The Career Doctor’s Cures & Remedies:
"I’m considering graduate school, but don’t know where to start. Can you help?"
by Randall S. Hansen, Ph.D.
This article is part of a series from The Career Doctor's Cures & Remedies to Quintessentially
Perplexing Career and Job-Hunting Ailments.
Read more.
Earning an advanced degree is a great way to further hone your skills, advance your current career or as a tool to make a career change, and almost always as a way to increase your marketability and your salary potential. Graduate school, however, is a major commitment of time, money, and emotions. Most graduate programs will require at least one year (if not longer) of intense work.
So, where should you begin your graduate school journey? By answering these five questions.
Why are you considering graduate school? Are you looking to further your career?
Make a career change? Make more money? Be sure you do all the research before leaping
into a graduate program. Make sure that a graduate degree will provide you with the leverage
you need to get what you want. You’ll also want to make sure you have selected the correct
graduate program, with all the right degree offerings, credentials, and accreditation.
When should you consider obtaining a graduate degree? Should you leap into a graduate
program immediately following your undergraduate program? Should you wait a few years and
get work experience first? Should you try to continue working full-time while working on your
graduate degree? Make sure you talk with mentors and industry experts before making such
a major decision.
What’s the best graduate degree for you? There are so many new and hybrid graduate
degrees being introduced that you really need to take the time to research the best graduate
degree to suit for short- and long-term career plans. For some careers, a master’s degree is
sufficient for advancement, while in others a doctoral is required.
What’s the best graduate school/program for you? As the U.S. becomes a more and
more educated society, graduate programs continue to spring up everywhere, including both
traditional and distance-learning programs. Numerous criteria can help you evaluate programs,
such as reputation, costs/financial aid, career assistance, culture, faculty, location, resources,
size, and more.
Can you afford graduate school? Unless you are independently wealthy, you’ll want to
take a long hard look at the total costs of graduate school -- tuition, housing, fees (library,
activity, research, lab, etc.), textbooks, etc. If you are not working while attending graduate
school, you’ll also need to factor in the loss in wages. If you are working, you may be able to
get some or all of graduate school reimbursed by your employer. And many graduate schools
offer fellowships and scholarships.
Who is the Career Doctor? Learn more, read his current career column, or browse the column
archives when you visit the Career Doctor's homepage.
Dr. Randall S. Hansen is a nationally recognized career and job-search expert.
He is Founder and Webmaster of Quintessential Careers, as
well as publisher of its electronic newsletter, QuintZine.
He writes a biweekly career advice column under the name, The Career Doctor. He is also a tenured, professor
of marketing in the School of Business Administration at Stetson University in DeLand, Florida.
He can be reached at randall@quintcareers.com.
Read more about Dr. Hansen.
Dr. Randall S. Hansen is a nationally recognized career and job-search expert.
He is Founder and Webmaster of Quintessential Careers, as
well as publisher of its electronic newsletter, 