I promise I haven't been hiding under a rock. This MBA thing can completely overwhelm your life! But the goal of better understanding business in combination with my many years of HR experience has been achieved: I can better serve business professionals and help them address their career issues, job search needs and recruiting quandaries.
For me, graduate school has had a very particular purpose. I waited to get my MBA until later in my career and made sure every class, project and paper correlated with why I am here. But not everyone with graduate school aspirations has that same vision. And in a recent transcript of a Washington Post online disucssion, a Kaplan prep executive discussed why, how and when to choose graduate school.
The thing is, it isn't about whether you can get into a school, where you should go or is the timing right. First and foremost you want to ask yourself: "Why do I want to further my education?"
Spring and summer are both seasons of restlessness. Professionals start to think about their career goals and where a graduate degree might fit in. If this is you, here are a few questions to ask yourself:
~ Why do I want the degree?
Really, why do you want it? You better have a good, detailed answer before moving further.
~ Do I need the degree?
Is this a whim, or will the degree help advacne your career? Make sure you can specifically articulate how.
~ Do i have a specific interest or do I just like the idea of having a graduate degree?
Even with a law (JD) or business degree (MBA) you still want to have a specific interest of what you want to do with the degree. Without it, you won't even make it through the application process.
~ Do I want to be a subject matter expert or manager?
This will help you determine whether you want a general degree like an MBA or a more specific degree like an MSF (Master of Science in Finance).
~ Do you have the credentials required for admission?
If your heart is set on going to Harvard but your GPA says otherwise, do your resarch first to find out if it's even worth your time. There are always options regardless of your background, it just may not be the school your heart is set on.
~ Can you afford it?
Scholarships and loans are always an option, but you've got to have a financial plan in place and know how you'll pay for tuition, books, and living expenses. It's tough, yes, but completely doable if you know the degree is worth it.
More detail on the answers to these questions and how to do your research can be found in The Right Job, Right Now. But start by asking yourself these questions. Make sure if you're investing the time and money in a graduate degree, you're confident it's the best next step for you. Now is not a time to make a whim-based decision.
Experience.com provides information on entry level jobs and internships.