Should You Go to Graduate School to Boost Your Career?

When you’re out in a social situation, how often are you asked, “What do you do?” It’s so common that every time I meet someone, I expect the question to come second only to asking my name. What we do in many ways defines who we are – whether we like it or not – and is an easy way for people to get an understanding of us right away.

So what if you dream of doing something else and can’t wait for the day you look forward to answering the question, “What do you do?” What are you going to do to get there? The most common answer is graduate school. It’s like hitting the restart button – a chance to select a new career, learn everything you need to know to make it in that career, and then get the new job. Easy, right? Well, when you add on the amount of student loan debt you’ll likely take on (and which could be on top of undergraduate debt) then this decision becomes a lot less clear. So, let’s take a look at everything which goes into this decision to help you decide if you should go to graduate school to boost your career.

What Do You Hope to Accomplish?
The first question you should ask yourself is what you hope to accomplish. Most people who choose graduate school to boost their career fall into one of two categories:

• Those who want to break into a career field they have no experience in.
• Those who want to earn more money and advancement in their current field.

Do you fit into either of these two categories? Here is a starting point of research for each one:

• If you’re someone with a desire to break into a field that’s new to you, then you’ll want answer a few questions:

1.) What are the best schools for your program? 2.) Is there a school near you or do you have to move? 3.) What do you need to do to get accepted? 4.) Is there a night program available which would allow you to work full time? 5.) What are the placement rates for the school of your choosing into this field? 6.) What are the percentages of job openings for this field locally and nationally? 7.) What would the starting pay be for an entry level position? (Don’t assume that the higher degree will enable you to skip steps because this isn’t always the case.)

• If you’re looking to earn more money and advancement in your current field:

Does your employer have a program that offers a raise for those in your position when they graduate? If so, read the fine print – mainly you’ll want to know every detail of their requirements for eligibility. This includes what exact degree they accept and from which schools and – if they offer tuition reimbursement – how many credit hours you need to take each semester and if there’s a time limit on completion.

What if your employer doesn’t offer a raise for this but you feel that the degree would allow you to advance in your field? First, find out what exact advancement you want – there may be different programs or concentrations within your field of study that could lead to very different jobs. Before you take the plunge into graduate school, be very sure that you’re going into the exact program you need for the job you want. If you’re not sure what job you want, that’s okay! Do some research, download an essay writing guide and explore all of your options to see what could best work for you!

Do You Know What You’re Getting Into?
The job of your dreams may not be all it’s cracked up to be – and you certainly don’t want to find that out after several years and thousands of dollars in tuition payments. Start with a comprehensive list of all the jobs you want to or could obtain with this new degree. Don’t just look at things like pay, titles, and companies. Look at what goes into this job day to day. What will you really be spending your time working on? What skill set do you need to succeed? Although the job itself may sound great, the actual day-to-day duties could be a big turnoff. For example, perhaps you’d love to become a news reporter, but crave stability and feel uncomfortable always looking for the next story – but you love to write. In that case, copy writer or editor may actually be a better fit for you.

What’s the best way to find out the answers to this? Informational interviews! Find some local professionals who are working the job or jobs you’re interested in and request an interview. Believe it or not, many professionals are open to doing this as it gives them a chance to help out aspiring professionals and talk more about what they do. Ask them the pros and cons of their job, what they had to do to get there, and what their hours and daily duties look like. Not only will this help you learn more about your desire field and job, you may even strike up a new friendship or mentor relationship!

Is There Another Way to Advance Your Career?
If there’s any chance at all that you can advance your career or break into the new field without going to graduate school – then you should probably take it. I know that’s frustrating. I have my own dreams of achieving a Masters or even PhD just as a personal goal, but I was able to switch careers to my dream job without doing that – and saved myself thousands of dollars and several years in the process. While I love school and would love the opportunity to go back, I won’t do it just for the sake of a passion for school. It’s simply too costly for that and could set me back years in my career.

So what about you? What other options do you have? Let’s go back to our two categories:

• Desire to break into a new field:

One great way to get into a new field is an internship. Internships can be as competitive to get as a full-time position, but they allow you to learn how to do a new job at little risk to the company and give you the basics rather than forcing you to jump into something you don’t know well. Feel like you’re too old for an internship? Don’t! More and more established professionals are breaking into this, a phenomenon called “returnships” that Farnoosh Torabi shares on her website. The fact is, an internship is a momentary sacrifice in money that could lead to the job of your dreams. It worked for me!

If internships just aren’t for you, then take a look at entry-level positions at your company of choice or in your field of choice which can help you get your foot in the door. Or, you could try to get a job in your desired field using transferable skills – skills that you have now which can actually help you do well in your desired field, even though they aren’t an exact match on job duties.

• If you’re looking to earn more money and advancement in your current field:

This one might be a little harder if you are in a field that gives an automatic raise to someone with a higher degree. If that’s the case for you, then you may have no other choice. But, if you’re looking for advancement, talk to your superiors about the things you can do to get to your desired title. If you work at a company that highly values promoting from within, there may be some sort of path you can follow in-house to get there. Or there may even be projects that you could take on to teach you the skills you need – both in the office or in your free time. The fact is, there are many ways to reach the top so talk to those who’re there – both in your company and other companies – to find the path that works the best for you!

I’ve given a ton of information here, but the main thing to take away is that there is no one size fits all way to reach your career goals. So if you try to take the quick fix or most obvious choice, then you could end up hurting yourself in the long run. Be creative, do your research, talk to your superiors, and talk to those you admire in your field. Gather and evaluate this information and you’ll be sure to make a choice that will get you to the career of your dreams!

Image Credit: shinealight