If you are considering enrolling in the Laurier MBA Co-op program, this article is for you. As a Laurier MBA alumni I thought id share some insight with you in order to help you make the right decision. Reading the MBA program brochure there is quite a bit of hype and while it is understandable that MBA programs maximize their promotional efforts, such organizations must also be prudent in managing expectations so that students know exactly what to expect before they make such an important decision in their lives. From a financial standpoint the Laurier MBA program is by far the cheapest one around but what you may find out is that in this case the old adage rings true – you really do get what you pay for.

I’ve laid out this review into 3 main areas the program is lacking in and if you find these aspects important you may want to reconsider your options.

Lack of International Options

The Laurier brochure states that ‘Increased globalization means business leaders must think and act in an international context’ and while this may be increasingly true, the program does not currently provide much of an international experience. This is quite misleading to say the least and when I approached the MBA office to inquire about semesters abroad I was notified that there are currently no partnerships in place. This came as a surprise as the majority of Canadian MBA programs have been providing international study opportunities for awhile. In fact check out the international exchange opportunities offered by U of T’s Rotman School of Management: http://www.rotman.utoronto.ca/mba/international_study.htm. I actually used Rotman’s list to pre qualify and contact schools I wished to enroll in for an exchange semester I had to plan on my own.

Lack of Job Support

While the school boasts a professional career development centre, job support is weak. After completing an undergraduate coop degree at the University of Guelph where the administration is genuinely concerned with your job situation, Laurier pales in comparison. In fact, after completing my self-organized semester abroad and returning to Toronto to find work I found myself barred from access to desperately needed job postings. After approaching the career centre to inquire, I was told there was nothing they can do for me. Only registered students and graduates could view job postings and since I did not neatly fall into one if these categories I was out of luck. After asking the administration if an exception could be made in my case so that I would have access to postings, the answer was – no. Quite ironic given the fact that I enrolled in the program to gain access to better jobs. This is definitely one area that Laurier is lacking in and a considerable effort on the part of the student is needed to explore new job opportunities. In fact, I was given the advice to seek out and conduct ‘informational interviews’ but needless to say this is not exactly what you’re looking for when enrolling in a professional MBA program. The school simply does not have enough relationships in place to provide students with  easier access to better job opportunities.

Lack of Organization

The administration at Laurier was constantly unorganized and this directly translates into substandard customer service for you as a student. After initially appealing a late fee charge that was levied on my account for the semester abroad, I only received a response a few weeks later. After attempting to appeal this decision, the appeal email was actually bounced around for 3 months  (full circle at one point), while my account accrued interest,  before I finally received a shoddy denial letter which actually had the word ‘draft’ in the title. To add icing to the cake, I was contacted by a collections agency regarding this amount, while I waited 3 months for the 1 paragraph letter. As I mentioned before, I attended the University of Guelph as an undergraduate and organization was not an issue there, so I am led to believe that it is only Laurier who functions in this manner (or should I say doesn’t function.)

If you are thinking of enrolling in the Laurier MBA program and the above considerations relate to you – I would strongly advise you to reconsider. As someone who has completed the program I can tell you from personal experience that there are plenty of better opportunities out there. Most people fall into the trap of relying solely on school ratings and financial cost as their primary concerns in making a decision. Although this may be important, it should not serve as your primary reasoning for ultimately choosing a school.  Remember to consider the less tangible benefits of an MBA education such as international opportunities, career support and the overall university experience.

You know you do it. Everyone does. You log onto Facebook and after checking your newsfeed for info, you wander onto a friend’s profile and see that someone from high school has posted on their wall. You never talked to them, but you click on their name regardless and OMG! They have three kids already! All of a sudden you find yourself immersed in their profile, looking at all of their photos from graduation to now.

Yup, you’re a Facebook creep.

Social media has become such a huge part of our lives and I don’t see it going anywhere soon. But, if you’re going to use it, there are some important things to keep in mind:

Watch who you creep – after breaking up with my ex boyfriend, I blocked and deleted him from Facebook. I don’t want him creeping me, and I don’t want to know what he’s up to either. If you and an ex are not on speaking/friendly terms, then you might want to do the same. And resist the urge to creep them… you might find out something you don’t want to know (seriously, if you know something about him, I don’t want to know!).

Watch who you friend – not everyone on your Facebook list is actually your friend. People get added for various reasons, and sometimes you hardly know them. Once in awhile I like to go through my friends list and delete people who I never was friends with or don’t talk to on a regular basis, or just don’t care what they’re up to. Or if I am sick of their Farmville things showing up in my newsfeed. Remember, it’s called a friends list, not an “everyone I’ve ever met” list.

Watch what you put on Facebook – all of those photos from your nineteenth birthday where you’re falling on the floor and in compromising positions? You might want to delete them. Or at least make them only visible to you. It’s well known that a lot of employers look people up on Facebook before hiring them or even interviewing them. If you’re looking for a professional career, you need to monitor what information about you is out in cyberspace. Whether you like it or not, you’re being judged all of the time. Once you get the job, watch what you post to Facebook or twitter or any other type of social media you use. Even if you hate your job, theres no need to update your status about how your day F$^#ing sucks because you have a horrible job. As the above video shows, it can get you fired from a job for various reasons, and employers have every right to do this if you are badmouthing their organization. You don’t have to fill in your employer information either – people who need to know where you work already know.

Don’t add your mom – inevitably, something will show up on Facebook that your mom will not be proud of. Save yourself the lecture and just don’t add her. The same goes for other family members that you can’t trust to keep their mouths shut. If you don’t want something to get back to your mom, think twice before you post it or before you add someone.

I know it’s hard to do these things sometimes but you have to remember that almost anyone can access this information, even if you have your profile set to private. Before the internet existed, people only had to worry about word-of-mouth gossip. That was bad enough, so why would you want to put all of your own gossip out there for everyone to see?

Think about it.

So today I had a nice little rant about how although I’m only 23 I have to have the next 7 years of my life planned out within the next few months…This may seem odd to you or about right depending on the perspective and circumstances you’re coming from…so I thought I’d write a bit about this overwhelming task as it might serve as some advice to people as well as a way for me to get all of my thoughts out.

As I may have mentioned before my career aspirations have lead me to the area of clinical psychology, for this job I need to obtain a bachelors degree in psychology, a masters and a PhD in clinical psychology. This in itself is a daunting task as you might imagine…but wait…it gets daunting…er?

You see, here’s the thing, as some of you might have already found out (or will be finding out very soon), the world isn’t set up in a well planned out and helpful way as it was in high school or any school setting before that…people don’t tell you everything you need to know to do the things that you want to do or accomplish the thing you wish to accomplish. What I mean by this is, I was unfortunately utterly unaware of the process involved of much of the tasks I have to go through in order to finally obtain the end goal of my PhD in clinical psychology.

So, welcome to my headache:

-I started off doing my undergrad in criminology 5 years ago; around year 3 of this 4 year course I realized I wanted to go into clinical psychology…simple enough right? Well, there are a few catchs here. First, upon making this decision I realized I would first have to do a thesis. This was fine, as I had already decided to do one a few years earlier, which was good since I needed an A- average to be able to do this and had been working towards this already.

-One of my profs thankfully decided to mention in class one day, that in order to do a thesis you first have to find a supervisor who will oversee your thesis project (something I might not have known until too late had this never come up in class). This meant I would have to search the department to find a professor who I wanted to work with and who was willing to work with me as well as had the same research interests/goals as myself. This also meant I had to find this individual by around March, 3 months before my application for the thesis course had to be in and 5 months before I would actually have to start the course.

-As you might realize I was very thankful someone had told me this before March…even if it was already January….So, I developed a general idea of a thesis, searched out profs and thankfully got one in time.

-In the end I graduated a year later having completed a 4 years honours degree in criminology with a specialization in sociology and a minor in psychology; completing this all with an honours thesis and still maintaining my A- average. Sounds pretty nice right? Well, that’s what I thought.

-Around the same time I heard about the thesis though I had heard about the GREs as well. These are some of those general testing things some crack-pot thought up to make it harder for students to make it though their education years (thanks).

-So, I started studying for the GREs (general and psychology specific) which I needed in order to get into clinical psychology after finishing my undergrad (as I had planned to take the year off to work and save up money for grad school). This was all fine until I went to sign up to write the course. Turns out the psychology one was only offered about two or three times a year, one I had missed, the next was in two weeks and I hadn’t studied hardly enough for it, and the third would get me my grades too late for most grad school application deadlines. Frick.

-Around this time I had started researching and writing grad schools to find out which ones I wanted to go to. After sending out countless notes trying to get a straight answer from anyone as to if I needed to go back for a psychology degree or if my crim one was fine I finally got my answer. Yes, I would have to go back. Double frick.

-So, I reenrolled to upgrade my minor in psychology to a major (so long year of work). I also found out I needed a minimum of an A- to get into grad school…which thankfully I have, but now must be sure to maintain…but I would also have to do another thesis as my crim one also wasn’t good enough for the clinical psychology master program. Triple frick.

-This meant I went though the process of finding a professor again. Unfortunately in psychology labs fill up fast and I was cutting it close when I started emailing in February.

-Now, I have found my professor and am on my way to completing my second undergraduate degree. Good.

-However, the hard part now begins. I now must write the thesis, write my GRE (specific and general), maintain my A- average, pay for this all so am working part-time, finish my classes in time to apply to Grad school asap (i.e. Sept 2011), and on top of this find funding for grad school research…which is a whole other headache…

-In order to find funding, I must first decide what schools to apply to, decide which professors I wish to work with, meaning I need to also decide what kind of research I want to specialize in for the next 4-7 years of my life and potentially focus on for my career, obtain agreement from professors in each school I am applying to to work with me if I get in and then apply for funding before actually applying to the school to increase my chances of getting in.

-All of this because with two undergraduate degrees, two thesis, an A- average and funding, writing the GREs (and hopefully getting good grades) I may still only be just over the bare minimum of other applicants wishing to pursue clinical psychology…apparently finding time to volunteer is a beneficial part of the application…

See, I don’t think people realize how HARD and f’ing demanding it is to be a student, there’s not just the idea of studying and going to classes and getting good grades, you have to be 10 steps ahead of everything else without knowing what steps to go though! On top of this, the people I need information and help from are “too busy” often and put my priorities on the back burner and think that’s ok because they don’t have any knowledge as to what students go though, that their lives are actually more demanding than someone who has a secure job! When I have to email professors, employers, schools, etc. multiple times and do follow ups and re-explain things, by the time I get the information I need it’s a month later and I’m cutting it too close to deadlines. People don’t seem to prioritize very well in this world and they sure as heck don’t put students or their requests at the top of their priorities. This is a shame because as a student you need things done NOW and not a month later or when they remember it; and this isn’t because student procrastinat it’s because deadlines happen very early and if you’re not prepared because others aren’t giving you the time of day or respect they would give to others then you look bad and this can effect a heck of a lot more than people realize, it can mean waiting another year to finish your degree, it can mean not getting a position in a school or job, or not having the correct information, it can mean missing deadlines and even having to rethink your whole career. For me, nothing can go wrong now, for the next 7 years if I miss a step a lot gets screwed up, something as simple as getting a bad grade on the GRE or missing the deadline for applications or not being able to get into that one course I need to finish my psychology degree can mean my life is put on hold for another year.

I guess what I’m saying in the end is, people need to respect students more, get their priorities straightened out and work hard because as far as I’m concerned there’s a lot of slackers in this world and unfortunately we depend on them for too much. And finally…do students another small favour…if you have information that can help them out…tell them!

I’m pretty sure I’m not the only one who has gone though this, and maybe if you’re reading this you haven’t experienced such a wave of irony and dissatisfaction, but chances are you will feel it after reading this post so…umm…sorry?

            I have recently found myself having feelings of dissatisfaction and resentment towards the way the world works…now let me narrow that down a bit since I’m sure there’s many ways the world “doesn’t work”. What I mean is the whole goal of life society has for us. When we’re young we’re put in school until we’re 18 or so, this preps us for the ‘real world’ but what we’re really getting ready for is deciding on our career, in order to accomplish most of these career aspirations we need to go to more school (university, college, etc.) once we’re done that we make our way into the working world, trying our hardest to make all of that education we received work for us and using it to gain experience and entrance into the jobs we think we want. Once we get there we work our whole life to save money so we can retire and enjoy the last few decades before we die. Do you see my problem?

            We work our whole life towards a career that we’re often times doing just so we can make money to retire to enjoy life…so why does our society have things set up so that the only life we’re given is used to work 8 hours/day 5 days/week for the majority of our life so that we can only enjoy the last bit of it when we’re old and tired and possibly not capable of doing anything we want to do anymore?? Why are we spending the best years of our life working so hard towards something that’s just the means to an end??

            Hopefully you will excuse my ramblings here, but these realizations are really quite frustrating. This is the reason why I want to be happy in my career, because I’m going to be doing it for the majority of my life and if you get to the point where it’s not fun you’re going to be miserable for so much of it until you retire! Unfortunately, so many people are not happy with their career. In my opinion, people aren’t happy because so often they’re rushed into a career they may not like because at age 18 they have to make decisions as to what they want to do the rest of their life so they can study and prepare for it (as now it takes at least a masters to get most jobs) or they’re rushed into it because they need the money to pay for the basic necessities of living!

            So, where is this all coming from? Well, as I said before, this is the reason I want to enjoy my career, the problem here is the job I think I want requires me to be in school at least until I’m 30 (why so late you may ask? First, because I need to get a PhD for the job I want and second because I changed degrees 3 times as out of high school I had no idea what the real world was like and so no idea what I wanted to do in it). Once getting out of school it’s another thing, trying to gain experience so that I can actually work in the setting I want to and making my way up the career latter to get to the top so I can make the big bucks and retire ‘happy’…right? Well, it doesn’t end there, my other frustrations lie in the fact that the 7 + years of schooling I still need to do is taken up by things like research and studying of a vast array of topics so that I can find my niche. While I understand why this may be important to some, the fact that it’s standardized this way leaves the people who already know what area they wish to specialize in frustrated as they have to complete a large assortment of classes they don’t need in the end for the career they want which also may bring down their overall marks making it harder for them to get into the school they wish to go to. And of course most of the jobs won’t end up taking into account how much you know about any one particular subject, but instead just look at the initials at the end of your name and the letters on your transcript; because to the world, it’s not important what you think you can do or how passionate and good you are at it just as long as you have the degree.

In a way university has a tendency to kill people’s passion for the work they want to do because it’s too generalized. This is why I often regret not going to a community college as they at least specialize in certain careers and help you get on your way in only a few years. The problem with this is the career I want isn’t really part of the community college curriculum, and even if it was unfortunately people don’t seem to value a two year degree (which indecently focuses more on your degree and gives you hands on experience) over a Masters or PhD (which generalizes and worries far too much about research and book learning).

In the case of clinical psychology (my end goal) I understand the need for a large amount of knowledge on various things however there’s more to it than getting the right letter grades and universities don’t seem to take much other than that into account. All this pressure and frustration is enough sometimes to make me want to give up and forget about the PhD and just do some job that doesn’t require me to be in school for the majority of my life so that I can just start paying off my student debt, but I keep thinking if I end up doing a career that’s less satisfactory to me in the end I’ll just end up depressed and needing to seek counselling.

            Isn’t that ironic?

            Of course, you may have read a blog I wrote a while back talking about how the student life and the ‘real world’ lifestyle are very different and how the student is so efficient that they have to slow down a lot when they start working outside of school. Well, my perspectives on that topic really came from working in the public service. Now, I’m not going to say that all jobs in the government are boring or demand very little attention/hard-work because honestly, some of them are very hard and stressful, and it really depends on where you work and what’s going on in the department at the time you’re there…Also, it helps if you have a higher status and are not just working at entry level positions with a lot of other people trying to work their way up. However, I have spoken to a lot of students and people around my age who have reiterated my concerns about working in the government. It can get boring and not really tap into your strengths or skills.

            This being said, I do not want to discourage anyone from perusing a carrier or job in the government as, like I said, not all jobs will be the same. I DO however, want to warn people as to what they may be getting into and also maybe give some insight as to how to avoid getting stuck in this position and also how to get your foot in the door in the government.

Advice for getting in:

-If your school provides you the opportunity to do a field placement and there is a placement available in the government, I would say take it. Do everything in your power to get into a placement position that has opportunity for advancement. This is how I got into the public service, and honestly the majority of entry level positions I see are filled with placement students.

-With this advice in mind however, there are other way I know of getting into the government, these are: applying though FSWEP (Federal Student Work Experience Program), by either going to jobs-emplois.gc.ca/fswep-pfete/index-eng.htm or Googling FSWEP and filling out the VERY long form (don’t worry there is an end to it and after filling it out once, it’s just a matter of updating it from year to year). You could also go on the government of Canada website at www.jobs.gc.ca and search for jobs in your area. Keep in mind however, that most job postings will be posted internally, so another way would be to try and find someone working in government already who can update you on any jobs and can take your resume around to those looking to hire.

-Finally, it’s a great idea to start looking for jobs well in advance. Actually, if you’re looking for summer employment, you really should have been looking back in Dec or Jan, however, it’s never too late…so get moving!

Advice once you’re in:

-You will have to do some dirty work once you start working in the government, and by this I mean, boring and tedious tasks…sometimes reading about your department or catching up on the latest developments in the area you work in. Other times, filing documents or photocopying things for your employers.

-Do all of these tasks in an efficient manner, and ask for work when you’re done, do not wait around for your supervisor to give you something to do. Doing this shows initiative and if they have nothing more for you to work on they can possibly hand you over to someone else in your department to help them, this provides you with more exposure to others and to different work.

-Keep close contact with all those you work with and get to know them and spend as much time with them as you can. Research people who work in your department so you know who the “big wigs” are and try to rub shoulders with them any opportunity you can get. There are often small events that are held from time to time and if you receive emails for these events, ask your supervisor about them and see if you can get the chance to go and mingle, or go with your supervisor and ask them to introduce you to some people.

-Those you get close with will often be more than happy to forward you any job opportunities they hear about or provide you with references and contacts for future employment. Also, if you’re on the inside, like I said you’ll likely be given more chances to apply internally to jobs.

-All of these strategies will hopefully lead you to a higher position or one that taps into your strengths more than the entry-level ones, and at the very least, all of this exposure should provide you with a wealth of knowledge on various tasks which can promote your capabilities to those you work with, which may lead them to providing you with more difficult, demanding, rewarding and meaningful tasks.  

 Good Luck!

When it was first mentioned in class, I began thinking of the shows I watched and the movies I have enjoyed. And although cliché, I decided to analyze one of my favourite movies (please do not judge me), “Legally Blonde.”

In the movie, beautiful Elle Woods is portrayed as the typical female – she has a bubbly personality, is obsessed with shopping, make-up and shoes, and is known to be ditzy… To be clear, this is NOT my definition of a woman, but in fact, what I have learned society dictates the stereotypical woman is.

My professor discussed how today’s society continues to privilege males over females. Now, I don’t know why, but for some reason this surprised me. Perhaps it’s my many women’s studies classes or even the fact that my university is majority women, but I firmly believed that the division was becoming less and less apparent. But, supposedly, we are we are still living in a patriarchal world.

The movie tries to overcome this obstacle through having Elle attempt to break the barriers between the sexes. For instance, she starts attending a college dominated by males, Harvard Law School. Unfortunately, however, their distinction seems to do the opposite, as it appears to strengthen presupposing stereotypes and reinforce the divide between the sexes.

I further investigated other stereotypes present in the movie….and yes that required me watching parts of the movie again…..and yes I should have been studying for exams and not procrastinating….but to my defence, I was still learning! One of the most interesting lines comes from the saleswoman, who states:  “there’s nothing [she] loves better than a dumb blonde with Daddy’s plastic.” This reinforces not only that women are unintelligent but also that they are reliant on males as they hope to receive money from their fathers.

The more I watched, (and the more I procrastinated), the more I saw the presence of stereotypes. And in fact, stereotypes were present for both men and women, creating a further divide between the sexes with each one.

One of the most noteworthy examples involves shoes. For instance, when Elle is talking with Enrique, the cabana boy, he states: “don’t stomp your little last season Prada shoes at me, honey.” His knowledge of shoes, forces her to gasp and proclaim: “He’s gay!” Through this, we see that when males hold similar interests as women, their association with their sex is diminished, much like how Enrique is viewed as being unmasculine. Conversely, through observing Warner, the macho and intelligent male, we can see that the opposite can be stated. When Elle asks him what kind of shoes she’s wearing, he responds: “ummm… black ones,” reinforcing society’s expectations and thus his masculinity as well.

Through observing these facts I now wonder what other television shows and movies focus on stereotypes and highlight the distinctions between the sexes. Are there any other movies that anyone has watched that have presented similar stereotypes?

Many sitcoms are focused upon the average looking, hard-working, money-making male, with the gorgeous woman who stays home and spends all of his money. What I find unusual is that it is these shows that we have become accustomed to enjoy. I now wonder if there is any way to overcome these labels once society has etched them in our minds. For instance, do you think that if a show presents the opposite, which would be in this case, a hard-working woman, with the stay-at-home father, would the show be just as popular?

For that reason watch this video blog to find out how to make a very delicious stress reliever!

Enjoy!

The MBA applications(especially essays) are your chance to demonstrate your unique qualifications and commitment to a career in business by discussing those experiences, people, and events that influenced your decision to enter the field.

Following Do’s and Don’ts for Your MBA Application will help you write compelling, focused essays that will transform you from a collection of numbers and classes into an interesting human being.

 Do’s and Don’ts for Your MBA Application

The Do’s

• Write clearly.
• Think what you want to discuss and the order in which you want to discuss it.
• Use examples from your own experience to distinguish yourself from other applicants in your essays.
• Write about what interests you, excites you.
• Start your essay with a quote, question, or engaging description of a scene.
• End your essay with a conclusion that refers back to the lead and restates your thesis.
• Revise your essay at least three times.
• In addition to your editing, ask someone else to critique your application for you.
• Proofread your essays by reading them out loud.

THE DON’TS

• Don’t make things up.
• Don’t include information that doesn’t support your essay.
• Don’t write an autobiography, itinerary, or résumé in prose.
• Don’t be afraid to start over if the essay just isn’t working or doesn’t answer the essay question.
• Don’t try to use difficult words to impress the reader.
• Don’t rely exclusively on your computer to check your spelling.
• Don’t provide a collection of generic statements.

LinkedIn? Have you heard? LinkedIn, as I think is best described is a professional facebook. How it works, is you create yourself a profile, just like you would for facebook, except rather than posting photos of wild nights out on the town, you post interesting job opportunities you have been fortunate enough to have, ask for recommendations from your mentors and colleagues and you are even able to apply to jobs on the web page.

LinkedIn, as I’m learning is a great place to meet people in your professional world, and learn about others in the profession you are interested in. For me, I have been able to connect with people that are already working in the careers that I look forward too and have been able to connect with group members, much like I would on facebook, but for sites like Ted.com and my own university’s alumni page.

If you are a recent grad, I would 100% www.linkedin.com for preparing and prepping for the work world, and becoming better connected to your colleagues and mentors.

I still remember the moment I heard my name being called, I walked across the stage, firmly shook the president’s hand, heard my friends and family clap for me, and then, before I knew it, reached my chair, and thought: “Well that’s done… now what?!”

I truthfully thought that the moment I received my diploma would indicate the end to all of those stressful days and nights….but I was wrong.

Sure, I no longer had to worry about completing that 15-page paper, or ensuring that I remembered everything printed in a 500-page textbook, but now I had to agonize about how I would pay off my student loan, how I would stay in touch with my new friends and more importantly, how I would find a good job.

So, faced with these obstacles, I did the only thing that entered my mind – I went back to what I saw as, ‘safe’ and found myself enrolled in another degree.

Do I think that is the road that many should choose? Absolutely not! For that reason, I’ve outlined a few things to consider when debating what path you should head on next.

The Debate between School and Work

• I know you don’t want to hear this, but no matter what I say, your parents say, or what you’re imaginary friends say, this is a decision that you will need to make. Of course, deciding between further education or going into the workforce will depend on a variety of factors. One of the biggest ones will be what type of degree you have and how lucky you will be able to find (and enjoy) an occupation in that field.

Why I believe One Should Choose Work:

• Let’s face it; our present economy is not helping us out with job opportunities. For that reason, if you are handed a job that is full of potential upon graduation, I would definitely accept it. Another obvious thing to analyze is whether it is something you want to do. The job you get does not have to be directly related to the field you have spent the last few years studying, but if it is, it will definitely give you an advantage. I’d also accept a job that appears to have lots of room for promotions or raises. Everyone dreams about having that ideal job and making their way to the top (or close to the top), so if that interests you and that appears to be offered, sign on the dotted line and get ready to enter the work force!
• If you can’t find your ideal job, but feel that more schooling is not the path for you, don’t get disheartened. True, it may take awhile for the economy to get back on its’ feet, but it will, and so will you. Also, I know it will be overwhelming at first, but soon you will be surprised at the many opportunities that will come your way. However, what will be most unexpected is that you’ll notice that many of your skills will be transferable. More specifically, if you have gained any research, analytical or writing skills you will soon recognize that they will help you out in almost any job that you apply for!

Why I believe one should choose school:

• You spent the first twenty years of your life in school so why not a few more, right? With today’s economy, it has been indicated that the best place to be is… you guessed it…. in school. So, if you are not being offered your dream job but feel like you deserve it, don’t get discouraged. Instead, give yourself more confidence and more qualifications by enrolling in another degree. Plus, if you go from one degree to another, you will still be in the scholastic mode and you’ll know what to expect! (Because seriously, no wants to endure those freshmen 15 pounds again or have to relive the pain of not knowing what to anticipate with those final exams!)
• The main advantage about doing a second degree is being able to gain additional experience in something you want to do. I enrolled in my first degree because I felt it was the right step to take – I hadn’t even researched it to find out if it would be something that I would want to do later on in life. On the other hand, for my second degree, I gave it much more thought and chose it because I believed it was related to what I wanted to do for my career and I felt it offered me more job opportunities. These two elements are essential to think about when debating whether or not to indulge in more schooling. Therefore, if you can say yes to either, or both, of these questions, be prepared to spend many more nights cramming for an exam, too many hours working on that term paper, and alas, walking across the stage another time to receive another piece of paper.

I hope my advice helps you answer the question: “I got the degree… now what?”  But more importantly, I hope you also understand that no matter which road you choose, whether it is an additional degree or joining the workforce, I hope you realize that your educational and professional skills will soon have opportunity knockin’…. and you at the other side of the door!