Aug 06 2008
If nobody is paying for dinner tonight, go home and cook for yourself.
I need to know who’s picking up the tab. Or at the very least, what is my rate of reimbursement? I’m talking about higher education, not a business dinner. An impulse buy would easily merit enrollment and months of study. After the classes are finished and the loans are not in deferment, it’s a little too late to apply a cost-benefit analysis. Living life on a “what if” basis can be costly in and of itself, but as I’ve reviewed in previous posts, where does the true benefit lie? The ultimate goal is to eventually maneuver one’s way out of the corporate landscape where the next step to higher ground is probably at least an annual review away.
Entrepreneurship. What does it take to become a business owner? For many, I’d assume that working for one’s self is a wide spread dream. Taking orders from within and doing whatever it takes on your own terms to earn and maintain clients and revenue seems like an amazing way to eek out a living. Although there is a notorious amount of hard work that goes into running a business, it clearly develops character in the business owner. Additionally the path of the business is lead in the direction that the owner has decided worthy. Having everyone paddle like mad just to stay afloat is disconcerting and clearly not the way to develop self worth and independence.
Working for a start up could even be better. The excitement and opportunity to develop your skills free of any corporate firewalls that discourage such behavior. Start ups also require a good amount of hours being put in. But, as mentioned before the sheer excitement of working towards building a business that isn’t quite yet defined as an entity seems ideal for the creative person with a good work ethic.
Where does the graduate degree come into play? Sometimes in a company or organizations brochure to potential employees they’ll have an actually pay scale comparing those with a bachelors degree to those possessing a masters degree. That’s somewhat intimidating for anyone with the lesser of the two educations. It might lead one to think that there is no place for a person who doesn’t have the highly valued Masters in Something.
Other times the person with just the undergraduate degree can seem more pliable. After all, they’re looking for a paycheck plus experience. After dishing out tens of thousands of dollars, you’re bound to develop a complex of what people may or may not owe you. The bachelor degree holding candidate who has a passion for the work might make a much better co-worker and person to be groomed into a leadership role.
No matter what degree of education a person may hold, they must stay flexible. If you’re short on dough and simply cannot afford to venture into an immediate capital drain that is graduate school, then what will you do in the meantime until you are prepared? Clearly if you are serious about your career, you’ll stay busy with whatever your decided craft may be. Be productive and keep your eyes on the prize.
