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Chronicles of a Graduate: The Vicious Cycle
By Patty Marra, Series Guest Blogger
This week I met up with a mentor to have lunch and discuss the corporate learning field. As we talked, the subject of master’s level education came up, and she confirmed the same mentality I have heard from everyone over age 27: don’t do the master’s without some work experience to back it up. On a surface level, I agree. As someone who is studying learning, I have theories in mind that back up this idea that practical experience can make an education so much more valuable. Not only does the information mean more to you because of the real, tangible examples in the palm of your hand, it also helps you to make more connections between new material and information you already know, increasing the likelihood that you are going to retain the information. It seems like a win-win situation. Now, I’m not looking to hop jobs anytime soon, but I’m the kind of person who likes to gather all the information so that, when the time comes to make a decision or take action, I’m ready. In this context, that means that I surf the web for jobs related to corporate learning, instructional design, and whatever other terms fall in between. I peruse the job postings, see what the necessary skills are, and think about what I can do to bolster up my resume. Master's Preferred As I looked at postings last night, something struck me. There was almost always a line, “master’s degree preferred” “master’s in education, business, or anything really, a plus.” I’m not opposed to getting a master’s. In fact, I hope to be working toward one in the next five years or so. However, these postings say that they want someone with a master’s. Well, I shouldn’t get my master’s until I have experience. It’s a vicious cycle. The two seem to be interdependent, but you can’t get one without the other. Talk about frustrating. On top of that, I’ve heard people comment that a master’s is the new undergraduate degree. Master programs aren’t cheap. How do you get the money to pay for it if you’re in a position where you don’t make enough money to pay for a master’s but you can’t get promoted until you get a master’s? Does the master’s really prove that you have mastered something… or just that you were able to gather up enough money to pay for it? Or perhaps, in the end, it’s all about being willing to take a chance on yourself—to just look ahead and say, “Well, let’s see where this road goes.” About the Author  Patty Marra is a freshly graduated alumna of Marquette University, who is working on answering the question, “…what next?” She is navigating the ever-evolving hiring maze of today’s business environment, and sharing the pieces of knowledge she learns along the way. She loves social media, but appreciates a good face-to-face conversation. Long-term, she is looking to establish a career in marketing project management, and help everyone she can along the way. You can get in touch with her by email, or you can find more of her thoughts via herblog, Twitter, and LinkedIn.Does this sound familiar? Are you in the same situation? Have you been here before -- what's your advice for Patty? Please comment below. |