|
Beware of the Education Trap Lucrative Careers Inc. It seems everyone sings the praises of education these days. We do too, up to a point. However, many clients we counsel get confused about the connection between education and career. Often, they see education as a sure-fire way to jump start a stalled career. Beware! Going "back" to school can actually be a step backward in your career. How? People forget that school is a means to an end, not the end itself. Enrolling in school without clear goals can be an expensive waste of time and money. You may get that warm, safe feeling many "professional students" enjoy. You may even feel justified and prudent: "I need to really know my stuff before I go out there." You may also be fooling yourself. Certainly, extended education is required in some fields, such as law, medicine, or the ministry. Yet, often you do better to resist the temptation to get more education before beginning or resuming your career. Just get to it. More education is not an automatic ticket to success. Many schools would love to take your money. But before you enroll in an educational program, learn from the experience of the following people. DEBBIE'S EXPENSIVE MBA Debbie's career was going nowhere fast, so she enrolled in an MBA program. After many months of study and thousands of dollars in tuition, she earned her degree. Now what? She doesn't know. Her career is still stuck because she had no goals, didn't know what she wanted to learn, or what she wanted to offer employers. She just took courses and graduated. Sadly, she finds her degree a hindrance because many employers view her as "overqualified." She's not alone. We often see people whose MBA's, JD's, CPA's and other advanced degrees didn't get them their desired position. A variation on her story are those who get their dream job, but are soon deeply disillusioned and miserable because reality isn't what they'd expected. Instead of the glamorous litigation many law students envisioned, they instead find themselves spending endless hours pouring over minute details of dreadfully dull corporate contracts. FRANK SKIPS SCHOOL In some professions, on-the-job training is superior to schooling. Frank decided he wanted to become a chef, and was all set to pay cooking school tuition. We coached him to interview several successful working chefs first. They all said he didn't need school! Instead, they advised him to get a job and learn from a skilled chef. He's now getting "paid to learn," rather than paying someone to "teach" him. DAVID CHOOSES A PATH Sometimes, further education is required. If so, be sure the goal, the school, and the courses are right for you. David decided to pursue a second career in health care. Before enrolling, he interviewed a number of practitioners in nursing, physical therapy, and alternative medicine. David asked about the good, the bad, and the ugly of each option. He was particularly intrigued by a Nurse Practitioner (an advanced nursing degree allowing nurses to take a role much closer to the role of the primary physician) who works in a medically under served area. The work felt important, and he was impressed with the autonomy she enjoyed. The breadth and flexibility of the nursing profession solidified his decision to follow her path. With the help of his contacts, he developed a five-year plan, which included the experience he needed after graduation (the plan was revisable as he gained more information). His referral interview also helped him find the right school, courses, and best instructors. In some programs, you may be able to land perks like teaching assistantships to defray tuition. THE MORAL It sounds backwards, but do your homework before going to school. Decide what you want to do with your life first; then talk to people successfully doing it in the real world. The answers they give you are the best and often the only "higher education" you'll ever need. JACK CHAPMAN is the author of the "bible" of salary negotiations: "Negotiating Your Salary: How to Make $1000 a Minute." |
||
|
|
|