up to you to choose. If you have the choice, that is.
Depending on the scholarship and the country, you may also be able to save some money too. Anyway, unless you have other sources such as income from part-time work, saving money from stipend may in most instances, may not go more than enable you to buy an 'Alto VX' loan-free when you get back home. After all, the stipend is calculated by the sponsoring agencies to be just enough to lead a life of normal standard in that country.
Now, how much a 'masters degree' is valued may depend on the country. For instance, in Australia, masters degree did not have much of an edge over bachelors degree for gainful employment, when I was down there some years ago. But here in Japan, most students have to continue into masters right after getting their bachelors degree to get a good job.
And in Bhutan, it definitely counts; with the RCSC's PCS and the half-literate folks who say, "wai, kho di masters ya chap tsha yi lo me na. Zai..therebari mi di khep imay ma re."
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------Links to scholarship websites:
1. Nuffic: http://www.nuffic.net/common.asp?id=733
2. Monbusho: http://www.studyjapan.go.jp/en/index.html
3. ADB: http://www.adb.org/JSP/default.asp
4. Worldbank: http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE
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