One of the reasons I’ve been holding off on grad school involves the actual degree. Initially I thought an MBA with a focus in marketing would suit my career goals, but as I’ve been thinking about marketing career paths I’m not entirely sure that’s the route I want to take. The point of marketing, after all, is to “sell stuff” (as a friend pointed out), and often in marketing you’re stuck selling things people don’t necessarily want or need. (See Alex Bogusky’s recent write up in Fast Company and read the part about shilling for Burger King.)  However, as far as careers go, the benefits of an MBA are that I really do enjoy the marketing process and the people who work in the field, an advanced degree would greatly increase my earnings potential, and I do need to learn certain marketing lessons that I didn’t get in my communications undergrad program (though I did minor in marketing).

An alternate path started to take shape, however, as I learned about the field of public health. Most of my communications and public relations career has been health focused. I’ve worked with some of the world’s biggest over-the-counter drug companies and non-profits to develop programs designed to educate Americans about certain diseases and conditions, like headaches, heartburn, digestive diseases, high cholesterol, and more. And I’ve loved those experiences –  using my strengths to deliver health and education messages has been a natural marriage of my interests and my skills. The field of public health seemed like a natural progression – especially after attending a lecture last week to hear former US Surgeon General David Satcher speak about the need for health professionals. I felt inspired (I stared dreaming about how I could help work towards a healthier America, how I could impact  obesity and related conditions such as heart disease and diabetes) and so made an appointment to talk with our school’s public health program to validate whether my skills were appropriate and what I’d need to do to get into the program.

It was a lively conversation. Clearly my interests and job experience were spot on. However, I saw a major red flag. The public health program I was considering is clearly aimed at physicians. The admissions woman kept talking about how as a communicator, I would be a “boundary spanner” in helping communicate messages about health to the public.  ”You could write press releases and make brochures,” said the admissions woman. Trouble is, with a communications degree, I can already do that. And I did just that – like eight years ago as an account executive. I told her, “You know, that really is right up my alley. But I left my old firm as a vice president.”

She got the message. “You probably did that right out of college, huh?”  I told her I did.  She then told me that 90 percent of public health professionals don’t have degrees in public health. Basically what I’ve been doing with my career is public health, just without the degree (and usually attached to a product). And therein lies another problem; ancillary vs. mainline.

For those of you new to the concept, mainline employees are the decision makers and the people who keep a company running. Think about an airline: you need the pilots to fly the plane, the engineers to keep the plane moving, finance people to keep the bills paid and executives to steer the company and make the tough decisions. Then you have the ancillary folks. The folks who help the company, but aren’t integral to the product or service… the public relations people, the communicators, the marketers. Sure, as a communicator myself I could make the case that without good communications and marketing, the company as a whole will fail. But when there are tough decisions to be made about the direction of the company, trust me, no one is going to ask the advice of the communications people the vast majority of the time (although they probably should!).

My role at the moment is ancillary. And I find myself wishing I had a greater impact. However, the admissions woman was basically saying that since I’m not a researcher or a physician, my role would basically stay the same. Rather than being the spokesperson, expert, policy maker, or program manager, with my background, I’d just be the communicator. It sounded like fluff. It was fluff. In this field, I’d always be fluffy. Not only would I not be working to shape policy based on my own findings (since I have no science background), but without the MD, RD, PhD, or even a master’s in some type of science, my earning potential may go down, not up. (“You could apply for a communications internship at the NIH!” was the worst possible thing I could have heard at this meeting.)

So time to regroup. There is one woman in public health with a communications background at my university that I’d like to meet. She’s doing some really interesting research and I think her perspective would be helpful. But my interest is fading fast in this degree. Ultimately, if I want to help people get off their butts and on their feet, moving, and eating healthy, there may be better ways to steer my career in that direction. I could start my own foundation, for instance, or simply look to add in some volunteering in my off days while I continue to grow my communications career. After all, I could argue that the greatest way to make an impact is to take the money I’m earning and funnel it into projects that are already making headway.  Time to look back at that MBA and see what skills I can pick up that can help me advance my end goals …. which are not, certainly, to add a bunch a debt that will get me to where I already am.

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On the first promise, I’ve done quite well. In one year at my new job, I travel for business less and travel for fun more. I learned how to cook, lost 20 lbs. and am fitter than I’ve been since high school. I relaunched my blog. I took some executive education classes, and also do some guest speaking at the University. When I think of my stress level today vs. one year ago, the difference is astonishing.  I feel like a much different,  healthier, more positive person.

That’s not to say my new job is a cakewalk. Making the transition from corporate life to academia wasn’t an easy transition. But in my first year there, my team has made giant strides toward meeting our goals – everything from building a social media presence to developing new branding standards to the initiation of an internal communications presence to the launch of an events capability to the integration of our media relations planning teams …. well, let’s just say we’ve reinvented everything. Building something from the ground up is hard work, but it’s fun. And though we have some late nights, weekends, and really busy time periods, for the most part, work is done at the end of the day. (God, I STILL feel guilty saying that.) I was ready for a change of pace, and I got it. And having been through the 24-hour, always on call job, I appreciate this environment  more every day.

On the second promise, going back to school, I’ve not done as well. I did take some classes early on in the year, but they were not part of a master’s program. My goal was to be in an MBA program this fall. I didn’t even take the test to get in; heck, I didn’t even buy the book to take the test. It just hasn’t been a priority, and frankly, I’ve been fine to let this decision marinate for a while. After all, going to school is a big commitment, and a big expense. I’ve been watching B (my boyfriend) go through law school as an adult student and I’m not sure I’m ready to commit to all those struggles at the moment, especially when things are going so well on the “life” side of the work-life balance.

This week, however, I was talking to a friend about why I took the job at the university, and mentioned that my original plan was to get an MBA. “What are you doing to make that a reality?” she asked.

“Well….” I answered, trailing off.

She knew where I was headed. “Let me tell you this,” she said. “Don’t less grass grow under your feet. You’re young, but before you know it, time will have gotten away from you.”

Oy. Talk about a reality check.

I went home feeling gloomy and anxious. Am I wasting my time? Am I killing my earning potential? Since I have the luxury of being a single, childless woman now, shouldn’t I be doing all I can to earn, earn, earn? Shouldn’t I be investing in myself?  I thought about my apartment, and how I don’t yet own a home.  If I finished an MBA in two or three years, wouldn’t my living situation change dramatically as my income grew?

I came home and started outlining a post on how I’m at a career crossroads and the clock is ticking. And then I read the second paragraph in this essay.

And I read it again.

I thought about how, actually, I really enjoy the feeling of grass under my feet. If at some point, time does get away from me, know what I’m going to regret?  The eight years I spent making plans for other people, letting my job run my life and generally missing the little things, like grass between my toes. I would regret not doing more with my free time, not spending time with friends and family. I would regret not traveling. I would not regret, however, missing an opportunity to max out my earning potential.

I’ve been an overachiever my whole life. Academically, professionally, and even extracurricularly, if that’s a word. For instance, in school, I used to cry if I got anything lower than an A (no joke). In college, I didn’t just join a sorority, I became president of all of them. I scored promotions every year at my old job. It’s strange for to admit that I’m not ready just yet to head back to school. I feel like an underachiever.

B-school is most likely still in the cards for me. But taking a break  from the pressure I put upon myself is good for me, too. I shouldn’t get an advanced degree just because it’s expected. I should do it because it will help me achieve a goal I set for myself for the future. I’m not yet sure what that goal is. I might like to become a brand manager on the marketing side. I might like to one day go back into the agency world and manage creative talent. I might want to try starting a consulting business of my own.

But I also might want to complete a few more races. I might want to spend some time volunteering. I want to see what I can do with my blog. I want to put my energy towards projects and goals that will help me to become a better, happier, healthier person, not just someone who makes a lot of money.

Before I settle on the when, I need to settle on the why. And with things going the way they are, I’m just not sure I’m there yet.  I hope that doesn’t make me an underachiever.

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A million questions bounce through my head when I think about grad school. In the marketing field, what’s more useful: an MBA or a master’s degree in IMC? Am I in the right profession; should I be looking at master’s programs in other fields to begin a new career? Is grad school a good time to make a lifestyle change and move to another market? What timing is right for me?

Because I cannot answer so many of these questions, I don’t think grad school is right for me just yet. I can’t fathom spending that much money on a course of action I am not sure of, and I want to build a financial cushion before making any major decisions. But I do know I’ll be in grad school at some point, so I read articles on the subject with interest.

For those of you closer to a decision, here are some great resources:

If you are considering grad school for business, log on to www.careerjournal.com, a sub-site of the Wall Street Journal, no subscription required. While you’re there, check out the “Women to Watch” section as well as the MBA link, which contains really informative articles and interviews.

Also check out BusinessWeek’s MBA insider at http://www.businessweek.com/bschools/mbainsider/. I don’t think you need a subscription for this either.

Anybody thinking about medical school will want to check out the AMA’s student Web site, though I’d assume if you received your undergrad in medicine you have a pretty good education plan laid out in advance:
http://www.ama-assn.org/ama/pub/category/12851.html

For those considering law school, here is US News & World Report’s Law School site:
http://www.usnews.com/usnews/edu/grad/rankings/law/lawindex_brief.php

Also, here’s the ABA student Web site:
http://www.abanet.org/lsd/home.html

I could probably go on all day with this, but don’t have a ton of time. Sorry to all the liberal arts undergrads out there seeking master’s degrees! I couldn’t easily find a credible one-stop resource for you on the Web.

In addition to industry-specific data, here’s a recent column from Washington Post columnist Michelle Singletary about the costs of grad school and some new thinking on financing the journey:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A5338-2005Jan12.html

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