As the director of a graduate degree program in leadership, I am often surprised by the number of people I meet who can’t imagine why someone would get a master’s degree at this time. They cite the uncertain economic environment or mention how even their bosses don’t have a master’s degree. I assume a neutral facial expression to not look shocked at their statements, but inside I’m thinking: why not get a master’s degree?! Here are six remarkable reasons to earn your graduate degree.
1. Expand your specialized skill set. Earning your bachelor’s degree proves that you are up to the challenges of a college-level academic program, but you have likely not acquired the expertise in your undergraduate education that you’ll need to excel in your career. A minimum of a master’s degree is now preferred in many fields that in years past only required a bachelor’s.
2. Strengthen your perception as a leader. By increasing your knowledge, you send a strong message that you can manage, inspire, and influence. And by contributing to research in your field, you enrich your professional community and gain leadership leverage along the way.
3. Advantages to point out to potential employers. Your master’s degree makes you more marketable. By pursuing your graduate degree, you demonstrate to potential employers that you are willing to tackle and solve tough problems. You go beyond simplistic answers to create, analyze, and compare career findings at a higher level of competency.
4. Cohort connections that cater to your career. In cohort models similar to the master’s program in Organizational Leadership at Goodwin University, students go to school with the same set of people from their first day of class through to graduation. Models like these help students gain perspectives from those in the same field and develop relationships inside the classroom and out with professionals who can assist with future networking.
5. Higher education means higher salary potential (and lower layoff rates). When you strive for a higher education, you also encounter higher salaries and increased job security. According to the State Higher Education Executive Officers Association, those with their master’s degrees will earn salaries 35% higher than bachelor’s degree holders. Also, as stated by the US Department of Labor, the higher your education, the less likely you are to be laid off. With a master’s degree, you have the potential not only to earn more money, but also to be valued in your profession as a low-risk, high-reward employee.
6. Achieve personal fulfillment with financial backing. Once you graduate with your master’s, your belief in your capabilities and self-esteem will seem to skyrocket. Your persistence, determination, and accumulated knowledge and experience are all symbolized in the diploma you proudly display. For lifelong learners, a master’s degree improves their overall quality of life, as they confidently follow professional career paths and even create more fulfilling personal lives. Master’s graduates lead the way in creating connections and contributing to their professions, embodying the type of streamlined self-assurance that leads to success. Students who finish a master’s degree often find themselves admitting that their very fears were the tipping point to their professional triumphs. This newfound confidence will fuel your life and your family’s life experiences. You can’t underestimate the value of finding your own way.
No one who truly commits to pursuing a higher education remains entirely the same. Over time, opinions, perspectives, and point of views mature, deepen, and grow. Graduate students explore their perceived limits and ultimately discover more about themselves. By becoming more self-aware, they have an increased impact on those around them, as their professional and educational perseverance provides an ever-expanding platform for greater civic and societal engagement. So, the next time I am asked why someone should get a master’s degree, I will have a new response: Why shouldn’t someone get a master’s degree?
Sandi Coyne-Gilbert is an accomplished leader with experience in both the education and nonprofit sectors. Coyne-Gilbert specializes in working with adult learners and is enthusiastic about instilling a passion for lifelong learning in her students. Her work with at-risk and marginalized groups provided her with unique insights into the power of education for people in transition. Beyond the educational field, Coyne-Gilbert also has experience in marketing and nonprofit leadership. Most notably, she was one of the driving forces behind the development of the Ronald McDonald House in Springfield, MA. Coyne-Gilbert brings her experiences to the classroom as program director for the master’s degree in Organizational Leadership at Goodwin University. Are you ready to make a lasting impact? She’d love to hear from you. Call us today: 800.889.3282 or learn more at: www.goodwin.edu/leadership.