Kick Your Career Credentials Up a Notch

There are numerous reasons for devoting time and energy (and money) to post-graduate pursuits!

Soon you’ll walk across the Convocation stage to pick up your degree or diploma, indicating the successful completion of your undergraduate studies.

But as you exit stage left, don’t be surprised if a few stray thoughts nag at you: Like, what next? Do you enter the work world? Launch the career? Take time off? Go travelling? What about graduate school?

The words “graduate school” may give you a jolt – “what, more school? Are you kidding?” – with notions of Master’s degrees and PhDs.

There are, of course, benefits to graduate school even when it involves a hefty amount of time and money, but perhaps all you really need – or want – is to kick your career credentials up a notch, polish job skills you already have, gain a little more knowledge of the complexities in your field.

In that case, says Renay Dixon, Transfer Pathways Officer with Algonquin College’s Academic Development office, you might consider another option: Ontario College Graduate Certificates. These mostly one-year programs provide in-depth, niche-area training within a particular field of study.

“After you have completed a degree or a college-level diploma, you might consider options to enhance your skills in a particular area and perform more specialized tasks,” she says.

Algonquin offers a wide array of graduate certificate programs, both on campus and online – anything from Advanced Care Paramedic, Forensic Accounting and Fraud Investigations, and Green Architecture to International Business Management, Register Nurse-Critical Care Nursing, and Victimology.

There are numerous reasons for devoting time and energy (and money) to post-graduate pursuits, whether at the college or university level.

One common – and popular – reason for completing graduate certificates is the prospect of more rapid career advancement and greater long-term earning power. For example, engineering or construction and trades graduates who add a graduate certificate in construction project manager or green architecture might be early candidates for senior management positions.

A graduate certificate can also help you move from an unrewarding job or career to something more fulfilling.

If your field of knowledge is getting out of date, a post-grad period can help you upgrade your education – and, thereby, better your career prospects. Indeed, some professions such as engineering, computer science, nursing, and pharmacy can require additional schooling beyond your undergraduate credentials just to get a job.

Improving your educational level can open doors to more advanced research and give you greater access to better technology that expands your knowledge – and, again, improves career possibilities.

A graduate certificate may not be the immediate ticket to a high-paying job, but the fact that you made such an effort shows employers you possess the kind of discipline and ambition that makes you a better candidate for advancement.

Finally, post-graduate studies can be a welcome surprise. You may find your interests changing during graduate studies, possibly sending you down a whole new lifepath that you’d previously never considered.

As Jeff Agate, Associate Director of Student Support Services, puts it: “For many, a graduate certificate, diploma, or degree is the icing on the educational cake that helps them elevate their career to a significantly higher level. That makes them an excellent investment of time, effort, and money.”