Advanced Degree, Entry-Level Job?

2007-10-5

Advanced Degree, Entry-Level Job?

by Peter Vogt
MonsterTRAK Career Coach
http://content.monster.com/articles/3471/19302/1/home.aspx?key=ant

Earning an advanced college degree is a huge accomplishment, especially
if you’re only in your early 20s. But for many employers, it won’t
fully substitute for something that’s even more critical to them:
Experience.

“There will always be employers that believe
education is a complement to, rather than a replacement for, relevant,
related workplace experience,” says Brendan Courtney, senior vice
president and group executive for Spherion Professional Services Group.
“Hiring decisions are typically made based on one’s ability to perform
the job and deliver the expected results — not solely on one’s
academic knowledge preparing for a job.”

So if you’re planning
to go right into a graduate program immediately after finishing your
bachelor’s degree — or if you’ve already done it — be prepared for
potential conflict between prospective employers’ expectations and
yours. The type of job you ultimately land with your graduate degree,
not to mention its accompanying salary, may be more entry-level than
you might think.

Having an Advanced Degree May Mean Special Job-Hunt Tactics

That’s
the reality 27-year-old Kelly King had to accept. In 2001, she earned
her master’s degree in marketing communication after finishing her
bachelor’s degree in communication the year before at Florida State
University.

“I completed my bachelor’s [degree] in three years
and felt that sticking around to graduate with my class, but with an
advanced degree, would be an asset, both to me and potential
employers,” says King. “The most difficult pill to swallow was that
this was not true and, in fact, getting a master’s may have actually
hindered my initial ability to get a job.”

Why? Because
employers assumed she’d demand a higher salary than her
early-20-something peers would, even though she had little practical
experience. Indeed, she quickly learned her resume was routinely being
passed over — and that it would continue to be ignored unless she was
able to get in front of employers and explain her true intentions and
expectations.

“So I met a company executive in a social
setting and was able to convince him of my talent and drive and
willingness to be entry-level before he ever saw my resume and had the
opportunity to set it aside and choose someone ‘cheaper,’” says King,
now a partner in Fulcrum Business Solutions. “In the end, the position
I gained was entry-level, but I was given much more responsibility and
at a far greater pace than my peers.”

Making Peace with Entry-Level Reality

Twenty-four-year-old
Liz, who asked that her real name not be used, a public relations
professional at a Midwestern university, found it equally discouraging
to swallow the idea that her recently completed master’s degree in
management wouldn’t necessarily lead to a higher-paying mid- or
high-level job. Having a twin brother who had just finished his MBA
didn’t help.

“But ultimately, I realized that he and I are in
very different fields, and sometimes certain sacrifices, like long
hours and cutthroat competition, just aren’t worth the higher salary,”
Liz says. “Finding a nurturing environment where I could cultivate my
existing skills was important to me.”

That’s exactly what she
has in her current position, and she credits her master’s degree with
helping her narrow her focus and sharpen her communication skills in a
setting not unlike the one she’s working in now.

Both women
say that if they had to do it all over again, they’d still pursue their
graduate degrees right after finishing their bachelor’s degrees — but
that they’d invest more time and energy gaining experience through internships or volunteer activities.
They both also stress, as do others, that once you’ve come to terms
with the notion of pursuing an entry-level job with your graduate
degree, it’s critical for you to communicate to prospective employers
– in your cover letter or, better yet, a live conversation — your
willingness to start at entry-level and prove your way up.

“Show
initiative and a willingness to do whatever it takes to advance,” says
Jennifer Kushell, cofounder of YSN.com — Your Success Network and
author of Secrets of the Young & Successful.
“An advanced degree coupled with a more comprehensive understanding of
the business, grounded in reality and not theory, is sure to help you
make the most of your degree.”