As part of the Management Career Week, an online debate among alumni of the Graduate School of Management, St. Petersburg University (GSOM SPbU) was held on the advisability of pursuing a master's degree. 

Andrey Zhukov, a second-year student of the Corporate Finance Master's program (MCF) at GSOM SPbU, represented the Master programs students at the online debate on the advisability of pursuing a master's degree. Andrey combines his studies with part-time work at the Far Eastern Institute of Regional Development Planning. In his opinion, alumni with a master's degree have a better chance of getting a job in a prestigious company and earning a higher salary. Andrey backed up his argument with statistics: compared to a bachelor's degree, a master's degree increases the probability of employment by 12% for women and 3% for men. With a master's degree, alumni can claim a higher salary, especially women, with an increase of 10%. Men have a more modest increase of 2.5%. A master's degree in economics and management is a plus 20% to salary for women and 12% for men.

Nikita Drevale, an alumnus of the GSOM SPbU Bachelor program and an employee of a large FMCG company, disagreed with Andrey and defended the opposite point of view. In his view, a bachelor's degree is sufficient for a successful career. According to Nikita, the most important thing is to approach the issue consciously, set priorities correctly, and follow your interests. Graduates who started their careers immediately after graduating with a bachelor's degree are confident that modern employers do not look at the specialist's degree - master's or bachelor's. They believe that it makes no sense to spend another two years on education if you already know in which field and which company you want to work for, especially if there is a job offer.

The discussion was moderated by Ekaterina Nazarenko, an Assistant of Head of the GSOM SPbU Marketing Department. The debaters remained firm in their opinions but agreed that GSOM SPbU provides an excellent start for a successful career, regardless of the chosen program and degree.