Why You Should Consider Graduate School

By Alexia Gonzalez on September 27, 2016

So here you are: you have finally graduated college! A moment in time that you have anticipated since you owned a trapper keeper in grade school. As students, we all fantasize about the day that we can finally strut across that commencement dais and switch the tassel to the left side of our oversized graduation cap.

This moment symbolizes years and years of homework, sweat, and tears in order to cultivate a future of substance, and it is a milestone in our adult life. It means that we are finally prepared to enter the “real world” and find our place in the very competitive job market. Or at least that’s what it’s supposed to mean, right?

Although there are those students who can bid adieu to their alma mater with their diploma in hand and a prolific career on the horizon, this is not actually the case for the majority of college graduates. Many students leave their university feeling hesitant or unsure of exactly which post-graduate path they seek to traverse. Some students don’t feel fully prepared to take on the professional world, and that is completely acceptable. If anything, it is normal to feel these mixed emotions.

While many graduates who feel this sense of hesitation choose to suppress it and continue to seek a job that may ultimately prove to be unfulfilling, there are those who make the decision to extend their academic experience.

Yes I know, the phrase “grad school” is daunting enough to send shivers down your spine, but in this day and age it is certainly an intelligent option to explore. I understand that the thought of having to stay in school for an additional 2-4 years seems terrifying for even the most diligent student but hear me out.

Not only will a master’s degree allow you more time to develop your interests and to further prepare yourself, a secondary degree will increase your chances of securing more opportunities for a prolific career. According to New York University, the numbers of occupations that typically require a master’s degree have increased over 25 percent since 2006.

In many career sectors, a master’s degree is replacing a bachelor’s as the minimum requirement for employment. With a bachelor’s degree in the 1980s, one could secure an entry-level position as an admissions counselor, academic adviser, or student services coordinator. By the 2000s, applicants for these same entry-level positions were not even considered unless they held a master’s degree. While holding a graduate degree is not a guarantee of ultimate success, it certainly opens many more doors for employment.

As someone who never even considered applying to graduate school until the end of my junior year in college, I’d like to think that I have some credibility on the matter. I graduated with a bachelor’s degree in English and creative writing with a minor in communications and a near 4.0 GPA. Some may think as though that seems like enough to delve into the professional world but I certainly did not. I felt unprepared for the “real world” and I felt a lack of passion for any potential career that my degree could prove applicable for. Most of all, I felt as though I was limiting myself by not exploring my other interests and potential talents.

My last year of college drove me to mature in a way that I had never expected and I felt as though I was capable of taking on more than I had set myself up for. After much consideration of my options (i.e. taking a gap year, applying for a job, etc.) I decided to apply to graduate school in order to properly train and obtain specialization for a career in marketing and advertising: a field that I had always simultaneously admired and feared.

A little over a year after nervously stepping into my first graduate classroom, I am beginning my final semester as a master’s student. Without a doubt I can say that applying to graduate school has been the best decision of my life. By focusing on a few niche skills, I have made myself a more marketable and desirable job candidate. Whereas before, being a liberal arts major ‘jack of all trades’ may have been enough, by going to graduate school and focusing on specialized subjects, I have made myself more marketable to employers by proving that I have more in-depth knowledge than others.

I can’t fail to mention that the majority of my degree was funded through my position as a public speaking instructor, an opportunity that has tremendously benefitted my communication and managerial skills along with my finances. Not only do I feel more than prepared and educated for a prolific career, I have been pushed out of my comfort zones in ways that have changed me irrevocably.

Every student has a different perspective on academia and what works for me might not be right for you. Graduate school was a life changing investment for me because I learned new skills, and honed in on a specialized career that I wish to pursue while also making incredible friendships.

What I am trying to convey is that you shouldn’t be afraid to consider graduate school as an option at some point in your life. It is an opportunity that will help you reach new heights both professionally and personally and what is life but a journey to reach your optimal potential?

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