With the turn of the economy a few years back, many college graduates went back for more education. This has caused current graduates to consider going directly from a bachelor’s degree program into a graduate school program. Many benefits come from an advanced degree. Here are some of the things you get when deciding to complete and advanced degree program in a specialized area of study.
Benefits of an Advanced College Degree
1. Job Opportunities
When potential employees send out resumes for specific jobs, their resume lands in one of two piles: the small stack or the large stack. Typically, the large stack consists of those without enjoy education and/or experience. These resumes are the ones companies “keep on file” in case something comes up. The small stack is the group of candidates the company will actually interview and is interested in hiring. An advanced college degree will open more doors and help put your resume in the small stack.
2. Salary
With a Master’s degree and a specialty, you will not only demand a larger salary to start, but you will also demand larger raises and a larger salary as you move up the ladder. Companies often look for specialist to handle just one or two jobs instead of someone to handle multiple jobs and they will pay more for someone with the right education.
3. Professorship and Credibility
Earning your Master’s degree also opens up the opportunity to work as a professor. You become an expert in the filed you’ve chose and you can actually teach others in that area. Usually professors start with 100 level classes (depending on their specialty), but as they gain even more experience, they can work up to teaching graduate level courses. This type of degree also lends certain credibility when it comes to the person and their area of specialty.
Do you Need to Attend a Top Ranked Graduate School?
Of course, a top ranked graduate school will help in many ways, but it’s not necessary to gain the credibility you need and open more doors. For example, choosing any of the colleges in the Miami area for your graduate studies will help open more doors than just a bachelor’s degree, but a top ranked school, such as the University of Miami, may give you a leg up on the competition.
Any graduate program will do, and even many online programs are great. With many companies looking for highly educated job candidates, it doesn’t really matter where your advanced degree comes from, as long as the college is accredited. However, going to a top graduate school, may lead to some very influential networking opportunities you may not find while attending a lesser known college.
Regardless of your specialty or which college you choose to attend, an advanced degree opens up many opportunities you cannot get from a bachelor’s degree. The four-year degree has almost become equivalent to a high school diploma back in the 1980s. It’s necessary for most average paying jobs and if you want to make a sound investment in yourself, go on to a graduate program and get an advanced degree.
Vijayraj Reddy
