This is one of my favorite subjects. It was before we even wound up in this recession, or before I ever moved to a military market with scant opportunities. Today, it’s something I hear more than ever before from graduating college students and professional women in a career transition alike, “Well, the job market is terrible, so I will just go to grad school.” I will preface this discussion by saying that yes, grad school, is a must for certain professions. Especially in the finance industry. But for most other fields, dodging a bad job market by going to grad school is a poor idea that could cost you financially and opportunity-wise.
First, I’m assuming that you aren’t Mrs. Moneybags with a bottomless bank account. In this economic downtown, you need to be securing your financial reserves, not taking on a huge financial burden like grad school loans. Add to that the cost of books and the tremendous cost of not working full time and you’re facing a stressful scenario. If you must get your master’s degree, consider going at it part time, taking classes online or at night. If you’re not that determined to take on two huge responsibilities at once, then you possibly overestimated your ambition in the first place.
Even more crippling than the financial aspect of dodging a bad job market with grad school is the opportunity cost you will incur. I have known incredibly bright and talented women who chose grad school over real life experience and upon graduation, they were virtually unhirable. No one prepared them for this. Clearly advisers at the university are not going to discourage you from giving them your tuition dollars. But their potential employers couldn’t afford to pay them a salary that an advanced degree would demand, with little to no work experience on the resume.
Maybe I’ve convinced you at this point, but I’m sure you’re wondering, well what should I do!? My prospects are slim and I need a salary or at least a valuable professional development experience. Simply, open your eyes and open yourself to new possibilities. As a public relations pro searching for work when I moved to Camp Lejeune, I searched for opportunities in media sales, journalism and anything where I could use and grow my skills. I know a military wife, who was a Journalism grad, who when she faced a limited job market upon moving to a military base, found an incredible opportunity working for the government, where she utilized her writing and interview skills. That job turned out to be far more lucrative than any job in any newsroom I could imagine.
Be flexible, be versatile. Grad school is a safe choice and a time waster. Use this challenging experience to prove to yourself what you’re really made of. I think you’ll reap more benefits than you can imagine.
Photo by: flynnkc
