Hello everyone:

It can be challenging to get your college degree. If it was an easy task, everyone would be doing it. They aren’t. If you are, you are a special person.

But what about higher, higher education? Is a master’s degree or Ph.D. in your future? Let’s talk about that for a moment.

What are the degree requirements for the field you hope to enter? What are the requirements for Plan B? Plan C? Keep in mind that many people never end up working in the field that they studied for their undergraduate degree. We all probably know folks who got an education in business and ended up doing retail at the mall. (This is an honest job, but you hardly need an advanced degree to sell pantyhose.)

I know a history major who never worked a single day as a history teacher or anything else history-related. He’s a volleyball coach. While this is an excellent career path (coaching)  and it lent itself to his personal physical fitness, he didn’t need a history degree to coach volleyball. But, since he teaches at a college, he did need a degree and he loved history, so why not?

I know another fellow who became the dean of a college. He, too, was an undergrad history major. However, he got two advanced degrees in business and those degrees got him the credentials he needed to run a college. (He wrote history books on the side, to follow his love of history. It worked well for him.)

So, what degree (or degrees) would help you be outstanding in your chosen field? What is your Plan B? How much will your degree cost? How much will the degree increase your income? How will you finance your degree? Can you get a grant that you don’t have to pay back, to pay for all or some of your advanced degree?

Keep in mind the intangibles on this topic, as well. How will you feel after you get the degree? That feel-good feeling might be all you need to launch yourself on your advanced degree. If that is the case, go for it and don’t look back. A fellow I know is preparing to earn his third Ph.D. He loves to learn and wants to be Dr. Dr. Dr. So-and-So someday. If he can afford it and his wife doesn’t mind, why not? It makes him feel worthwhile and he enjoys being in college.

What’s your story? I would love to hear it!

Best,

Dr. Sheri