Thinking of Going To Grad School? Tools to help you figure it out

A few years back, I decided that pushing through as a solo-entrepreneur had come to a head. I was at a juncture of choosing to either take my practice to the next level with investments in people and systems or close it down and regroup.

I decided to close down my practice and regroup. I had never really started in my business to build an empire, and I decided that the focus needed to go to the next level just wasn't where I was at that time. The decision to go all-in felt wrong, and the risk I felt of potentially missing out on too much with my family and children overshadowed the gain I believed I was going to earn.

So, I decided to close down my solo-gig, assess me and what I wanted to do as a professional. Or, did I even want to be a professional with a career, maybe I would find a down-scaled part-time work? Or, did I want to devote my professional talents to a more mission-based non-profit pursuit, or did I want to stay in the for-profit world?

In a time of reflection, I learned a bit more about myself and was fortunate to have time, space, and some personal influencers to help me in the process. After a time, as I began sharing some of my story with people, I realized more and more that I was not alone in the quest to try to figure out what to do 'next' in life.

As a former recruiter, I knew that many graduates never even apply their college degrees to a professional pursuit. 'Many' does not do justice to the disconnect between college studies and professional goals, as a study sponsored by the New York Federal Reserve once found that a startlingly low 27 percent of college graduates work in their career field. It is worth rephrasing since many people feel they may be on an island; nearly 70% of college graduates may never apply their degree to their work!

A recent report revealed the decision to regroup and retool from undergraduate studies is a bit a of a trend. Apparently, with significant influence from the impact of COVID-19, applications to graduate schools in business, law and medicine are seeing increases in applicants. Some programs are even seeing historic increases in applications from underrepresented minorities, which is a glimpse of an optimistic vision for future impacts on momentum to improve diversity, equity, and inclusion in the workplace.

My pre-COVID19 journey of trying to find the next career step is not unique. It is mirroring what a lot of people are reflecting on and considering. In my process, I decided that I wanted to dig deeper into the functional and analytic skills that I had developed in my career. I knew I wanted to shift from a solo-entrepreneur role into an operationally focused position. I also realized that while I have missions that I enjoy volunteering for, I did not want to enter the professional side of the non-profit world. So for me, it made sense to round out my skills with an MBA program. I needed a program that would be flexible and wanted to be sure my degree was AACSB-accredited. I also was not trying to enter a super-competitive like investment banking or available to become a road warrior in my next career step. Ultimately, I gravitated to a program that would give me a real-world academic focus, so I ended up selecting the 100% online program professional-focused MBA program at Youngstown State University.

Are you thinking of retooling your career with a return to college to complete your degree or earn an advanced degree? Are you looking for some impartial or guiding thoughts on how to get from 'here' to 'there'?

Returning to school or going to grad school may not be for everyone. So whether you are looking to enhance your formal education or find a way to pivot your career on your own, here are a few resources I suggest on LinkedIn Learning that can help you navigate this transition.

Assess your life vs. work values: Are you generally struggling with the idea of how to find your fit? This short video, part of a more encompassing career mapping course, is an excellent focus-finder to help you start thinking through and assessing how to find a balance around what means most to you.

Working with Your Personal Strengths and Weaknesses: Sometimes, you know when you aren't in a 'right fit' position, and you feel it. Sometimes, fixing this mismatch is the problem. This course will help you find where the mismatch may be and how to start addressing it.

Volunteering: Have you thought about making your volunteer passion your focus in life (paid or not)? Career expert Marci Alboher sheds light on how volunteering can be a great resource to a career encore.

Test Prep GRE: Maybe like me you decided that going back to school will help you get your career on the track you want. Some graduate programs, especially in business, may give career exemptions for entrance exam testing like the GRE. But, if not, you can find some great tools to help you get ready.

A Career Strategist's Guide to Getting A Job: Once you know where you want to take your career, before you start shooting out resumes, take some time to learn about how to structure and manage your job search.

Are you rethinking your career and looking for a way to reshape your career or skills? If you found a LinkedIn Learning course or video that helped you, please share it!

This article is part of a series for the 2021 LinkedIn Learning Champion program, where I will highlight how LinkedIn Learning can help students and professionals in their education and careers. #LiLChampion2021