Although graduate school is a costly investment in education, it is one that can pay off very well over the course of your career. If you want to succeed in your chosen field, a master’s degree can help to give you an edge over the competition from the start. Here are three of the most important ways in which pursuing a master’s degree can help to jump-start your career and allow you to rise to the top of your profession.

Considering Grad School? 3 Ways A Master's Degree Can Jumpstart Your Career

Help Make Your Resume Stand out

When you’re applying for a job, it’s a safe assumption that the pool of candidates could contain dozens or even hundreds of other applicants. In a field so large, it can be very difficult to make your resume stand out from the crowd. If you have a master’s degree, however, the group of people with the same level of education as you will be considerably smaller. Master’s degrees stand out to hiring managers in ways that bachelor’s degrees simply don’t.

Thanks to the fact that roughly a third of Americans now hold bachelor’s degrees, they no longer jump out as serious qualifications to those who are making hiring decisions. If you want to get more interviews and improve your chances of landing the positions you apply for, just being able to show that you have a master’s degree on your resume is an asset that will prove invaluable.

Make You Eligible for Advancement

Even though the first job you apply for will likely be one that is open to candidates with a bachelor’s degree as well, that situation will change as you pursue higher positions in your company. Often, entry-level workers find themselves needing to go back to school in order to rise above mid-level management positions later in their careers. If you start your career off with a master’s degree, it will be that much easier for you to qualify for higher-level positions.

In many cases, the fact you already have a master’s will also help you advance more quickly, as your superiors will be more likely to notice your qualifications and consider you for higher positions. If you want to gain the benefits of this without delaying your entry into the working world, you can also take one of the many fully online master’s degrees programs from places like San Diego colleges being offered by schools today while you work.

Position You for Recruitment

Although you may choose to enter a company and try to work your way up, there are always other job prospects out there. For professionals, these opportunities are often brought by professional recruiters looking for top talent in other companies. Much like hiring managers, recruiters sift through massive numbers of potential candidates when looking for people to fill vacant positions.

If you want to stand out to recruiters and have potentially better job prospects brought to you on a regular basis, a master’s degree is essential. Be sure to list your master’s on your LinkedIn profile, as this is where most recruiters turn when looking for likely prospects.

These are just a few of the ways in which a master’s degree can help you advance your career and become more successful. Whether you are a student about to finish your bachelor’s degree or someone who has already been in the workforce for some time, consider looking into graduate school. It will be a major investment, but one that is well worth making. Once you have your master’s degree, you’ll be surprised at just how many new opportunities become available to you as you continue down your chosen career path.