9 Reasons Why 2021 Is the Perfect Year to get your Master’s Degree - Geneva College
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9 Reasons Why 2021 Is the Perfect Year to get your Master’s Degree

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Graduate Studies

After years of hard work as an undergraduate, you've emerged with your bachelor's degree, plus the knowledge and skills you need to get started with your career.

This choice has never been easy, but it takes on a new level of urgency for 2021. In a competitive job market, you need every advantage possible to stand out in a sea of resumes. First, however, you'll need to consider a few key questions:

  • What are the advantages of getting a master's degree?
  • Is a master's harder than a bachelor's? If so, are you prepared to take on the additional challenge?
  • How will a master's influence your ability to find work both now and in the future?
  • Will the extra earnings you enjoy after graduating with your master's make up for any income lost while attending grad school?

The answers are rarely simple and may depend, to some extent, on your field and preferred grad school program. Still, seeking your master's immediately after earning your bachelor's degree can carry some major advantages, as highlighted below:

 

  1. The Leapfrog Effect

If you launch your career immediately after you obtain your bachelor's degree, you'll likely begin with an entry-level job. Some professionals find it difficult to break out of these positions. Conversely, grad school often delivers a phenomenon known as the leapfrog effect, in which graduates with a master's degree leap past the standard entry-level position and instead begin with a more desirable, higher-paying job.

 

  1. Gaining the Right Kind of Experience

While an entry-level position will provide some industry experience, it might not look quite like what you imagined during your bachelor's program. As a grad school student, however, you'll find many hands-on opportunities for applying the targeted knowledge gained through graduate coursework. This experience looks impressive on a resume and could help you score the exact type of post-graduation job you desire.

 

  1. The Potential for an Easier Transition

Graduate school is nearly always more challenging than undergraduate programs, as it requires a deeper understanding of niche topics, as well as extensive research and a lot of writing. Not everybody can rise to the challenge.

  

  1. Valuable Networking Opportunities

You began to build a professional network as an undergraduate, but if you're anything like many recent grads, your list of contacts remains frustratingly short. As a graduate student, you'll meet and build close relationships with a variety of esteemed professionals. Likewise, you'll meet students who share your passion and a similar vision for their future careers. These contacts could help you land valuable opportunities both during and after grad school.

 

  1. Your Chance to Contribute to Cutting-Edge Research

Many graduate programs involve in-depth research conducted with help from enrolled students. If research projects captured your interest as an undergraduate, you've only scratched the surface. This could be your opportunity to contribute to a growing body of knowledge. Why wait when you're already well aware of your passion and your ability to make a difference? The sooner you enroll, the sooner you can play your part in the cutting-edge research that can change lives.

 

  1. Explore a New Environment

The brief period after graduating with a bachelor's serves as one of the best opportunities for broadening your horizons and exploring new possibilities. While some students have already established ties in their communities at this point, many others have yet to set down roots. Why not use this time to discover a rich new environment in a completely different region?

 

  1. Build a New Social Group

Beyond professional networking, grad school helps you build a new circle of friends, many of whom will continue to play an important role in your life for years or even decades to come. It's tough to see the friends you made as an undergraduate go their separate ways, but you won't be as disappointed if you dive into new relationships. The friends you meet in grad school will help you weather the challenges of upper-level academia

 

  1. Help with the Transition

In addition to drawing on your new social group for assistance in the early days of graduate school, you may also be able to seek help or inspiration from those who mentored you as an undergraduate. While these individuals will remain eager to see you succeed far into the future, you might find it easier to connect shortly after you've obtained your bachelor's degree.

Likewise, you'll benefit from the advice of those who were just a year or two ahead of you during your time as an undergraduate. If they're already enrolled in a graduate program, they will have a fresh understanding of what it takes to succeed in this unique environment—and how you can best prepare before and immediately after you launch your grad school adventure.

  

  1. Improve Your Confidence

Did receiving your bachelor's degree give you a newfound sense of confidence? Now, imagine how you'll feel if you earn an elite degree that only a small percentage of the population manages to obtain.

 

The confidence you gain as a graduate student could propel you to new heights in both your career and your personal life. Few academic or professional pursuits are more challenging. But as you put in the hard work, you'll achieve a sense of pride that goes far beyond anything you've experienced thus far.

 

While no one trajectory is ideal for every student, it's worth your while to consider the possibility of enrolling in graduate school. Don't miss this opportunity to develop much-needed experience, a strong professional network, and a newfound sense of confidence.

 

For more information on how Geneva College's graduate programs can help you pursue your career goals, contact us at 855-979-5563 or web@geneva.edu.

Opinions expressed in the Geneva Blog are those of its contributors and do not necessarily represent the opinions or official position of the College. The Geneva Blog is a place for faculty and contributing writers to express points of view, academic insights, and contribute to national conversations to spark thought, conversation, and the pursuit of truth, in line with our philosophy as a Christian, liberal arts institution.

Jan 22, 2021

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