'From the master's degree I value the teaching staff, going to study abroad and the network of contacts'
Sergio graduated in Law and International Relations at Esade in 2022, and began the master's degree for access to the Legal Profession with a specialization in Business Law with a scholarship from the Esade Foundation. “I obtained the Talent scholarship in my undergraduate degree and also in my master's degree,” explains this young man from Barcelona. “Here, it is a requirement to enroll in a master's degree in Access to the Legal Profession. Esade offers this degree with a double specialization and with top-level teaching staff, partners from offices such as Cuatrecasas, Garrigues, Uría Menéndez teach us,” he adds.
In addition to teaching, Sergio values the possibility of going to study abroad. “In my case, to the Freie Universität in Berlin. There I did my specialization, and this has allowed me to learn about a new culture, meet people from different countries and network.” He also highlights that one of the things that Esade offers is the opportunity to meet people with talent, ambition and the desire to be good professionals. “From the master's degree I stay with the community and the contacts you make.” Sergio believes that the master's degree can open many valid doors for his future. “Now I am working in the Cuatrecasas office in Barcelona. Having completed the master's degree at Esade has been key for my incorporation,” he emphasizes.
'The knowledge it provides can help me develop projects'
“A few years ago, at the school where I work, together with a colleague, we undertook a project that combined emotional education and psychomotor education sessions. It was from that work that I was able to enter this world. After a few years, upon discovering the master's degree in Psychomotor Skills offered by the UVIC, I decided to train and expand my knowledge,” explains Cristina, who previously graduated in Psychopedagogy and has a master's degree in Neuroeducation.
For this young woman from Berga who lives in Taradell, continuous training is essential, and throughout her career she has carried out different trainings in yoga and mindfulness for children, adolescents and families. At this moment she is halfway through her master's degree. “The seminars given by specialized professionals have been interesting and the work proposals have been very enriching.” She values the master's program that “deals with the different stages of the person's life cycle, which will allow me to make interventions and offer psychomotor programs aimed at children, adolescents, adults and the elderly.” In addition to expanding her academic training, Cristina sees that the knowledge that the course provides her “is a good complement to my professional profile and can help me undertake and develop psychomotor intervention projects.”
'It provided me with a methodological base that I have later applied in my profession'
Ricard Muñoz is 45 years old and is the Spanish women's roller hockey coach and Media Executive at FC Barcelona. In October she will start the master's degree in Human Resources and Talent Management at OBS Business School. “I have always been interested in everything related to people management, group cohesion, and team dynamics, and I decided to enroll for personal motivation, to continue training and learning.
Furthermore, when I saw the syllabus I thought that the content could perfectly complement my professional experience,” he explains in a telephone conversation. Due to his professional and family obligations, it has been key for Ricard to be able to take the master's degree online. “I also did my first master's degree online at OBS Business School and the experience was very enriching. It provided me with a methodological base and gave me some guidelines that I have then been able to apply in my daily life. In addition, it allowed me to meet people from all over the world. Having classmates from different cultures and with different visions is a plus to studies.”
'Everything moves so fast that, without continuous training, you can be left behind'
“I decided to study this master's degree because the year I graduated was the year of the pandemic, and I couldn't do the internship, and it seemed difficult for me to find work related to what I had studied without having experience in the sector,” explains this 28-year-old from Barcelona. years that is currently part of SEAT's Kickstart Program, a program that offers the opportunity to put into practice the knowledge acquired at the university. Iria Louvouezo considers it important to focus on continuous training: “Everything moves so fast that, without continuous training, you run the risk of being left behind.”
Iria is satisfied with the master's degree, which values specialized knowledge in various areas related to human talent management, in addition to updating skills and their specificity and practical application. He points out that it has given him “an update of knowledge of the best practices and trends in the labor market, in addition to professional development and a network of professional contacts, since during the master's degree you have the opportunity to deal with professionals in the field (in my case in HR) and this allows you to expand the contact list and create possible job opportunities.”
'I got my first job thanks to the knowledge acquired in the master'
Igor is a native of Iurreta (Bizkaia). After graduating in Physics and Electronic Engineering, he decided to study a master's degree in Modeling and Mathematical Research, Statistics and Computing to change sectors. “Until then I had worked as a programmer, but it was starting to get very repetitive. At that moment, I decided that I wanted to continue programming, but not do such routine tasks, so I wanted to orient myself more toward a data analyst profile,” he explains. The second master's degree, Bioinformatics and Biostatistics, was started with his wife, "with the idea of bringing our areas closer together and ending up working together."
Igor highlights the orientation of the master's degrees towards job placement. “From my point of view, you should do internships in a company in the sector to take advantage of it and have a perspective of what work you can end up doing in the future. Just as the degrees provide you with very general knowledge, the masters are to introduce you to a specific area where you want to work.” In his case, job placement was immediate. “I got my first job after finishing my master's degree because of the knowledge I acquired there,” he emphasizes.
'These studies will allow me a higher quality job placement'
Mireia López is a 22-year-old from Barcelona who has studied Civil Engineering at the School of Civil Engineering of the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya and is currently studying a master's degree in Civil Engineering, Canals and Ports at the same university. “After finishing my degree, I decided to study this master's degree to complete my training as an engineer, a profession that requires a high degree of knowledge, experience and training,” she explains.
The young woman highlights the opportunity that the master's degree has given her to be able to do internships in companies that complement her training, "before entering 100% and directly into the world of work." In addition to the practices, Mireia values the level of advanced analysis of some subjects and the teaching methodology received. “I have noticed that teachers no longer treat you like a ‘kid’ who has just started studying and is still adapting, but rather like professionals who will soon join the world of work.” Furthermore, she considers that having a master's degree like the one she has completed will allow her to find a job “of a higher level and of higher quality than if she only had the degree.”
'More than as a job opportunity, you should do it because you are interested in the subject'
The curricular program was the trigger for José Lasala, a thirty-year-old young man from Mollerusa (Lleida), to decide to take the master's degree in Mountain Area Management. “I have always been attracted to topics such as rurality, settlement, urban planning, mountains, and a certain sense of social and territorial justice: in Catalonia, mountain areas occupy 46% of the surface, but their demographic weight is less than 5%, a fact that places them in a vulnerable position in demographic, economic and social terms,” he explains.
José, who this year will begin his doctorate at the University of Lleida thanks to a scholarship from the Ministry of Education, values the master's degree positively. “This is a highly interdisciplinary master's degree with a very powerful teaching team,” he emphasizes. Furthermore, the master's degree has given him “a depth and technical expertise in certain fields that is difficult to achieve in degrees, due to their more general nature.” José belongs to the generation that has faced two economic crises. “For this reason, rather than looking at job opportunities, I recommend that people who are considering starting a master's degree do it because they like it and are interested in the subject.”
'The master's degree has helped me know where I wanted to direct my career'
“When I finished my degree, I wanted to continue studying and specialize in a more specific field. In my case, within Political Sciences. The opportunities can be very diverse and I thought that taking a master's degree could give me knowledge to delve deeper into this field,” explains Laia, a 26-year-old girl from Malgrat de Mar (Barcelona). Although her master's degree coincided with the pandemic, and many classes had to be done online, Laia enjoyed doing the subjects. In the professional field, expectations were not met. “Before starting it, I thought that a master's degree would give me more points to find a job or improve my position, but later I did not see that in the private world and within my sector it was given a very important weight or that it implied an improvement in working conditions. ”.
Despite this, she is satisfied with the studies carried out. “I value everything I learned and the technical skills acquired. During the master's degree, and especially doing the final thesis, I was able to learn more about the research and know where I wanted to direct my career." Currently, Ella Laia is pursuing a doctorate at the UAB. “This master's degree has been a necessary piece to be able to start the doctoral program, which has allowed me to get to know the research group with which I work and carry out my thesis.”
'It has helped me get out of the comfort zone and access the doctorate'
Three reasons led Marc, a 25-year-old young man from Reus (Tarragona), to take the master's degree in Nanoscience, Materials and Processes: to complement his chemistry studies in a field that was unknown to him, that of nanotechnology; meet students from all over the world and from different modalities than yours (the master's degree is international, in English, and multidisciplinary), and be able to dedicate yourself to research. “The master's thesis is carried out for six months in a university research group.
In my case, in the Nanosensors group at the URV, which allowed me to get started in the world of sensor research for medical applications, which is the field that interests me the most,” he explains. Marc is satisfied with his master's studies. One of the main attractions is the final work. “As it lasts six months, you can present a very complete work, which can be published in scientific journals,” he highlights. The master's degree has allowed him to leave his comfort zone, acquire new communication skills and access the doctoral program. “It has allowed me to advance my professional career, and I hope it gives me more opportunities to work on what I am most passionate about.”
'The teaching staff gave me practical knowledge and passion'
Valentina is a young Italian who, after finishing her degree in Architecture in Portugal, went to volunteer in Tanzania to build a dispensary. “This experience allowed me to learn about a different approach to my profession: serving disadvantaged and vulnerable communities taking into account environmental sustainability.” As a result of this experience, she decided to train in the fields of social architecture, emergency and sustainability and pursue a specialization master's degree. “One of the most enriching aspects of the master's program was the opportunity to connect with professionals, researchers and experts in the field,” she highlights.
Valentina considers that the master's degree has met and exceeded her expectations. “I value the multidisciplinary approach and comprehensive perspective of the program, which has allowed me a greater understanding of the subject, and the high level of the teaching staff, experienced professionals who share their practical knowledge and passion, which has been truly inspiring and enriching.” The master's degree helped him rethink her career. “It gave me the knowledge and confidence to undertake a project with some of my colleagues on innovative practices and replicable construction techniques in vulnerable contexts.”
