We get a significant amount of calls from prospective mid-career graduate school applicants. And, more times than not, a short and complimentary phone call is all that is needed to help steer them clear of a lot of time and expense.
“Wait. What? Isn’t your job to sell application packages to as many callers as possible?,” you ask.
At the risk of sounding “holier than thou,” we try our best to do what is in the applicant’s best interest. If that means dissuading them from applying then that is what we will do. But back to the topic at hand …
We know mid-career job searches can be very stressful and sometimes that stress or the initial angst associated with the lack of initial results can lead to panic. However, unless you are considering a significant career change or the positions in your target field require the graduate degree, you are likely wasting your time and money pursuing a graduate degree if it is for career advancement purposes.
To reiterate, we understand any job search can be stressful, particularly once you have entered the mid-career phase. However, an extended absence from the workforce for an unnecessary degree may leave recruiters wondering how confident you are in your abilities. And if you don’t understand how to transfer your own skills, employers may fear that you may not be very competent at helping them leverage their core competencies in a constantly evolving market.
